Octorara FEBRUARY 25, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 3,720 HOMES
VOL XXXV • NO 52
FFA Students Give an Old Tractor New Life as “Spirit of ’76” Replica BY FRANCINE FULTON
ONLINE A WINTER EVENT CALENDAR
tractor without a running motor and covered in rust was transformed into a replica of a “Spirit of ’76” patriotic bicentennial-edition tractor by FFA members from Octorara Junior Senior-High School. The students won two awards for their efforts as part of a restoration competition held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January. Students who restored the tractor under the guidance of FFA adviser Ryan King were Gabe Kreider, Hector Vergara, Lisandro Esquivel-Lopez, Grant Umble, Scott Danby and Jackson Ranck. The young men are members of the school’s Mechanical Systems Technology program. King explained that Lisandro found the 1973 Case 446 tractor on sale on Facebook Marketplace. “We were searching for this particular model,” King explained. “In 1976, there were four tractor companies FFA adviser Ryan King (far left) and the students who restored the tractor, including (from left) Hector Vergara,
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See Tractor pg 6 Jackson Ranck, Gabe Kreider, Lisandro Esquivel-Lopez, Scott Danby and (not pictured) Grant Umble. Photo by Francine Fulton
OCC
Author Releases Children’s Book to Honor Late Grandmother
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BY FRANCINE FULTON
Kimberly Mowery of Intercourse, an author of biblically based children’s books, recently released her third book, “Finding the Leader.” The latest story is part of “The Pilgrimage of Jacki and Gerri” series, which is designed to honor Mowery’s grandmother by retelling her personal history.
Each book in the series tells the story of Jacqueline Ann and Geraldine Doris, twin sisters that Mowery’s grandmother, Sarah June, lost in 1940. After the girls’ death, they were never spoken about again. “I didn’t know my grandmother had twins until I was 14 years old,” said Mowery, who grew up in Parkesburg and attended Octorara schools. In 2014, Mowery set out to
learn more about the twins. She found their burial site in Ohio and through cemetery records learned that the girls had been born prematurely on Jan. 23, 1940. Jacqueline was stillborn, and Geraldine lived 48 hours. After Mowery and her husband, Dennis, had three sons, they, too, lost their daughter, who was named Sarah June, in Kimberly Mowery’s latest book is titled 2005 at the age of 16 months. “Finding the Leader,” which is part of “The See Author pg 4 Pilgrimage of Jacki and Gerri” series.
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