Lampeter-Strasburg townlively.com
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 41
Lampeter-Strasburg student crowned PA State Fair Queen BY GEORGE DEIBEL
A
va Immel is a firm believer in the theory it takes a village to raise a child. The senior at Lampeter-Strasburg High School, who was recently named 2025 Pennsylvania Fair Queen, is grateful for the support of family and friends and credits her ag teachers and Garden Spot FFA advisers Katie Ranck and Holly Oberholtzer with helping her chase her dreams. “(Ranck and Oberholtzer) have always told me it takes a village behind you to get to places in your life,” Ava said. “This is one of the places it took me. They helped me with my speech, my introduction, and the tough love is how I got to where I am today. They’ll tell me if it’s bad. They’ll tell me if it’s good, but it always helps.” Ava was crowned PA Fair Queen
in a ceremony at the Hershey Lodge on Jan. 25, the final day of the three-day competition. Contestants were interviewed on the first day and delivered a speech on day two. Everyone had to answer the same question: Why should you come to my fair? Ava took the judges through a day in her life at the West Lampeter Fair, telling the panel, “It’s not as much about the events as it is the moments behind them.” The contestants were not sure where they stood at that point. “You don’t really know anything yet,” Ava said. “We all got called on stage and we sat there. Then they announce the top five.” That’s when Ava got her first pleasant surprise of the night. “There were 61 other contestants, so I didn’t think I was one of the ones who was going to be called,” she said. “I knew I had done a good job, but this was the
Sydney Albright (left), the 2023 West Lampeter Fair queen runner-up; Sarah Blount (second from left), the 2023 West Lampeter Fair queen; Ava Immel (second from right), the 2024 West Lampeter Fair queen and 2025 Pennsylvania Fair Queen; and Mackenzie Westerlund, the 2024 West Lampeter Fair queen runner-up, at last September’s West Lampeter Fair
state competition, so I assumed because I like the challenge of the everyone had done just as well. on-the-spot questions.” I was very shocked when I got The final five were sequestered in the top five but also excited and called on stage one by one
to answer a final question: How would you communicate the economics of your fair to your community? After past state fair See Queen pg 4
Lanco Senior Softball league seeks players If you are 58 years old or older and enjoy staying active, the Lanco Senior Softball league is looking for you. Men and women within a 100-mile radius of Lancaster city who are interested in playing can contact league president Dave Dean at 610-334-1124 or email treasurer Dave Zerbe at dzerbe@ comcast.net. “We are looking for players,” said Zerbe, who resides in Strasburg. “Anybody interested in playing should call or email and give us your contact information
BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Caruso’s Pizzeria senior softball team won the National Division Playoff Championship last season. The team includes (front, from left) Ebiel Morales, Norm Summers, Kevin Weinhold, Mike Hostetler, Fredy Lopez, (middle)Joe Ives, Phil Maxey, David Garcia, Steve Murphy, Keith Ingram, (back) Bob Ricedorf, Rich Lucchese, Eric Kronawetter, Kevin Allen, Greg Henkel, Angel Torres-Perez, (not See Softball pg 8 pictured) Jim Weller, Tom Hollow, Edwin Rodriguez, and Jon Fodor.
Lampeter-Strasburg (L-S) High School hosted some of the area’s top high school musicians during the District 7 South Band Festival on Jan. 24 and 25. Musicians and band directors representing 38 schools in Lancaster, York, and Adams counties participated in the two-day festival, which culminated with a concert on Saturday afternoon,
led by guest conductor Tonya Mitchell-Spradlin, a director of wind band studies and assistant professor of music at Penn State University. L-S band director Larry Royer, who has been teaching for 31 years, the last 22 also as band director, said the school has hosted the district orchestra in 2019 and all-state groups, but this is the first time it has hosted the District 7 South Band Festival. See Music pg 3
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BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Region’s top high school musicians take part in festival