Elizabethtown townlively.com
DECEMBER 18, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXV • NO 45
Rev up for a cause BY CATHY MOLITORIS
What happens when a bunch of motorc ycle riders come together? A giant convoy traveling through a 25-mile route and raising money for veterans at the same time. The 16th annual New Year’s Day ride will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 1, with registration beginning at 10 a.m. at the Walter S. Ebersole American Legion Post 185, 255 W. Main St., Mount Joy. The ride will leave from the Legion at 1 p.m.,
and participants will follow a route along the Susquehanna River, ending at the Elizabethtown American Legion Post 329, 240 N. Hanover St. Members of the ladies’ auxiliary will serve breakfast at the Mount Joy Legion before the ride, and a pork and sauerkraut meal will be served at the Elizabethtown Legion at the ride’s conclusion. Tyler Stumpf and his friend Jeff Andrews dreamed up the idea for the benefit ride while hanging out during the Christmas season See Rev up pg 3
Stephanie Schaefer in the former drawing room at 40 W. High St.
Honoring the past in family museum BY CATHY MOLITORIS
“It’s about family, and it’s all about memories.” “My brother and I say often, ‘This was not our address, but this was where we grew up,’” Stephanie shared. Although multiple generations of her family have occupied
the house over the years, the property went up for auction in 1955 and the family’s connection ended - until one day last year. Stephanie’s mother, Sara, lived with her and Stephanie’s husband, Kimmel, until Sara’s death in 2021. “For the first year after she died, I grieved normally,” Stephanie said. “ The second year, something else set in. I had a different kind of grief. Instead of missing her, I just had to be back in E-town.” S he cre dits K immel w ith supporting her as she worked through her grief, frequently driving her from their home in Willow Street to Elizabethtown. “One time I said, ‘Let’s go by Grandpa’s house,’” Stephanie
Serving up Christmas spirit BY CATHY MOLITORIS
“This is what Christmas is all about,” said Clare Funck, describing a free community meal ser ved at Cross Roads C hurch on C hristmas Day. “There are other people who are going through the same thing you are, and this is a chance to connect with others. It just builds you up, which is what Jesus did for us. It’s what the whole season is about.” For the 27th year, Cross Roads Church will serve a free
community meal on Christmas Day. Food will be available for takeout or dine-in at the church, 800 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy, on Wednesday, Dec. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu will feature turkey, gourmet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, rolls, gravy and desserts. All food will be made by church members, who will also serve the sit-down meal. “ This is all about ser ving the community and offering fellowship with others,” said Funck, who directs the event See Christmas pg 2
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See Museum pg 4
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“E
verybody from E-town came into this house at some point, and now I want to welcome everyone from E-town back into this house,” said Stephanie Schaefer. The house she refers to is located at 40 W. High St. in Elizabethtown. It was the home of Dr. Reuben Gross and his family. Gross, who is Schaefer’s great-grandfather, was the town veterinarian, practicing for 61 years. “He received an award for being the oldest practicing vet in Pennsylvania,” Stephanie recalled. “He was in his 90s and still practicing.” Stephanie remembers spending a lot of time in her
great-grandparents’ home, a house that dates to 1824. She rode her tricycle through the hallways and hopped up and down steps leading to an alcove in the wall where people could pick up medicine from Dr. Gross from an alleyway.
Riders participate in a previous year’s New Year’s Day benefit ride.