Octorara townlively.com
FEBRUARY 5, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
McCaw to share her music and story at OLC Listening Party BY FRANCINE FULTON
Octorara Area Food Cupboard welcomes new director BY FRANCINE FULTON
The Octorara Area Food Cupboard (OAFC) recently welcomed Cherie Myers as its new director. She succeeds longtime director Judy Dougherty, who retired last September after serving the pantry as director for 18 years. Myers, who has lived in Parkesburg for 35 years, previously worked at the Coatesville Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. “I retired from the VA Medical Center in July after 18 years as administrative officer of nutrition and food services,” she stated. “At the Coatesville VA Medical Center, we had a food bank, and I was involved with that. I had See Food cupboard pg 4
Cherie Myers
A lifetime on the tracks BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
Adriana McCaw
and I help with the middle school group.” This is the second contemporary Christian album that she has released. The first was titled “Enough.” “I wrote all the music that is on these albums,” McCaw noted. “Me and the Holy Spirit have to write together. For me,
it’s a faithful experience.” McCaw also held a Listening Party for her first album at the church in August of 2022. “We had close to 75 or 100 people (in attendance),” she said, noting that she enjoys watching people react to her music. “I like people to not only hear the music, but to get the words. It’s nice to
In 1973, Jim Rice was looking for a part-time job. Many other young residents of Strasburg made some extra cash when they weren’t in school by bagging groceries or staffing Dutch Wonderland. Rice, who was 15 years old at the time, decided he would rather work for the Strasburg Rail Road, and he took a part-time position as a member of the grounds maintenance crew. What Rice didn’t know at the time was that he had found more than an afterschool gig - it was the start of
See McCaw pg 3
an adventure that would last 51 years. “Most of my friends were mowing grass. I applied to work at the railroad since I had some mechanical aptitude for a young kid,” said Rice. “I was always interested in machines growing up, but the train part came later.” On Dec. 31, 2024, Rice took his last ride as a full-time employee of the Strasburg Rail Road. Since joining the grounds maintenance crew as a young man, Rice has worn many hats and held many titles, including that of an engineer, road foreman of See Railroad pg 5
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“A
s a singer-songwriter, I pride myself on having my songs sound a little different,” said Adriana McCaw, when announcing the release of her contemporar y Christian album titled “Greater.” “Everything has a good Christian message, but there are some songs that are more on the rock side, some on the pop side and there is singer-songwriter-esque music with me on the piano. There is something in there for everybody.” McCaw, an accompanist and youth minister at Our Lady of Consolation (OLC) Church in Parkesburg, will celebrate the album’s release with a Listening Party, where she will share her new music, as well as insight into the writing and recording of the album. The album was released on Jan. 31 and the Listening Party will be held on Friday, Feb. 7, at 7 p.m. at OLC’s Schneider Parish Center, 2995 Cemetery Road, Parkesburg. CDs will be available for purchase at the event, and snacks will be provided. “ We will listen to the new album, and I will play some things from the album,” McCaw said, adding that the event is free, but donations will be accepted for the parish’s music ministry. McCaw is a graduate of Octorara Junior-Senior High School and is also a music instructor in addition to her duties at OLC. “I play for three out of four Masses on the weekend and serve as youth minister,” she noted. “I am in charge of our high school youth group,
VOL XXXIV • NO 49