Lampeter-Strasburg townlively.com
MAY 14, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 2
Lampeter Elementary aide has volunteering down to a fine art BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Cathy Weichler is the embodiment of the term “Pioneer Pride.” The L ampeter Elementar y School volunteer heaps effusive praise on the LampeterStrasburg (L-S) School District. Cathy won’t say that she plays a part in what makes the school system special, but Lampeter Elementary teacher Jody Stauffer will. “Cathy knows everybody and talks with everyone she sees in the hallways,” Stauffer said. “She’s just a sweet lady that everybody enjoys interacting with.” Cathy has been volunteering in L-S schools off and on since the mid-1980s and has been serving in Stauffer’s art classes for several years. “I have enjoyed every minute
of volunteering because the elementary schools are such happy places,” said Cathy. “It’s a good place to be.” Stauffer said the grandmother of 10 comes in an average of once a week and sorts paintbrushes,
“It’s very fulfilling. I love being here.” sharpens pencils, cuts out tracers, takes down bulletin boards, fills paint, and assists students. Cathy also matches colors for mounting artwork, which takes nearly an hour to complete per class. “I have 18 classes, and Cathy can get four or five classes done in a day, which helps me a lot,” said Stauffer, who starts her
day teaching an art survey class at the high school before coming to Lampeter Elementary to work with first- and second-graders. Cathy began volunteering at Willow Street Elementary School in the mid-1980s when her youngest child, Matthew, started kindergarten. “I thought, ‘Now what do I do?’” Cathy said. Teacher Sue Fehr approached Cathy and asked if she would help at the school. Cathy aided Fehr and other teachers and then worked with first-grade teacher Michelle Gilger for a while. Gilger sent an email asking if any other teachers needed help in the classroom, and Stauffer gladly accepted. Cathy has been assisting Stauffer exclusively over the last several years. “Cathy is no longer just a volunteer,” Stauffer said. “She has become a friend.”
Lampeter Elementary School volunteer Cathy Weichler looks at an art
A world of wonder awaits inside the bookmobile It ’s more than books on wheels. The Librar y System of Lancaster County’s (LSLC) bookmobile delivers knowledge, creativity, inspiration and joy. The bookmobile is kind of like a food truck serving up nourishment for the mind and soul. “Reading in general is very important,” said Audrey Lilley, the bookmobile’s driver, curator
Trailcrest Farm celebrates 80th anniversary BY GEORGE DEIBEL
and full-time coordinator. “It’s important for kids to be reading. It’s important for them to be able to pick up a book and see characters who look like them. Reading can be inspirational, and with retirees, it kind of comes full circle. I think retirees can find comfort in reading. For all people in between, it’s a way to relax and unwind.” When not on the go to multiple locations all across Lancaster
The Landis family recently celebrated 80 years of farming on Little Beaver Road in Strasburg. On April 26, Trailcrest Farm hosted a party for its family, customers, and neighbors. Rich and Edie Landis displayed their machiner y, and there were games and balloons for kids. The Landises served hamburgers and beef barbecue, and the feast was highlighted by a cake that commemorated the occasion.
See Bookmobile pg 11
“Everybody just came out and had a great time,” Edie said. Rich’s parents, Myron and Nada Landis, purchased the farm in 1944. It had a barn and a twostory log house that were each built in the 1970s, in addition to a milkhouse. Trailcrest Farm was named by Rich’s grandfather Christian. Looking out over the land, Christian remarked, “There’s the trail going up over the crest.” Myron, Nada, and their seven Members of the Landis family (front, from left) Ethan, children raised horses, cows, include Evelyn, (back) Rich Sr., Edie, See Trailcrest Farm pg 2 Emily, and Corinn.
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See Volunteer pg 4 project by student Zoe Pabon-Ayala.