Manheim Central townlively.com
DECEMBER 18, 2024
Stirring up tradition, fun and fellowship BY CATHY MOLITORIS
W
hen their now-grown children were young, Margie and Jay Peters sought out affordable family activities they could all do together. “We like to think we embrace a simple life,” said Margie, who lives in Manheim with Jay. “When our kids were young, we enjoyed having things they could go to and participate in that didn’t have an entrance fee. We just wanted simple, fun things to do as a family.”
Serving Christmas spirit BY CATHY MOLITORIS
“This is what Christmas is all about,” said Clare Funck, describing a free community meal ser ved at Cross Roads C hurch on C hristmas Day. “There are other people who are going through the same thing you are, and this is a chance to connect with others. It just builds you up, which is what Jesus did for us. It’s what the whole season is about.” For the 27th year, Cross Roads Church will serve a free community meal on Christmas Day. Food will be available for takeout or dine-in at the church, 800 Donegal Springs Road, Mount Joy, on Wednesday, Dec. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu will feature turkey, gourmet potatoes, green beans, stuffing, rolls, gravy and desserts. All food will be made by church members, who will also serve the sit-down meal. “ This is all about ser ving the community and offering fellowship with others,” said
Inviting people to a free Christmas meal at Cross Roads Church are Kendric Bert (left) and Clare Funck.
Funck, who directs the event committee with Kendric Bert. “A lot of people come because they have nowhere else to go on Christmas. Maybe they don’t have any family, or their spouse just passed away, or their family members are scattered all over See Christmas pg 8
Revving for a cause Margie and Jay Peters cook Stone Soup.
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
vegetables, your own bowl, spoon and lawn chair,” said family friend Janice Shenk, who has attended the event. “While the soup is cooked over a wood fire, Jay stirs it with a long-handled wooden stirrer. Margie adds spices and herbs and prepares homemade rolls with jelly to go with the soup. Lawn games are enjoyed by anyone who wishes to participate. Then when the soup is ready, a prayer of thanks is given, and all enjoy the delicious soup and fellowship. … It is a wonderful community experience!”
What happens when a bunch of motorc ycle riders come together? A giant convoy traveling through a 25-mile route and raising money for veterans at the same time. The 16th annual New Year’s Day ride will take place on Wednesday, Jan. 1, with registration beginning at 10 a.m. at the Walter S. Ebersole American Legion Post 185, 255 W. Main St., Mount Joy. The ride will leave from the Legion at 1 p.m., and participants will follow a
The Peterses have hosted the event for decades, and it’s steadily evolved into a group of about 130 people who enjoy fellowship and fun before the feast. “We play inclusive games that everyone can participate in,” Margie shared. “We might do ‘hot potato’ with a bowl with a Tupperware lid, and the bowl is filled with slips of paper. Some say ‘prize,’ some are blank and some have a gentle, silly consequence on them. We pass the bowl around and when the music stops, the person holding the See Stirring pg 2
route along the Susquehanna River, ending at the Elizabethtown American Legion Post 329, 240 N. Hanover St. Members of the ladies’ auxiliary will serve breakfast at the Mount Joy Legion before the ride, and a pork and sauerkraut meal will be served at the Elizabethtown Legion at the ride’s conclusion. Tyler Stumpf and his friend Jeff Andrews dreamed up the idea for the benefit ride while hanging out during the Christmas season 16 years ago. “They started talking about See Motorcycle ride pg 3
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“It’s a nice opportunity for people to mix and mingle and make new friends.” Soon, they realized others might feel the same way. “We thought, ‘If we enjoy going to things like that, we should be willing to host those kinds of events,’” Margie recalled. The result has been an annual tradition on the couple’s farm: a community celebration centered around the premise of a children’s story. “Stone Soup” tells the story of strangers who come together to create a shared meal, each contributing what they can to make a feast for all to enjoy. Each fall, the Peterses invite family and friends to make Stone Soup in the summer kitchen on their farm. The soup starts in a big cast-iron kettle with a stone and broth. “Ever y guest family is asked to bring one quart of chopped
VOL LXV • NO 47
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954