MARCH 11, 2026
Early Learning Takes Root
BY CAT SHANNON
Transformation is underway at the former Rheems Elementary School, where construction has begun on a no-cost learning center set to open in summer 2027. When it does, the Catherine Hershey School will bring change not only to the building, but also to the students and families it serves.
The Elizabethtown Catherine Hershey School, located at 130 Alida St., will be the second location to open in Lancaster County, following the opening of a site in New Danville this summer.
A third school is set to open in Lancaster city in the fall of 2027.
Additional Catherine Hershey Schools are open in Hershey, Harrisburg and Middletown.
Tools, Trades and a Place to Get Started
BY CAT SHANNON
Like many creative people, Emily Fritz comes from a crafty family. Her grandfather was a woodworker, but he died before she could learn from him. Eager to explore the craft, she wasn’t sure where to begin, and that experience inspired her to help others find their starting point. She is the founder and executive director of Lancaster Workshop + Tool Library, opening later this year.
and will provide classes for children age 6 weeks to 5 years.
“All expenses are covered for our families,” said Luanne Dohner, center director for the Elizabethtown Catherine Hershey School.
The school will operate year-round
Each is funded by a $350 million initiative by the Milton Hershey Trust, and all are open to low-income families.
The school will accommodate up to 150 children and will initially be open to families that live or work in the Elizabethtown, Manheim Central and Donegal school districts.
See Learning pg 8
“Finding mentorship, tools, space, etc., was a serious lifelong limitation until I shared this story with my friend, mentor and now co-founder, Gene Shaw, a retired cabinetmaker and artist in the city of Lancaster who invited me to learn with him,” she recalled. “By lesson three, I told Gene we must start a community workshop to give our community an opportunity to learn skilled trades in a mentorship, cohort environment, from seasoned experts.”
BY CAT SHANNON
About 25 years ago, Joan Schaum learned about Relay For Life, a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, through her employer, and she joined a team. She didn’t know that the organization would touch her personally in the future.
Years later, her mother-in-law, Jackie Immel, moved in with Joan and her husband, Jeffrey, to their home in Columbia. While living with the Schaums, Immel was diagnosed with several types of cancer.
She connected with SCORE, wrote a business plan, created a budget and pitched her idea to the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County. The Trust agreed to serve as fiscal sponsor, supporting the workshop and tool library under the Trust’s 501(c)(3) status.
“It’s really thanks to them and their belief in our mission along with the Steinman STEM Alliance for giving us the gift of startup funding to get off the ground,” Fritz said.
In August 2025, Shaw began setting up space in a warehouse located at 433 Ice Ave., Lancaster.
Kim Nixon (left), facilities supervisor, and Luanne Dohner, center director, outside the Catherine Hershey School in Elizabethtown. Photo by Cat Shannon
Support Program for Pet Owners Launched
The Pet Care Club of Central PA has launched the Heart-to-Paw Support Program, a new non-clinical, educational service designed to help pet owners navigate the emotional and practical challenges that can arise while caring for their pets.
The program was developed in response to increasing time constraints and compassion fatigue among veterinary professionals, along with a growing recognition that pet ownership involves significant emotional labor. Heart-to-Paw offers structured support for pet owners facing complex decisions, uncertainty, or stress related to their pets’ care. The program complements veterinary care without replacing clinical or medical services and is designed to be a referral-friendly resource for veterinary-adjacent professionals.
The Heart-to-Paw Support Program is now available to pet owners throughout central Pennsylvania. Veterinary practices and pet care professionals may refer clients seeking additional non-clinical support resources.
For more information, visit www.thepetcareclub ofcentralpa.org.
DeVerter-Patrick
Anthony and Shelly DeVerter of Mount Joy have announced the engagement of their daughter, Ariel DeVerter of Leola, to Andrew Patrick of Leola.
The bride-elect graduated from Manheim Central High School in 2016. She is employed at Lancaster County Prison.
The groom-to-be is the son of Bryan and Tess Patrick of Sea Girt, N.J. He graduated from St. Rose High School in Belmar, N.J., in 2011 and from Pennsylvania College of Technology
Women’s Group to Meet
Women of all ages and preschool children are invited to attend Neighbors Sharing and Caring, a women’s ministry of the Chiques Church, 4045 Sunnyside Road, Manheim, on Tuesday, March 17, from 9 to 10:45 a.m.
Kate Miller will speak about Bible2School, a public school ministry that helps children grow in the Lord. Bible2School aids the local church in fulfilling the mission of
preaching the Gospel to the world by equipping communities to provide free elective Bible classes during the school day to elementary school children attending public school.
During the program, child care will be provided for infants through prekindergartners. Readers may contact Bonnie at 717361-2613 or Veronica at 717-626-7603 for more information.
Loosely Translated, Hammer Creek Means Bluegrass
BY JEFF FALK
The members of the band Hammer Creek are talented musicians. When they blend their sounds, they create music that is moving and distinctive.
But those bandmates are also passionate ambassadors of their musical stylings, the genre of bluegrass.
“(Exposing bluegrass to a greater audience is) a lot of what drives us,” said Brad Richard, the banjo-playing manager and founder of Hammer Creek. “We’re trying to get some sort of footprint in Lancaster city. In the early (1970s), Lancaster had a very peppy bluegrass scene. Bluegrass kind of lost its thunder. We’re trying to get it back to Lancaster and make it available in the city. It would be great to have an opportunity to hear a bluegrass band once a month.”
In March, that opportunity will present itself at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 13, when Hammer Creek will lay down some of its tunes and numbers at the 150-seat Zoetropolis Theatre, 112 N. Water St., Lancaster. There is an entrance fee involved with admission to the show.
“We have a lot of fun with our shows,” said Richard. “We’re not just playing songs. There is some storytelling involved that leads up to us playing or explains what the song means. We keep it lively.”
Hammer Creek’s two-
hour performance will feature 35 songs. The outing will include a brief intermission.
“We stick mainly to traditional bluegrass music,” said Richard, a resident of Manheim Township. “We’re playing bluegrass music, and some of it is really peppy or has like a dance tempo. But we play it the way it was intended to be played.”
Fronted by Richard, Hammer Creek, which was named from a small waterway located in northern Lancaster County, is made up of Lititz resident Randie Rineer on fiddle, Mountville resident Kevin Kresge picking the bass, Quarryville resident Larry Russel playing the mandolin and Lebanon resident Butch Flory strumming the guitar.
This year, just like it was in 2023, Hammer Creek was nominated for a Central Pennsylvania Music Award, recognizing it as one of the top bluegrass bands in the state.
“I’m playing with absolutely genuine people whom I care about as much as I care about my family,” said Richard. “These guys would give you the shirts off their backs. When I got these guys together, it was a perfect storm of musicians. They’re people I like to spend time with.”
Pioneered by Bill Monroe, the bluegrass genre is based in Appalachian traditions and features energetic acoustic music. Bluegrass is not country or folk or rock or soul music, but it does include elements of each.
Hammer Creek was formed in 2019 through an ad on Craigslist and a founding audition that included 15 musicians.
After experiencing some early personnel turnover, Hammer Creek has performed at nearly 140 public
“It’s very driving rhythms made by percussive banjo sounds,” said Richard. “The sweet tones of a fiddle and mandolin can blend with the percussive sounds of the banjo. It’s not like sheet music; it’s personal interpretation. We’re not reading music. We know what it’s supposed to sound like, and it’s very organic to each individual.”
“Elvis and the Beatles were early rock ‘n’ roll artists,” continued Richard. “But rock ‘n’ roll got a start from bluegrass. Bluegrass is kind of a foundation. It’s one of the early art forms with music. Bluegrass is not hillbilly music. It’s sophisticated. It’s genuine.”
See Bluegrass pg 9
Hammer Creek jams at a recent performance.
VisionCorps Seeking Donations for 100th Anniversary Exhibit
VisionCorps is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026 and is asking the public for help in highlighting its work over the years. The organization is seeking donated photos and objects that highlight its history to include in an anniversary exhibit.
Over the years, VisionCorps has operated under several different names and expanded its footprint from Lancaster to surrounding counties. Today, it offers employment for the blind and vision impaired in Lancaster and York counties and Little Rock, Ark., as well as remote opportunities nationwide in its Professional Services Division.
After its founding in 1926 as an agency offering help to veterans who returned from WWI with impaired vision, the organization taught chair caning, basket weaving, and other tactile trades in its
Lancaster location. VisionCorps also offered educational activities, including a speech and visit by Helen Keller in 1932. It operated a gift shop and a children’s preschool on-site. Its social activities included outreach luncheons, special music programs and fundraisers, and recreational opportunities such as a bowling league.
Some donated objects that VisionCorps would like to include in its 100th anniversary exhibit include physical or digital versions of old photos of people at work or visiting the VisionCorps Lancaster office; caned items, including chairs or caning features; hand-woven baskets; Braille books, Bibles, or other items in Braille; old radios used to listen to programs; old canes used for mobility by people who were blind or vision impaired; older eyeglasses or objects used by blind or vision impaired people to improve their sight; children’s toys or books designed for children who are blind or vision impaired; and other objects specifically used by people who were blind or vision impaired.
The yearlong celebration of the agency’s 100th anniversary will include special displays and programs, along with a celebration gala on Friday, Oct. 2. In addition, VisionCorps’ annual rappelling event, Eye Drop 2026, scheduled for Friday, June 5, will also have an anniversary theme, “Reeling Into the Future.”
For more information about donating items or the anniversary commemorations, contact Carol Gifford, community relations manager, at 717-205-4149.
Dine and Donate
The Occupational Development Center (ODC) of Lancaster will present ODC Night Out at Texas Roadhouse on Monday, March 16. Between 3 and 10 p.m., ODC will receive 10% of the proceeds of the checks from those who dine at the restaurant. Texas Roadhouse is located at 2317 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster.
For more information about ODC, visit www .odcenter.org.
Extension Sets Pruning Workshop
Penn State Extension will offer “Pruning for Professionals” on Monday, March 23, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Masonic Village Freemasons Cultural Center, 1 Masonic Drive, Elizabethtown.
The workshop is designed to build a foundation in pruning shrubs and trees in the landscape. It will begin with a classroom session covering pruning theory, terminology, and plants’ biological responses to pruning. Participants will explore how plant structure and growth patterns inform best practices and maintenance techniques. Following lunch, the workshop will move outdoors for a hands-on session, where attendees will apply classroom concepts directly in the field.
Some of the topics that will be covered are techniques to renovate and
maintain evergreen and deciduous shrubs; proper methods for pruning trees to reduce the potential for decay; differences between removal, reduction, and heading cuts; how to perform various types of tree and shrub pruning; strategies for thinning out flowering trees; and selection and use of proper pruning tools. Participants will also learn best practices to meet the American National Standards Institute A300 Part 1 National Tree Care Standards and Z133 Safety Standards.
Attendees who participate in the workshop can earn 5.5 credits from the International Society of Arboriculture. There is a fee, and participants are encouraged to register by Thursday, March 19. For more information or to register, visit https://exten sion.psu.edu/pruning -for-professionals.
Central
local activities and events, and undated articles of general interest are used as space allows. Related photographs of good quality, with complete identification, are encouraged.
Manheim
The Schaums took Immel to the Lancaster Relay For Life, which was then a 24-hour event focused on walking laps around a track to raise funds for cancer research.
“She loved walking around the track,” Joan recalled. “When she couldn’t walk around the track anymore for the survivor lap, we put her in a wheelchair and pushed her around the track. She thought it was awesome that all these people were clapping for her and cheering her on, and she had no idea who they were.”
In 2016, Immel passed away from kidney failure. The loss prompted the Schaums to take action in Immel’s memory.
“We thought it would be nice to honor her, and she liked the Relay so much, we decided to start our own team,” Jeffrey said.
Recalling how much his mom liked the survivors’ dinner part of Relay For Life, he had an idea.
“We thought, ‘Why don’t we start a survivor breakfast?’” Jeffrey said. “Growing up, any time we had big events, my mom cooked. We thought, ‘What a great way to honor her by cooking for the cancer survivors and their caregivers.’”
They named their team The Breakfast Crew, and they served their first meal of pancakes, baked goods, meats and more in the tent at the Relay For Life site at Conestoga Valley High School.
“We were hoping we could bring in people who couldn’t come for the Friday night
meal,” Jeffrey said, noting that at the time, Relay For Life took place from Friday to Saturday.
The Breakfast Crew features about 20 members, all from Joan and Jeffrey’s family.
“My brothers and sister help, and Joan’s family jumped right in, too,” Jeffrey said.
Over the years, the group has served hundreds of people, providing upwards of 150 servings at each meal.
“He never does anything little,” Joan said with affection toward her husband.
“He was feeding the Relay For Life workers, the EMS people on-site, anybody walking the track.”
After the pandemic, the format for Relay For Life changed. It became a oneday event that takes place in the afternoon and evening, negating the need for a breakfast, but the Schaums continued to serve the cause.
“The organizers asked us if we’d like to do a dinner instead, so we did,” Jeffrey said. “Last year, we made chicken potpie. This year, we’re doing homemade chicken corn soup and vegetable beef soup.”
They still call their team The Breakfast Crew, even though they are now serving dinner, and their contributions have extended beyond Relay day.
Each February, they help to host Taste of Relay, a potluck-style dinner for cancer survivors and their caregivers. During the Christmas season, they organize a Breakfast with Santa event.
On Saturday, March 28,
they’ll host breakfast with the Easter Bunny at the Easter Egg Hunt, Breakfast & Spring Vendor Market. The event is open to the public and will take place at the Church of the Apostles, 1850 Marietta Ave., Lancaster. Doors will open at 8:45 a.m., and the event will run until noon. For more information, visit https:// bit.ly/4aUSP6V.
“Everything is donated for the meals we provide,” Joan said. “We don’t charge Relay for anything. Our family members all help out, even if they can’t be there the day of the meal. They’ll make something or donate something.”
The Schaums encourage others to get involved in Relay For Life, noting that the organization has numerous ways for people to volunteer, including helping with setup or cleanup at the Relay or volunteering with other activities throughout the year.
Although they didn’t realize how big a part Relay For Life would play in their lives when Joan joined that first team decades ago, they both say they can’t imagine not being involved with the cause.
Both emphasize how positive Relay For Life is, focusing on optimism and joy.
“It’s not a morbid event. It’s a celebration,” Joan said. “It’s about the mission to celebrate life, remember loved ones, fight back and offer hope.”
Both Joan and Jeffrey agree that tackling a cause like eradicating cancer is an overwhelming task, but they
believe that everyone can make an impact.
“Everybody says, ‘What can I do? We can’t fix this,’” Jeffrey said. “Well, there’s strides being made every day in the fight against cancer. Having The Breakfast Crew is something we can do. We can’t do everything, but we can do this.”
The 2026 Relay For Life will be held on Friday, June 12, from 3 to 11 p.m. at Conestoga Valley High School, 2110 Horseshoe Road, Lancaster. Now called the Festival of Hope, the event will feature survivor activities and dinner, a caregiver area, a glow run, inflatables and other kids’ activities, food trucks, vendors and more. For more information or to support a team, visit www.relayfor life.org/palancaster.
Manheim Central Spring Sports Kickoff
Wed. 3/18 vs Daniel Boone 7:00 pm
Fri. 3/20 at Ephrata 7:00 pm
Mon. 3/23 vs Manheim Township 7:00 pm
Wed. 3/25 .......... vs Conestoga Valley .......... 7:00 pm
Fri. 3/27 .............. vs Cedar Crest ....................... 7:00 pm
Wed. 4/1 vs Garden Spot 7:00 pm
Thu. 4/2 at McCaskey 4:15 pm
Tue. 4/7 at Cocalico 4:15 pm
Wed. 4/8 vs Octorara 7:00 pm
Fri. 4/10 at Warwick 4:15 pm
Mon. 4/13 vs Elco 7:00 pm
Wed. 4/15 at Donegal 4:15 pm
Fri. 4/17 at Palmyra 4:15 pm
Mon. 4/20 at Garden Spot 4:15 pm
Wed. 4/22 vs Cocalico 7:00 pm
Fri. 4/24 at Lampeter-Strasburg 7:00 pm
Mon. 4/27 at Octorara 4:15 pm
Wed. 4/29 at Elco 4:15 pm
Fri. 5/1 vs Ephrata 7:00 pm
Mon. 5/4 vs Donegal 7:00 pm
Wed. 3/11 at McCaskey 4:00 pm
Fri. 3/13 vs Annville-Cleona 10:00 am
Mon. 3/16 vs Warwick 4:00 pm
Thu. 3/19 at Ephrata 4:00 pm
Fri. 3/20 .............. vs Cedar Crest ....................... 4:00 pm
Mon. 3/23 at Lancaster Mennonite 4:00 pm
Wed. 3/25 .......... at Conestoga Valley .............. 4:00 pm
Fri. 3/27 vs Exeter 4:00 pm
Mon. 3/30 .......... at Donegal .................................... 4:00 pm
Wed. 4/1 at Garden Spot 4:00 pm
Thu. 4/2 .............. vs Central York ...................... 4:00 pm
Tue. 4/7 vs Northeastern 4:00 pm
Wed. 4/8 at Cocalico 4:00 pm
Mon. 4/13 vs Elizabethtown 4:00 pm
Wed. 4/15 at Lampeter-Strasburg 4:00 pm
Tue. 4/21 at Penn Manor 4:00 pm
SOFTBALL
Mon. 3/16 vs Cedar Cliff 4:15 pm
Wed. 3/18 at Palmyra 4:15 pm
Fri. 3/20 vs Red Land 4:15 pm
Mon. 3/23 vs Dover 4:15 pm
Wed. 3/25 at Warwick 4:00 pm
Fri. 3/27 at Manheim Central 6:15 pm
Mon. 3/30 vs Solanco 6:15 pm
Wed. 4/1 at Garden Spot 4:15 pm
Tue. 4/7 vs Cocalico 6:15 pm
Wed. 4/8 at Northern Lebanon 4:15 pm
Fri. 4/10 vs Elizabethtown 6:15 pm Mon. 4/13 at Elco 4:15 pm
Wed. 4/15 ........... vs Donegal ................................... 6:15 pm Mon. 4/20 vs Garden Spot 6:15 pm
BOYS' VOLLEYBALL
4/21 at Northern Lebanon 7:00 pm
4/28 at Lancaster Mennonite 7:00 pm
4/30 at Conestoga Valley 7:00 pm
5/4 vs York Suburban 7:00 pm
5/5 vs McCaskey 7:00 pm
TRACK & FIELD
Wed. 4/22 vs Manheim Central 4:15 pm Mon. 4/27 vs Northern Lebanon 6:15 pm Wed. 4/29 vs Elco 6:15 pm Fri. 5/1 at Ephrata 7:00 pm Mon. 5/4 at Donegal 4:15 pm Wed. 5/6 at Conestoga Valley 4:15 pm Mon. 3/23 at Conestoga Valley 4:00 pm Mon. 3/30 at Elizabethtown 4:00 pm Tue. 4/7 vs Cocalico 4:00 pm Mon. 4/13 vs Solanco 4:00 pm Mon. 4/20 .......... at Lampeter-Strasburg ....... 4:00 pm Mon. 4/27 at Warwick 4:00 pm Mon. 5/4 at Garden Spot 4:00 pm Tue. 3/24 at Garden Spot 7:00 pm Thu. 3/26 vs Northern Lebanon 7:00 pm Tue. 3/31 at Cocalico 7:00 pm Thu. 4/2 vs Lancaster Mennonite 7:00 pm Tue. 4/7 vs Conestoga
County Native Helps Ring In a Historic Year
BY GEORGE DEIBEL
Bob Wagner is a part of history.
A bell featuring his paintings will be displayed all year long outside the Ann B. Barshinger Welcome Center at Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster.
The exhibit is in conjunction with the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
“Discover Lancaster will be celebrating the semiquincentennial all year long, promoting our historical sites, trails, and events,” said Wagner. “It will be headlined by a free countywide America’s Passport, encouraging visitors to collect unique stamps at 23 historic properties and provide exclusive coupons to local businesses. The bell at Rock Ford is one of the sites on this special trail.”
There are 100 bells in different locations across the state, he added.
“The bell was a fiberglass 65-pound white bell delivered to my garage, and I came up with the paint, because the paint was a similar color to the actual Liberty Bell,” said Wagner. “And then I had to do artwork that I had done over the years, but I had to do special drawings of Rock Ford and also the Thaddeus Stevens house on the back. I had an Amish village, and then I
was the artist-in-residence at the Pennsylvania Train Museum, and I did a drawing of the train.” He added that for for the covered bridge metric, he used a special drawing that his son did from the air.
Wagner noted that his first job after graduating from Millersville University was working for the planning commission downtown at the courthouse.
In 1979, he illustrated the Lancaster County seal. “It’s still used today, and that’s what’s on the front of the bell,” said Wagner. “If you have your voter registration card, it has the original pen-and-ink drawing that I did from 1979.” The work is also featured prominently on the bell, along with an authentic drawing of a Conestoga wagon and one of the welcome center downtown that was done for the Heritage Center for its advertisements. “That’s actually where the nation’s capital for a day was (in Lancaster),” he said. He is honored to have a role in the festivities.
“I’m very proud,” said Wagner, who served with the 103rd Medical Battalion in the National Guard. “I’m a native of Lancaster, and I am happy to see my artwork here and to be part of the story that can bring us all together to celebrate and have fun for the 250th anniversary.”
LSO to Perform “Stevens & Smith” Concert
The Lancaster Symphony Orchestra (LSO), in collaboration with LancasterHistory, will present “Stevens & Smith,” a concert celebrating the opening of the Stevens & Smith Center for History and Democracy. Performances will be held in the Gardner Theatre at Lancaster Country Day School, 725 Hamilton Road, Lancaster, on Friday, March 13, at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, March 14, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, March 15, at 2:30 p.m. Doors will open 90 minutes before each performance, and free historical lectures will begin 45 minutes before each performance.
The concert will feature the world premiere of “Second Founding,” an orchestral suite composed by Lancaster’s Michael Wege and inspired by the lives of Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith. The program will also include Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait” and William L. Dawson’s “Negro Folk Symphony.” The concert will last approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes with an
Women’s
Club Posts Meeting
The Lancaster Christian Women’s Club will hold an “Appealing Decor” buffet luncheon meeting at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 1, at Casa di Fiori at The Inn at Leola Village, 38 Deborah Drive, Leola. Doors will open at 11 a.m.
The program will be “Sensibility Decorating.”
The speaker will be Sharon Duncan from Camden, Del., who will share “Are There Weeds in Your Garden?” She will discuss how she learned to bloom where she was planted in all seasons of life.
All women are invited to attend. There is a cost per person. Reservations and payments are required by Wednesday, March 18. Those registering are asked to note the names of their guests and those they wish to sit with. Any cancellations must be made by March 18. For more details and reservations, call 717-799-0088.
intermission.
The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy, opening Friday, May 1, will be an interpretive museum and education center examining the struggle for freedom
and equality in America through exhibits, immersive media experiences, and educational programs.
Concert tickets are available at www.lancaster symphony.org or by calling the LSO box office at 717-291-6440.
Sunday, April 5, 2026
Bob Wagner stands beside a bell he designed, which will be on display throughout the year.
CHIQUES METHODIST CHURCH:
1215 E. Main St., Mount Joy. John Lynch, Pastor. Worship Service at 9-10 am Children’s Sunday School: 9-10 am. Refreshments & Fellowship: 10-10:30 am. Adult Sunday School at 10:30-11:30 am. Nursery Provided, Handicapped Accessible. For more information, call: 717-653-5175.
COMMUNITY BIBLE CHURCH: welcomes you to Love God, Love Others, and Reach Out with us! Join us for worship on Sundays at 8:00, 9:30, or 11:00 a.m. We’re located at 331 Anderson Ferry Road in Marietta (off Rt 441 on Rt 772). Learn more at cbcpa.org.
GRACE COMMUNITY FELLOWSHIP CHURCH OF MANHEIM: 1483 N. Colebrook Rd., Manheim. SUNDAYS: Adult Bible Class at 9:30am and Worship Service at 10:30am. Wednesday Evening Prayer is held from 6:30pm-7:30pm For more details, please visit http://www.gcfmanheim.org or call 717-665-7222.
HOSANNA! A FELLOWSHIP OF CHRISTIANS
29 Green Acre Rd., Lititz (717) 626-2560 Worship with us in person @ 9:30am, online or livestream @ www.hosannalititz.org Children & Youth Ministries
MARY MOTHER OF THE CHURCH (A Roman Catholic Parish): 625 Union School Rd., Mount Joy. Pastor: Rev. Ted Keating. Mass Times: Saturday Vigil 4:30pm, Sunday 8:30 & 11 am; Monday thru Friday 8:30 am. Confessions: Sat 3:30pm. 717-653-4903, visit us online at www.marymotherparish.org
NEWPORT CHURCH: 656 W. Newport Road, Elm, www.newportchurch.net
We are a vibrant family- oriented contemporary church that meets for Sunday “celebration” service at 9:30 a.m. and throughout the week in home groups, including junior-high and senior-high groups. Children love our Kids Town ministry every Sunday morning! Our mission is to share God’s Love generously and lead people to new life in Jesus. For info. or directions, see our Website or call 717-664-2635. Lead Pastor: Merle Shenk.
RUHL’S CHURCH: A growing church committed to Christ. Worship on Sunday morning at 8 am for a traditional feel. Sunday School for all ages at 9:15 am., 10:30 am. Worship led by praise band. (Nursery available. Handicap accessible.) For more information, please call 717-665-3400 or visit www.ruhlschurch.org Located at 4810 Elizabethtown Rd, Manheim.
The Elizabethtown site has kept much of the footprint of the original elementary school, adding some new features that are found in all Catherine Hershey Schools.
Each school features a tree motif in the lobby, representing Milton Hershey’s philosophy.
“He believed if you plant a tree, you’re planting not for the shade it provides, but for the people who come after you,” Dohner said.
A Family Success Center will be at the heart of the school.
well as a family success approach.”
While little ones are learning, adults will have opportunities to work toward their own goals, such as financial literacy or furthering their own education.
Participating in the advocacy program is required, Dohner said.
thanks to a space that encourages interaction between the rooms. Each classroom also features its own bathroom.
A wing on the left side of the building will house the infant and toddler classrooms.
ST. JAMES CATHOLIC CHURCH: 505 Woodcrest Ave., Lititz
Ph:717-626-5580
Rev. Stephen D. Weitzel
Confessions: Sat. 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm and anytime on request
Daily Masses: Tues.-Fri. 9 am Saturday Vigil Mass: 4 pm Sunday Masses: 8:30 am & 10:30 am www.stjameslititz.org for livestream Masses
TRINITY BAPTIST CHURCH: 596 West Newport Rd., Lititz. Are you looking for a Church that preaches from the King James Bible? Helps your family grow spiritually? Enjoys the old-time hymns? Look no further! Sunday School 10am, Sunday Morning Worship 11am, and Sunday Evening Worship 6pm. Wednesday Evening Prayer & Bible Study 6:30 pm. Pastor Joshua Freeland (717) 575-0292.
TRINITY EC CHURCH
48 Market Sq., Manheim Sunday School 9:15am/Worship 10:25am Livestream www.trinitymanheim.com 717-665-3633
TRINITY UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST: 2340 State St., East Petersburg. Rev. Dr. Christopher Rankin, Pastor. Phone: (717) 569-1632. Sunday Schedule: 7:45 am Worship with Holy Communion; 9:00 am Sunday School for all ages; 10:00 am Koinonia (Fellowship Time); 10:30 am Worship (Holy Communion twice a month) Online service is available by visiting www.trinityeastpete.org “Catch the Vision, Share the Joy!””
WATER'S EDGE MINISTRIES: Learn and grow in your relationship with God at WEM. Come visit our service and join us in fellowship immediately following. We meet at 15 S. Wolf St, Manheim on Saturdays at 6:00 pm and Wednesdays at 6:30 PM. (watersedgemin.com) Hope to see you there!
WAYSIDE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: 600 Stony Battery Rd., Landisville (near Hempfield High School). Rev. Dr. Stephen P. Fritz, Pastor. Sunday morning Worship with Nursery: 9am Traditional, 10am Fellowship, 10:30am Contemporary with Children & Youth classes. www.waysidepc.org or call: (717) 898-1551.
WHITE OAK CHURCH : 1211 N. Penryn Rd, Manheim, PA. You are invited to our Sunday services: Sunday School for all ages at 8:45am; Worship at 9:45am; scheduled evening services at 7:15pm and Wednesday evening Bible Study at 7:15pm. (1st Wednesday of month).
Please Note: Updates can be made to your church’s listing for 1st issue date of each month only.
(Changes must be submitted by the previous Wednesday.)
For More Information On Church Listings And Rates, Call Justin at 717-492-2533
“We have dedicated advocates for all of our families,” Dohner remarked. “Each family success advocate has about 20 families that they walk alongside of while they’re here. We have a two-generational approach to education. It’s a whole-child approach as
“We want to help the child, and we want to provide high-quality education, but we also want to help the family progress along, so they are not in the same place they started when they finish with our program,” she explained.
One wing of the new school will be dedicated to preschool classrooms for 3- and 4-year-olds. Each classroom will have a maximum of 17 students to three teachers, who will work together to team teach and collaborate
The center wing of the building will hold administrative offices, including space for an operations manager, human resources generalist, health services and others.
“I love that it’s in the center of this building, so it’s equidistance from all of the classrooms and everyone is here together to collaborate,” Dohner said.
Unique features of the Catherine Hershey School include porches outside every classroom, so students have opportunities to get outside daily to use playground facilities.
A sensory room will
provide a place for children to calm down and self-regulate, if needed, and an observation room will provide opportunities for therapists, coaches and specialists to review what’s happening live in a classroom without having to interrupt instruction.
Construction at the site has modified the original cafeteria into a grossmotor-skills room, with skylights added to bring in natural light.
A state-of-the-art kitchen located off the gym will provide breakfast, lunch and a hearty snack daily. Children will eat family style in their classrooms.
“They learn to serve themselves, clean up after themselves and other skills that hopefully parents will appreciate when they go home,” Dohner said.
An innovation studio will be stocked with materials for art and science projects, and an outdoor STEM garden will feature interactive water bubblers, shrubbery and greenery to represent different areas of Pennsylvania, a rock garden, a scavenger hunt for animals and more.
Children will also have the opportunity to grow produce in the garden to use in the classroom.
“We like to say we bring the classroom out into our play areas,” Dohner said.
Construction on the site began about a year ago and is scheduled to wrap up in the next few months.
Staff will then be brought in for a professional development period starting this summer, with teachers joining in January of 2027 for their training. An opening date for students is tentatively set for the summer of 2027.
The first Catherine Hershey School opened in Hershey in 2023, and the model has proven to be successful, Dohner said.
“Families are realizing everything we can provide and help them with,” she noted. “We’re here to walk alongside them to help them reach their goals and find the resources they need along the way.”
For more information on the Catherine Hershey School, visit www .chslearn.org.
The organizers’ vision is to provide a place that’s half workshop space for hands-on learning, half lending library for tools.
They also want to bring DIY projects and skilled trades to women and other underrepresented groups and hope the Lancaster Workshop + Tool Library will create an intergenerational, intersectional space that reflects and uplifts the diversity of Lancaster.
Fritz noted that the organization owes everything to Shaw’s support. Well known in the woodworking, art, historic preservation and architecture industries, he has been instrumental in finding materials and tool donations, as well as recruiting instructors.
“I did the behind-thescenes business stuff, but none of this would be possible without him, his expertise, his connections, his time and willingness to take me on as a mentor and go on this wild ride,” Fritz explained.
The organization is in the process of promoting and recruiting Founding Members for a soft opening in March, and a grand opening is scheduled for the workshop and library at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 14. The
space will initially be open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Community hours will also be available in the future.
During a recent tour of the space, tool library coordinator Aidan Fife explained how the site will operate.
“On one side, we’ll have a workshop space, where we will offer classes and open workshop hours, so if people have a project they’d like to work on, they can do that here,” he said. “They can use our bigger tools, like our table saw, miter saw and band saw.”
The organization will require safety classes to prepare people to use the bigger tools.
The library side of the building houses a wide variety of tools that members can check out, much like they’d do with books in a traditional library. Shelves are packed with hundreds of items, including circular saws, screwdrivers, drills, sanders, air compressors and more. People can borrow gardening tools, such as rakes, shovels or a wheelbarrow.
“The general premise of the tool library is we want
Bluegrass from pg 3
events and private shows since 2021, inside of and outside of the Lancaster County music scene.
“During our first year, finding venues was tough, and we’d take anything,” said Richard. “We told some places we didn’t have to get paid. We just wanted to get something under our belts. But we learned what works and what doesn’t work.”
“I don’t want to be background music,” added Richard. “We’re not the noise
it to be accessible to people who want to fix something at home, but maybe they don’t have the money or want to buy a tool they’ll use once,” Fife said. “Or they don’t have the space to store the tool if they did buy it.”
To prepare for opening the tool library, Shaw, Fritz, Fife and their team visited similar sites in the region, including the West Philly Tool Library and the Station North Tool Library in Baltimore. They were inspired by the size and scope of both places, and they envision Lancaster’s library-ofthings expanding over time.
They hope to continue to build the inventory through donations of items, and they plan to offer classes for people to learn new skills.
Current classes include programs on stained glass, a seed exchange and a masonry class.
“The sky’s the limit on what we could offer here,” Fife said. “It’s really just finding the teachers who are skilled in the subject and interested in teaching.”
Like Shaw and Fritz, Fife hopes the space will welcome anyone who is interested in learning more about skilled trades or borrowing a piece of equipment they need for a project.
“I see this as a community space,” he said. “People will be able to learn to do things they didn’t know how to do before. Sure, you can watch YouTube, but being in front of someone who has done this for 50 years, there’s no substitute for that.”
The Lancaster Workshop + Tool Library has a sliding scale membership. To learn more about the organization, visit www .lancasterworkshop.com. To become a member, visit https://lancworkshop .lend-engine-app.com.
VisionCorps Sets Diabetes Webinar
VisionCorps will offer an online webinar about living with diabetes and how diabetes impacts vision on Friday, March 13, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. as part of its “VisionCorps Presents” speaker series. The event is free and open to the public.
Vanessa McCachren, a registered nurse who specializes in diabetes and nutrition care at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health’s Diabetes and Nutrition Center, will be the speaker. She is a Certified Diabetes Care
and Education Specialist (CDCES).
McCachren will speak on “Thriving, Not Just Surviving: Tips for Living Well With Diabetes.” She will talk about how diabetes impacts health, as well as how people can manage the disease. She will also discuss diabetic retinopathy and how it can affect vision. A question-and-answer period will follow the presentation. For more information or to register, call Miranda Golden at 717-925-7271.
at the restaurant. I want to be there because someone wants to come hear us. We want people to listen.”
Hammer Creek will also perform at 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 22, at Youngs Church, 7075 Wertzville Road, Mechanicsburg, and at 8 p.m. on Friday, April 17, at Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463, 14 N. Spruce St., Lititz. For additional information, go to www.hammer creekband.org.
Aidan Fife in the tool library side of the Lancaster Workshop + Tool Library. Photo by Cat Shannon
Emily Fritz and Gene Shaw
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GiGi’s Playhouse Hires Program Manager
GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster has announced the hiring of Alisha Fitzwater as its new full-time program manager.
Fitzwater comes to GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster with experience as a special education teacher, bringing deep knowledge, compassion, and hands-on expertise in supporting individuals with diverse learning needs. Her background in the special-needs educational field equips her with an understanding of individualized programming, inclusive instruction, and meaningful engagement.
In addition to her professional experience, Fitzwater is one of the founding members of GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster and has served in a full-time volunteer and board member capacity since the organization’s earliest days. Her leadership, dedication, and vision have played a vital role in building the Playhouse into a welcoming, mission-driven community. As program manager, Fitzwater will oversee the planning, coordination, and delivery of GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster’s educational, therapeutic, and career development programs while continuing to collaborate closely with families, volunteers, and community partners.
GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster opened in 2020 and remains dedicated to changing the way the world views Down syndrome by promoting acceptance, inclusion, and achievement for all.
For more information, visit www.gigisplayhouse .org/lancaster or follow GiGi’s Playhouse Lancaster on social media.
Church to Host Local Artist
Erb Mennonite Church, 567 W. Lexington Road, Lititz, will host a program on Sunday, March 15, at 6:30 p.m.
Attendees will hear from Liz Hess, a full-time local artist.
For more information, visit https://erbmennonite church.snappages.site.