Manheim Township townlively.com
MAY 29, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIX • NO 52
Everything lunch lady Bonnie Eberly serves comes with a side of love BY JEFF FALK
T
here are nicknames and handles and pet names. Bonnie Eberly wears hers like a badge of honor. Eberly is a lunch lady. Personally, and professionally, she embodies everything that is positive and pure about the scholastic term of endearment. “I am proud to be a lunch lady,” said Eberly. “I’m proud of what I do because I know there is value in what I do. In my mind, the lunch lady is the person in school you can count on, who is loving and compassionate. If you have a problem, you go to the lunch lady.” At Smoketown Elementar y School, Eberly’s official title is child nutrition manager. She’s been a lunch lady for 35 years, ever since her youngest child first went off to school. The first 13 years were dedicated to
the Manheim Township School District, and the last 22 years she has spent in the Conestoga Valley School District. As the head lunch lady at Smoketown Elementary, Eberly oversees a kitchen staff of five. In addition to preparing and serving breakfast and lunch almost every day, Eberly and her staff order, receive, and store food and adhere to government nutrition guidelines. They also perform duties that can’t be found in a job description. “Our duties are pretty much across the board. We do everything - sweeping , mopping , wiping noses,” said Eberly, a resident of Manheim Township. “Whatever it takes to serve our students, we do it. We really do make a difference in kids’ lives every day. I’ve had children tell me stories of their home life. The lunch ladies are the keepers of secrets.”
“I Am Meow” is a book about a character with character BY JEFF FALK
One of the keys to good writing is a compelling subject. Bob Ruder had never written a book before, yet he wrote his first one in 15 minutes. It turns out cats make very good subject material, and besides, Ruder really had little say in it because his subject chose him. “What (people have) always found interesting is that cats
are so aloof,” said Ruder. “They meander to their own beat. They come and go as they choose. If they choose to love you, they will.” Meow is the name of Ruder’s mature male cat and the subject of his book, “I Am Meow.” The book is nonfiction - because as they say, the truth is stranger than fiction - and it’s not necessarily a children’s book. Instead, it’s suitable for anyone who See “I Am Meow” pg 3
Nothing quenches thirst for summer music like lemonade concerts BY JEFF FALK
T he L ancaster L emonade Concert Series (LLCS) is cool, it’s refreshing, it’s delightfully delicious - not unlike the summertime drink bearing its name and served at the end of each performance. T he L ancaster L emonade Concert Series is back, as big and entertaining as ever. Quite frankly, it’s a great way to spend warm Thursday evenings in Manheim Township. As part of the Lancaster Lemonade Concert Series, the Lancaster “It’s held in a church setting, and British Brass Band will perform at Highland Presbyterian Church on See Lemonade pg 4 Thursday, Aug. 1.
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See Lunch lady pg 3 Lunch lady Bonnie Eberly serves a meal at Smoketown Elementary School.