Penn Manor FEBRUARY 4, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 17,060 HOMES
Grace Baptist Church Is Enjoying New Location BY GEORGE DEIBEL
G
race B aptist C hurch of Millersville is settling into its new home and preparing to explore new possibilities. On Dec. 10, 2025, the church closed on the building and property at 242 Bender Road, Millersville, and held its first service there four days later. “That was a very busy week,” pastor Joel DeVinney said. “We closed on Wednesday and moved Thursday, Friday, Saturday and had a service Sunday.” Grace Baptist sold its property at 121 Walnut Hill Road, Millersville, to Aaron’s Acres. “Aaron’s Acres is a public organization that serves children and young adults with various disabilities,” DeVinney said. “I think they had been looking for a property for a couple of years, and (the Bender Road) property has been for sale for a couple of years, too. When we looked at it and decided it would be great for
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JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
Pastor Joel DeVinney is happy with Grace Baptist Church’s move to a bigger building. Photo by George Deibel
us and listed our building, Aaron’s Acres was interested in purchasing our property. So we got a new home, and they got a home.” He noted that church members
are thrilled. “The church was very enthusiastic about the move,” DeVinney said. “We were at Walnut Hill Road for all 51 years of our existence. The past several years, See Grace Baptist pg 5
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Personal Trainer Focuses on Kettlebells
Solanco Cross Country & Track Alumni Association hall of fame inductees and family members and friends (from left) Vivian Murray-Tiller; Lois Bodine, mother of the late Ben Work; Dakota King, daughter of the late Steve King; Dave White; Coach Art Harrington (behind White); Eric Guyll, brother of Janice Guyll-Shields; Tom Regan; Bob Swarr, teammate of Jim Shillow; and Bert Hampton
Solanco Track Hall of Fame Enshrines Eight BY GEORGE DEIBEL
he Solanco Cross Country & Track Alumni Association recently inducted eight people into its hall of fame. Steve King, Jim Shillow, Bert Hampton, Tom Regan, Dave White, Ben Work, Janice GuyllShields, and Vivian Murray-Tiller were enshrined during alumni night on Solanco High School’s track on April 14. “The tradition here is just so great between coach (Art) Harrington, coach (Dan) McCardell, coach (Lee) Rhodes, and Wags (coach John Waggoner),” said Craig Ausel, who is a member of the Solanco Cross Country & Track Alumni Association board of directors. “What’s cool is to see these alumni who are 60-something years old or older come back and call Har ‘Coach’ or ‘Mr. Harrington.’ There’s just so much good stuff about it. (The alumni love) coming back.” King, a 1961 Solanco graduate, was the Lancaster County champion in the 100- and 220-yard dashes and the team’s leading
scorer in his senior season. King passed away in 2017, and his daughter, Dakota, and brothers, Mark and Timothy, accepted the honor on his behalf. “It means a lot to the family,” Dakota said. “He’s the one who instilled the love for the sport in me, and then I did it in middle school and high school and college, and now I’m coaching at the
Timothy said. “It’s all ordained that I’m here at the right time to honor my brother.” Shillow, a 1964 graduate, won a District III championship in the javelin and was a state medalist with a third-place finish in the javelin. His throw of 212 feet, 7 inches is still a Solanco High School record and the longest standing record in school track history. Hampton, a 1967 graduate, led the league in scoring with 162 points as a senior, competing in the pole vault, javelin, high jump, and triple jump. He was the Lancaster County champion in the pole vault, jumping a thenleague-record 12 feet, 7 inches. “It is quite an honor,” Hampton said. “It’s a great feeling to be recognized. I was always a Mule, and I am proud to be here.” Regan, a 1969 graduate, was a distance standout for Solanco from 1966 to 1969. He was the 1969 Lancaster County champion in the 1-mile run. Regan was also a member of the first Solanco Cross-Country Hall of Fame class. White, a 1971 graduate, was
Carla Beam
County that I am aware of,” said Carla, who has been a personal trainer for more than 20 years. “I’m really excited about it. Kettlebells are all you really need to improve your strength, stability, coordination, and See Carla Beam pg 3
SOL
In your mailbox & online “I was always a Mule, and I am proud to be here.”
collegiate level (Northwest Nazarene University). He inspired me, and I am still in the sport that he loved and I fell in love with.” Mark said, “It’s a great honor. It’s kind of neat for our grandkids because we live in the area. Our grandkids can know that their uncle was honored and is in the hall of fame.” Timothy, who lives in Jerusalem, was in town to visit Mark. “Mark said, ‘Guess what’s happening?’”
LCHRA Is Eager To Learn What the Survey Says
BY GEORGE DEIBEL
The Lancaster County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (LCHRA) is requesting the public’s assistance to help the organization best serve people experiencing housing insecurity. As the lead agency of the Lancaster County Homelessness Coalition (LCHC), the LCHRA held a virtual meeting with stakeholders on May 21 to kick off the public participation portion of a county-wide initiative, the Lancaster County Housing
and Homelessness Strategic Plan. Lancaster County residents can play their part by completing a survey. “We want to get new data about best practices around homeless response and affordable housing and figure out what the needs are,” said Jocelynn Naples, director of communications, development, and special projects for the LCHRA. “We want broad participation across municipalities, across business sectors. Our ideal would be for all county residents to fill the See LCHRA pg 4
See Hall of Fame pg 10
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Where Food and Community Take Root BY CAT SHANNON
On a stretch of preserved farmland in Elizabethtown, transformation happens every day at a space that offers reconnection - with the land, with one another and with the essential act of growing food. This is Wittel Farm, a nonprofit on 85 acres of land with a long history of care,
now being reimagined as a place where food, community and environmental stewardship meet. Records date the property to the mid-1700s, and long before that it was cared for by the Susquehannock people. In the 1980s, Chuck and Katie Wittel placed the property into a land trust, gifting it to the Lutheran Camping Corporation. See Wittel Farm pg 2 Volunteers work at Wittel Farm.
It was another outstanding year for the Lancaster County Career & Technology Foundation (LCCTF). Students and the businesses that hire them stand to benefit. The LCCTF recently announced the awarding of a total of $142,727 in Dr. Michael K. Curley Teacher Innovation Grants that will have a profound effect on Lancaster County Career & Technology Center (LCCTC) students. “I think we are very fortunate to be able to make the impact we do to really enhance the training and the opportunities here for our students,” said LCCTF executive director Jennifer Baker. “We want to make sure that they are at their best when they enter the workforce, and this equipment goes to that.” Justin Findley of the heavy equipment operations and basic maintenance program at the Brownstown campus was awarded a $19,997 grant for the purchase of TOPCON GPS. That will enable students to complete projects as they would at a work site. Brian Myers of the electrical construction technology program at the Brownstown campus was awarded a $12,000 grant to put a customized photovoltaic training system in the courtyard. Tim Rosenberg of the computer networking and security program at the Brownstown campus was awarded a $23,322 grant for a project called Cyber City 2.0. Doug Stevens of the introduction to manufacturing program See Grants pg 6
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BY GEORGE DEIBEL
C a r l a B e a m ’s g o t a fever, and the only prescription is more kettlebell. The personal trainer, who resides in East Dr umore Township, recently founded her own business, Strong ON Living, and is introducing a five-week kettlebell program that will begin Monday, June 16, and conclude Wednesday, July 16. The sessions will be held Mondays and We d n e s d ay s f ro m 6 to 7 p . m . a t t h e John Wright Company, 645 L ancaster Pike, New Providence. Go to www .strongonliving.com/kettle bell-project-1 to register or for additional information. “No one has done a kettlebell-only program in Lancaster
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