Elizabethtown townlively.com
JUNE 25, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXVI • NO 20
Fair Seeks Queen Contestants BY CAT SHANNON
The Elizabethtown Fair Queen Program is accepting applicants for the 2025 fair season, and the job comes with more than just a crown. “Running for fair queen opens up the opportunity to explore the fair in a whole new way,” said Lia Swartz, fair queen program coordinator. “Many of the events that the queen and court will participate in during the week are new for the girls even if they have been attending or exhibiting for years. Our entire court - every girl who runs for queen is considered part of the court - will get to work closely with the fair board and community members who make the fair happen.” Once the fair week is over, the job continues. “There is opportunity to continue promoting the fair at community events, parades and the
The Elizabethtown Area High School Overwatch esports team
E-town Levels Up With Esports State Title tested the local team’s focus and resilience. As coach Austin Henderson explained, Overwatch features two teams of five players each who compete to complete specific objectives on various game environments called “maps.” “Each map has unique layouts and objectives, such as capturing points or escorting payloads. In esports competitions, teams play a series of these maps in a match,” he shared. “Since matches are best of five, the first team to win three maps wins the match. Matches are typically played remotely, with finals being held at in-person events.” After a slow start - dropping
state fair queen competition,” Swartz explained. “ The fair queen competition is a scholarship for not only the queen but See Fair Queen pg 2
the first map - E-town regrouped with determination, battled to a tie on the second map and then surged ahead, winning the next three maps in a row. The 3-1 victory sealed the team’s place as state champion and marked a major milestone for the program. Henderson said he expected the team to do well, but he was still surprised by the win. In addition to the state grand championship, the team won its spring conference championship. “From the very beginning, we knew we had a talented group, but to go undefeated throughout the regular season, winning every match 3-0, was just incredible,” he said. “That set a high bar, and
Preserving History and Shaping Tomorrow BY CAT SHANNON
At Elizabethtown College, students in the Public Heritage Studies Program have the opportunity to explore and preserve the rich local history of Lancaster County and beyond, while gaining hands-on experience that will prepare them for careers in museums, archives and history preservation. While the program is open to college students, its benefits to the community extend well beyond the campus.
See Esports pg 5
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The roots of the Public Heritage Studies Program run deep. Director Jean-Paul Benowitz, who has taught history at Elizabethtown for 33 years, began developing local history courses after publishing books on the history of the college and the borough in 2014 and 2015. What began as a certificate program has grown into a full-fledged minor, supported by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, which highlights the regional heritage of the Amish, Mennonites and Church of the Brethren. See History pg 3
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an playing video games have a positive impact on a teen’s life? For the members of Elizabethtown Area High School’s esports team, the answer is a definitive “yes.” The team made histor y the weekend of May 31 to June 1 by capturing its first-ever Pennsylvania Interscholastic Esports Association (PIEA) state championship in Overwatch, a popular team-based game. The championship match, held at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, pitted E-town against a skilled Westmont Hilltop squad in a high-stakes showdown that
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BY CAT SHANNON
2024 Elizabethtown Fair Queen Alexandria Neff