Elizabethtown NOVEMBER 26, 2025
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 14,530 HOMES
VOL LXVI • NO 42
Sweet Two Train Displays Will Support for in Spark Holiday Wonder Mothers Uganda
BY CAT SHANNON
BY CAT SHANNON
BUY 5, GET 1 FREE! New White Vinyl Energy Efficient Double Hung Windows
“We have seven different layouts and various sizes, from standard gauge, which is the largest, to Z gauge, which is the smallest, and everything in between,” Monti shared. Scenes change regularly, so even if people have visited the display in the past, they’re sure to see something
Hearing Vietnam War Stories Firsthand
$479 Installed
BY CAT SHANNON
LIFETIME WARRANTY FINANCING AVAILABLE
717.517.4473 berniedospoywindowsanddoors.com
For more than a decade, members of the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) Chapter 1008 have been visiting local high schools, sharing their stories of their experiences with students. That tradition continued in October at Manheim Central High School, with upcoming presentations at Donegal High School on Monday, Dec. 8; Garden Spot High School on Tuesday, Dec. 16; Elizabethtown Area High School on Thursday, Dec. 18; and Lampeter-Strasburg High School on Monday, Jan. 5, 2026. “This group is a really good thing,” said veteran Patrick Gibson. “We all have different stories. We
R122608
Veterans Patrick Gibson (left) and John Dobish with some
See Vietnam pg 4 of their Vietnam War memorabilia. Photo by Cat Shannon
Shop Anytime from Home at insidetrackpa.com POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER NOV. 26, 2025
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
ETN
said, noting that the Masonic Village display is in a building with a large parking lot. “We love inviting people to both displays. We have people who go to the library’s display and don’t even know the Masonic trains exist, and vice versa.” Both displays feature operational trains of various scales.
See Train pg 3
(3 window min) ext. capping additional charge
PA032769
Masonic Village and Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club members at their display. Photo by Cat Shannon
On Saturday, Dec. 13, the Elizabeth Room at The Marriage Hub, 18 N. Market St., Elizabethtown, will fill with the warmth of Christmas. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Milandila - a local nonprofit partnering with village communities in Uganda - will host its Christmas Fundraising Event, a celebration with a purpose that reaches across continents. “Come and be encouraged!” said Shannon Medich, Milandila’s director of partnership development. “It’s a casual setting, free and a drop-in. It’s family-friendly, or you could come and not know anyone and still leave smiling. When you hear stories of lives being transformed by Christ, you will want to be part of what God is doing.” The event will feature Christmas cookies and coffee, along with a lunch available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each lunch will feature a pulled pork or chicken sandwich, a side dish, chips and a beverage. Handcrafted Ugandan items will be for sale, and a holiday dessert auction, hosted by auctioneer Dave Conley of Rentzel’s Auctions in Mount Wolf, will begin at 1 p.m. Attendees may bid on more than 50 desserts to benefit the organization’s expansion efforts. People from Community Bible Church in Marietta and Elizabethtown Alliance Church will provide the desserts. “There are about 25 bakers offering one or two desserts each. Each one is a masterpiece!” Medich said. “(There will be) incredible See Support pg 5
1659 Lititz Pike LANCASTER 717.394.6439 1026 Lititz Pike LITITZ 223.258.2087 6301 Grayson Road HARRISBURG 717.564.2770
R123628
“T
rains and the holidays go together,” said John Monti, president of the Masonic Village & Elizabethtown Model Railroad Club. He invites people to embrace their inner child and visit not one, but two elaborate model train displays in town. One will be featured at the railroad club building on Freemason Drive on the Masonic Village campus, and the other will be showcased in the lower level of the Elizabethtown Public Library, 10 S. Market St., Elizabethtown. To make it easy for people to visit both, a free shuttle service provided by Masonic Village will run between the two displays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Dec. 6, 13 and 20. “Parking is at a premium at the library, so this is a great way for people to see both displays and not have to worry about parking,” Monti