Pequea Valley SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 7,160 HOMES
Pequea Valley Displays Excellence at FFA Convention
Sock Puppets, Surprises and City-Wide Theater BY CAT SHANNON
While Country Gift & Thrift Shoppe is known as the place where shoppers go to find bargains on gently used items, the building also houses an upstairs quilt room where quilts are displayed for sale and where local volunteers work on projects during select quilting days. Quilting days were held in January, led by quilt manager Pam Fredericksen of New Holland, during
With a tagline of “always pushing the boundaries of what theater can be,” Creative Works of Lancaster champions the power of performance. “We believe that theater can be a powerful force for good building community, sparking connections and cultivating joy and wonder - and we want people to know that there are many ways to experience theater that go beyond buying a ticket and sitting quietly in a dark building looking up at a proscenium stage,” said executive director Lydia Brubaker. “It can happen anywhere, be accessible and relatable for everyone.” Creative Works of Lancaster became a nonprofit in 2010 after a few years of grassroots organizing with a group of creative people in Lancaster, Brubaker said. Original board members were Brubaker, Anne Kirby, Daniel Klotz, Jenn McMorris and the late Douglas Campbell. “The project started with plans for a community arts center, with creative co-working space, rehearsal and studio space, performance and gallery space and a cafe, but we switched gears when the economy collapsed and decided to be nomadic and create theatrical events in various spots around the city,” Brubaker shared. The group’s mission is to nurture and promote creative opportunities throughout the community in order to provide “exquisite moments of surprise and delight in an ever-challenging world,” she said. Creative Works of Lancaster
See Quilting pg 4
See Creative Works pg 3
BY FRANCINE FULTON
P
equea Valley FFA students earned high marks while representing their school district at the 97th Mid-Winter Convention held on Jan. 12 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. During the event, new members received their blue corduroy FFA jackets, marking the beginning of their FFA journey, while senior students earned the FFA Keystone Degree, Pennsylvania’s highest level of FFA achievement. Finally, a team of Pequea Valley students placed first in the Ag Issues Forum Contest. Students who received their jackets were Hunter Russum, Myla Smucker, Shyann Metzler, Sophia Stoltzfus, Luke Smucker, Leah Eby, Nathan Walter, Mackenzie Whiteman, Kimberly Rynard, Jazlyn Quartey, Noah Matos, Erin McGinley and Olivia Zook. FFA members can buy their own jackets, but many receive them through sponsored, gifted team from Pequea Valley, including (from left) Grace Melson, programs or scholarships. Lauren Coblentz, The Sierra Langston, Cole Faus, Kelsey Della Rova, Bella Biddle, and
townlively.com
JUNE 11, 2025
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
See FFA pg 9 Mia Nordhoff, placed first in the Ag Issues Forum Contest.
VOL LXI • NO 25
“Swing!” Will Connect Audiences With Their Mojo BY JEFF FALK
Swing music. And the performers of Servant Stage. What possesses the power to “Swing originated in the 1920s bring a tap to your toes, to put and was popular in the 1930s and a bounce in your step, to bring a ’40s,” said Johnathan Bauer, who snap to your fingers? founded Servant Stage in 2013. See “Swing!” pg 8
The Art of Quilting Thrives at Thrift Shop
Local residents watch birds during a recent East Lampeter Township recreation department activity.
Local Recreation Promotes Healthy Work-Life Balance
ast Lampeter Township is 12 months into its grand recreation exper iment. Time for an update. While results have been mostly mixed, some positive and quantifiable progress has been realized. But much work remains in the new recreation department’s mission to get the word out and provide activities that appeal to a majority of East Lampeter Township residents. “I always feel like we can be doing more and reaching more people,” said Lisa Cleveland, who as recreation director makes up East Lampeter Township’s one-person recreation department. “Growth
is not resting. Am I happy where we are in the time we got here? Yes. Do we have more work to do? Yes. The opportunities are endless, so there are always things that are going to be new.” Since officials made the commitment to provide recreational opportunities to the township’s citizens on May 28, 2024, by hiring Cleveland as recreation director, the newly formed East Lampeter Township Recreation Department has instituted a number of programs and activities, some of which have been well received. The department has provided community events like movie nights, a fall festival and an Easter egg hunt; youth events like Hero Hang-Out, Touch-a-Truck
and a summer playground program; fitness and yoga programs; and educational programs like a bird walk and Exploring the Night Sky. This spring, the department introduced a community gardens program that allows individuals and families to rent plots of land at Community Park for growing vegetables, plants and flowers. Twelve of the 16 available plots are currently being utilized. The recreation department has also placed a strong emphasis on promoting and utilizing township facilities like Community Park, Flory Park, Lafayette-Tower Park and Gibbons Park at Nolt’s Mill, as well as fostering relationships with like-minded community partners.
LCWG Is Made Up of a Bunch of Do-Gooders
BY JEFF FALK
Good is universal, timeless and objective. Because it mirrors God, good is good. The Lancaster County Women for Good (LCWG) group knows some things about the concept of doing good. It’s part of the all-volunteer organization’s mission, purpose and reason for existing. “We use that word a lot, ‘good,’” said Anna Horst, the chairperson of the five-member board that oversees LCWG’s operations. “It’s
in our name. I think it’s safe to say our connections and providing nonprofits with resources is part of the good we aim to do. I think there are a number of nonprofits in Lancaster County who have amazing missions. They’re real people trying to help real people. They are problems that a majority of us would agree need to be solved. Maybe we need to be more clear by what we mean by ‘good.’” LCWG, which does not operate from a physical office or building, conducts more than 15 membership events each year, including
See Recreation Department pg 4
See LCWG pg 9
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Pam Fredericksen displays some of the handmade quilts for sale. Photo by Francine Fulton
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Cast members perform a musical number from Servant Stage’s production of “Swing!”
In your mailbox & online BY JEFF FALK
VOL LXII • NO 7
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