Pequea Valley townlively.com
JANUARY 8, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 3
Sparking creativity Annual Kids’ Woodworking Day held BY ANN MEAD ASH
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“You never know if this one opportunity to create something they feel proud of might spark something in them.” the day,” recalled Nagle, who added that the idea was interesting to him because it “dove tailed well with our heart (at The Factory).” “We loved the opportunity that (Kids’ Woodworking Day) gave for young people to gain exposure to tools and a trade they would not normally have,” Nagle said.
BY FRANCINE FULTON
Although he was born in France, the Marquis de Lafayette was an important figure during the American Revolution and was later invited by President James Monroe for an all-expenses-paid return to the United States between 1824 and 1825. Lafayette’s trip included stops in both Lancaster County and western Chester County. To commemorate the 200th anniversary visit, a series of special activities has been planned
The Factory promoted the day to participants, and nearly 30 signed up to visit when the day was held on Dec. 23 from noon to 4 p.m. The timing right before Christmas has traditionally worked well because children are generally not in school. Employee Paul Beiler, whom Ben referred to as a master craftsman, devised a game box for the children to create. “It’s 2 inches thick and 10 by 10 inches (wide),” explained Beiler, who brought together all the necessary pieces for the children to assemble while working with an adult. The box holds checkers-like pieces the children cut from doweling using a handsaw. Wafers of sapele wood and white pine were available for the children to glue to the top of the box to create a checkerboard pattern. “On the bottom side, they can draw with a woodburning tool or write their names,” said Beiler, who also made sure craft paint was available for participants who wished to paint on the back or the edges. See Kids' Woodworking Day pg 2
With education fair, local Christian schools are organizing and uniting
Events to commemorate Lafayette’s visit to America throughout 2025. “For the past three years, we have been planning events that follow in the exact footsteps of Lafayette when he visited 200 years ago during his Farewell Tour of America,” explained Kathleen Hood, coordinator of the Lafayette200 Bicentennial in Western Chester County and Lancaster County. “He was going to stay three months but stayed 13 months traveling to 24 states, which is what America had at the time. He traveled over 6,000 miles during that journey.” See Marquis Mondays pg 6
BY JEFF FALK
Christian schools in Lancaster County have never really been competitors. Now they’re working together to align their missions and streamline their efforts. The upcoming Christian Education Fair is an event that’s designed to draw strength from numbers, explore and promote the increasing popularity of Christian education and provide
families with learning opportunities that are aligned with their beliefs and their children’s needs. “It’s not that we were against each other ; it ’s we weren’t working together,” said Jill Armstrong, Lancaster County Christian School’s events and communication coordinator and one of the organizers of the event. “I just think there wasn’t an intentional collaboration. We can learn from each other. We See Christian Education Fair pg 4
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Paul Beiler displays pieces of the game box children could build at Kids’ Woodworking Day held at Quarry View Building Group on Dec. 23.
believe we ’re created in God’s image, and God is a creator, and we’re meant to be creators as well,” said Levi King, chief operating officer with Quarry View Building Group. “Things like (Kids’ Woodworking Day) can bring that out.” Levi and his brother, Ben, who is president of Quarry View, began holding Kids’ Woodworking Day in 2018, when the organization partnered with Way of Jesus Academy through a board member of the academy whom they knew. The event invites area children to work with Quarry View employees and volunteers to create a woodworking project they can take home. This year, Quarry View partnered with The Factory Ministries to invite area children to participate at Quarry View’s headquarters on a former farm at 2603 Lincoln Highway East, Ronks, that the company remodeled
and opened a year ago. Adam Nagle, executive director with The Factory Ministries, said that Quarry View representatives reached out about a partnership for this year’s event. “I stopped in, got a tour, and Levi cast their vision for