Hempfield JANUARY 7, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 10,110 HOMES
VOL XLI • NO 39
Feats of Clay BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Hempfield High School students who attended the 4-State Video Competition were (from left) Brady Falcon, Amelia Casanova-Brito, Reese Geiger, Tyler Constein, Bryce Jordan, and Allyson Rineer.
Students Show Out at Competition
BY GEORGE DEIBEL
townlively.com/ events
M
issouri is known as the “Show-Me State.” Six students in Hempfield High School’s communications technology classes showed their skills and captured an award at the Academy of Scholastic Broadcasting ’s 4- State Video
Competition in Springfield, Mo., Nov. 6 to 11. “We did a total of, I believe it was, six competitions in the span of almost 72 hours, so it was a lot of work, but it was very rewarding,” student Tyler Constein said. “We had a really good time doing all that. It was just an amazing experience to do as a senior and
as somebody who wants to go into this field.” Students Bryce Jordan and Brady Falcon took home the top prize in the “Edit the Package” competition. “We got a whole bunch of footage and video, and it was our responsibility to edit everything together, add voiceovers, add sound effects, and make a news feature essentially.” See Video Contest pg 5
HEM
SALT Proves Friendship Has No Age Limit
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BY CAT SHANNON
Are we ever too old to make new friends? Absolutely not, say the senior citizens who gather on Tuesday mornings for SALT (Seniors Are Living Treasures). The group meets for fun, friendship and fellowship from 9 a.m. to noon weekly at Mount Joy Church of God, 30 E. Main St., Mount Joy. “We might have anywhere from 25 to 30 people each week,” said See SALT pg 4 Seniors mingle at a recent SALT gathering. Photo by Cat Shannon
See Mennonite Life pg 3
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ONLINE WINTER EVENT CALENDAR
Emily Smucker-Beidler said that she doesn’t know if she prefers teaching art or being an artist. The West Hempfield Township resident will be able to do both during the hands-on Redware Ornaments Workshop, which will be held Saturday, Jan. 17, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Mennonite Life Community Room, 2215 Millstream Road, Lancaster. The event is for people 13 years old and up. There is a fee to participate; Mennonite Life members receive a discount on tickets. The cost of materials is included. Anyone who wishes to take part must register at https://mennonite life.org/events by Thursday, Jan. 15. Guests will make their own redware ornaments that they can pick up at Mennonite Life four weeks after the activity. “Redware refers to the kind of clay which was used by the early American potters,” SmuckerBeidler said. “Many of them were farmers, and they would find a vein of clay in their field. The legend is that they would walk around the field, and wherever it didn’t make a footprint they knew that there was clay underneath there. They’d dig up that clay and process it and make it into functional items. This was something that was brought over from Europe, but it’s a very early American craft. They needed functional items to use. They started making pottery, and the potters would make it and then sell it.” Smucker-Beidler explained how the process works. “In my workshops, everyone has a prepared slab of clay,” she said. “The slab has been rolled out, smoothed, painted with the white slip (which is watered-down clay), and gotten
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