Manheim Central October Is
Breast Cancer townlively.com
OCTOBER 11, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 37
Awareness Month
A high-flying show like no other BY JEFF FALK
Some of us are more in tune with nature than others. Cryss Stacey enjoys a direct connection to it. A graduate of Warwick High School, Stacey is a falconer and the owner of Edged Feather Experiences. Her passion and livelihood revolve
around owning and caring for seven different species of birds of prey, but what she really is, is an advocate for nature. “Growing up, I was always an outdoorsy kind of kid; you couldn’t get me out of the woods,” said Stacey. “But I wasn’t always allowed to have my own pets. I’ve always See Falconer pg 4
Members of the Cyrus R. Peters Memorial VFW Post 5956 celebrate their Outstanding Community Service award at a picnic.
Still serving the local community BY CATHY MOLITORIS
he Cyrus R. Peters Memorial VFW Post 5956 has a mission of honoring military service while supporting the community. Now both the post and its commander, Craig Fisher, have been recognized for their efforts. Each year, the Veterans of Foreign Wars highlights the top-performing posts through its All-American program at the VFW National Convention. For the second year in a row, the Manheim post received this honor, Fisher said. “The distinction of All-American is conveyed upon those posts that stand out in recruiting, retaining and mentoring a stable membership base, covering all generations of combat veterans,” Fisher said. “In addition, the posts must cultivate a membership that is wellversed in institutional knowledge and actively involved at all levels of
“The distinction of AllAmerican is conveyed upon those posts that stand out in recruiting, retaining and mentoring a stable membership base.” “In addition to receiving the AllAmerican Commanders Cap, an award certificate and a streamer for the post flag, post members are eligible to wear special membership caps or pins that acknowledge the
honor,” Fisher explained, adding that the post also received a sign designating the honor to place outside its location at 149 S. Charlotte St. in Manheim. The Manheim post actively participates in community programs, including the Patriot’s Pen essay contest for middle school students and the Voice of Democracy oratorial program for high school students. Fisher said the post was also honored for increasing its membership this past year by 10%. “Additionally, participation in community activities, financial support of veterans’ programs and the local community are considered,” he remarked. “In demonstration of the hashtag ‘still serving,’ the post put in over 3,631 man hours of participation in many community activities. Through multiple fundraising activities, the post provided over $165,500 in financial assistance throughout the program year to
Cryss Stacey has developed a connection with the birds of prey she handles, including Kasai, an African augur buzzard.
Join author Tess Gerritsen at Council of Friends event BY CATHY MOLITORIS
When she was a child, Tess Gerritsen couldn’t resist a good mystery book. “The first mystery novels I read were Nancy Drew books,” recalled the New York Times bestselling author of more than 30 novels. “I remember thinking, ‘I want to do that. I want to tell those kinds of stories.’” Becoming an author wasn’t a straight course for Gerritsen, who
will headline the Council of Friends of Public Libraries’ fall author event at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. “Being from a practical AsianAmerican family, my parents wanted me to do something more traditional for a career,” she said. She graduated from Stanford University and went to medical school, eventually becoming a doctor. Her desire for storytelling never faltered, however, and when she was on maternity leave after the birth of her first
See Serving pg 2
See Author pg 3
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the organization and in the local community.” Post 5956 was recognized at the convention in Phoenix, Ariz., earlier this summer. Fisher noted that of the 438 VFW posts in Pennsylvania, only 42 made All-American, with 10 ranking high enough to be invited to the convention.