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Diane Smith Puts Others Ahead of Herself,

and Out of Water

BY JEFF FALK

Diane Smith is leading her best life. It is a rich, fulfilling existence in which volunteering plays a major role - and not just because doing good and helping others is important.

Smith has the heart of a Susquehanna Valley Team River Runner, and she is following her heart.

“I think everyone has a time in their life when they might need someone or need something from someone,” said Smith. “I want to be that person who who can help, even if it’s a small gesture. Mental health is such a big deal or should be. Being able to participate and being there for someone is very important.”

A 1995 graduate of Conestoga Valley High School, Smith notes that her altruistic spirit was nurtured growing up. Her mother

fostered more than 100 children, her father served as a police officer for East Lampeter Township and her teachers and developmental

BY GEORGE DEIBEL

Bob Wagner is a part of history.

A bell featuring his paintings will be displayed all year long outside the Ann B. Barshinger Welcome Center at Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster.

The exhibit is in conjunction with the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

“Discover Lancaster will be celebrating the semiquincentennial all year long, promoting our historical sites, trails, and events,” said Wagner. “It will be headlined by a free countywide America’s Passport, encouraging visitors to collect unique stamps at 23 historic properties and provide exclusive coupons to local businesses. The bell at Rock Ford is one of the sites on this special trail.”

There are 100 bells in different locations across the state, he added.

BY GEORGE DEIBEL

Aaron’s Acres has the accommodations to capitalize on countless possibilities.

The nonprofit organization moved to 121 Walnut Hill Road, Millersville, on Jan. 10 and is settling into the new, expansive home it purchased while continuing to contemplate how best to cater to clients.

“We are beyond excited to get to this place after 28 years,” executive director Risa Paskoff said.

“We have a building, and we’ve had dreams that have been turned into realities (during) the first 28 years. Now, with this building, we can have another whole set of dreams and can meet the

“The bell was a fiberglass 65-pound white bell delivered to my garage, and I came up with the paint, because the paint was a similar color to the actual Liberty Bell,” said Wagner. “And then I had to do artwork that I had done over the years, but I had to do special drawings of Rock Ford and also the Thaddeus Stevens house on the back. I had an Amish village, and then I was the artist-in-residence at the Pennsylvania Train Museum, and I did a drawing of the train.” He added that for for the covered bridge metric, he used a special drawing that his son did from the air.

Wagner noted that his first job after graduating from Millersville University was working for the planning commission downtown

Aaron’s Acres

needs of more people.”

Before moving to the building formerly operated by the Grace Baptist Church of Millersville, Aaron’s Acres was confined to 1,000 square feet of office space it was leasing. It held programs at churches, Millersville University, and other organizations and used a storage area on Rohrerstown Road.

There are no longer many limitations in the new digs, which has 12,000 square feet. “All of our programs can be here and our meeting rooms,” Paskoff said. “We had a great relationship with the Residence Inn for our board meetings, for committee

meetings, and now we can have committee meetings here. Everyone in our administrative office staff has their own office.”

She said the foremost feature is how the building benefits the clientele. “The program space is the biggest thing,” said Paskoff. “We’re going to have a kitchen. There is a kitchen here, but we want to start doing cooking classes here, cooking programs for families. We want to expand all the programs that we have.

Aaron’s Acres has a camp program and monthly recreational programs.”

“We have program, a social science where the older population have a place to go and interact with each other and engage in meaningful activities,” continued Paskoff. “We’re hoping to have a family lounge here, so parents can come and sit while they drop their kids off and interact and engage in conversation with people with similar situations and realize they’re not alone in their situation.”

The facility fosters a feeling of belonging. “Raising a child with a disability often is very lonely, and you don’t feel like you’re part of a community,” Paskoff said. “We really want to create this as a community hub but based on our people’s needs.”

Aaron’s Acres once served people between the ages of 5 and 21. Now it can assist those up to and including 40 years old. “We want to be able to do more meaningful programs for the older group,” said Paskoff. “With the purchase of this building, we are truly meeting the needs, and we’re going to continue to meet the needs of families and individuals who have disabilities.”

She added, “There is a tremendous need for programs for individuals who

have disabilities, especially as they graduate from high school. Families have said to us, ‘The school bus stops coming, and families fall off the cliff.’ That’s an awful visual, but it’s reality. We wanted to make sure that we had meaningful, age-appropriate programs for individuals who graduated from high school.”

Aaron’s Acres boasts a staff-client ratio of 1:1 or 1:2 and aids people from all backgrounds. “From when we first started 28 years ago, we’ve never turned away a child because of a disability, and we’ve never turned away a family if they can’t afford the program,” said Paskoff. “We provide

scholarships. Some families do get county funding, but we have never turned away a family if they don’t have funding. We make sure it happens for them. We don’t want a parent to say, ‘I’m sending my kids to camp or to a program. They are having fun, but I’m stressed.’ We want it to be a positive experience for everyone.”

Aaron’s Acres has come a long way. For the first 16 years of its existence, all six employees worked from home. Then the outfit leased space before coming to the organization-altering decision to purchase a location. “The

Bob Wagner stands beside a bell he designed, which will be on display throughout the year.

at the courthouse. In 1979, he illustrated the Lancaster County seal. “It’s still used today, and that’s what’s on the front of the bell,” said Wagner. “If you have your voter registration card, it has the original penand-ink drawing that I did from 1979.” The work is also featured prominently on the bell, along with an authentic drawing of a Conestoga wagon and one of the welcome center downtown that was done for the Heritage Center for

its advertisements. “That’s actually where the nation’s capital for a day was (in Lancaster),” he said. He is honored to have a role in the festivities. “I’m very proud,” said Wagner, who served with the 103rd Medical Battalion in the National Guard. “I’m a native of Lancaster, and I am happy to see my artwork here and to be part of the story that can bring us all together to celebrate and have fun for the 250th anniversary.”

Agency Helps Travelers

Discover China

Loong Explorer China Travel (Loong Explorer, LLC) is a Lancaster County-based travel agency focused on travel to China. Services include China tour packages, flights and hotels, China visa assistance, China destination weddings and travel insurance.

The Millersville company, which opened on Sept. 17, 2025, is open for

consultations by appointment. Loong Explorer can help Lancaster-area travelers visit China with structured planning and small group experiences with no mandatory shopping stops. The company aims to help people experience China beyond the headlines. To learn more, visit www .loongexplorer.com, email chouqiu@loongexplorer .com or call 717-229-6790.

March 21st • 9am-2pm

Fairgrounds (Kreider Building)

ahgwesley@gmail.com

HOME Spring Improvement

BY JEFF FALK

It’s a club. It’s a group of individuals who share values, experiences and a vision.

Members of the Conestoga River Club (CRC) believe that if they take care of the river, the Conestoga River will take care of them.

“Why does the river matter? Because it brings us together,” said Todd Roy, the program director and founder of the CRC. “If we don’t take care of

this planet we live on, we lose our right to do that. We have to work with our neighbors because it’s a great, big job. Why does the river matter? Because we matter.”

CRC is an environmental club, it’s a recreational club, it’s a community club. The club is dedicated to taking care of, advocating for, conserving and educating about the 60-mile Conestoga River, Lancaster County’s river. CRC doesn’t maintain

a brick-and-mortar headquarters or clubhouse; it performs its service work in and around the water. But the club does conduct quarterly volunteer meetings at Rhoads Energy Corporation, 205 Hazel St., Lancaster, including an upcoming one from 8 a.m. to noon on Thursday, April 2.

“We’re very much a grassroots organization,” said Roy. “We teach what we know. We teach how to kayak safely. We teach how to leave the Earth a better place than we found it. What we do is different. Instead of talking about it, we figure it out and do it.”

An active organization, CRC engages in a number of activities throughout the year, including educational kayak excursions, celebrations of Water Week and Earth Day, outreach programs, awarding of scholarships, safety training, overnight camping trips, fun floats and fundraisers. But one of the club’s main focuses is both large-scale cleaning and the maintenance of the Conestoga River, activities that have netted more 67 tons of trash; more than 7,000 tires; and even the odd dumpster, picnic table and trailer.

“Life looks different from the water - not just the world, all of life,” said Roy, a

resident of East Petersburg. “When you’re on the water, you care a lot more about what’s in it. If we can heal the water, we can heal the world.”

Through its outreach efforts, CRC reaches an audience of more than 2,000 like-minded individuals - mainly residents from all parts of Lancaster County - 300 of whom are members and 40 of whom are actively involved volunteers. CRC’s mission is supported by many prominent business partners and organizations, including the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Lancaster County Conservation District and Lan

caster Conservancy.

Historical Society Sets Program

The Solanco Historical Society will hold a program on Saturday, March 21, at 1:30 p.m. at its archives building, 1932 Robert Fulton Highway (Route 222), Quarryville. Randy Harris, an education and outreach associate with LancasterHistory, will present “Origins of the Underground Railroad,” focusing on the Underground Railroad in Lancaster County.

Harris has been involved with community and economic development projects, sustainable land use practices, and historic preservation initiatives across Pennsylvania for more than 40 years.

The program is free and open to the public.

Vendor and Craft Show

Slated

American Heritage Girls Troop PA-1325 in Quarryville will host its fourth annual spring vendor and craft show on Saturday, March 21, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Solanco Fairgrounds, Park Avenue, Quarryville.

The event will include shopping, giveaway drawings, and food provided by The Fry Shack.

For more information, search for “American Heritage Girls Troop PA-3125” on Facebook.

Accordion Group to Meet

The First Lancaster Accordion Group (FLAG) will meet on Sunday, March 22, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Zion Church of Millersville, 317 N. George St., Millersville. For additional details, contact Miranda Hoffman at 717-940-4762.

Men’s Breakfast with Speaker Wes Zook

Saturday, March 28, 2026

7:30-9:00 a.m.

Topic:

“The Pride of Life” 1 John 2:16

Contact: Merv Beiler 717-715-4659

Email: ministries@twinbrookretreat.com

(breakfast will be served at 7:30 a.m.)

Seating is limited RSVP: March 26

Where: Twin Brook Retreat 5697 Strasburg Road, Gap, PA

Admission by donation

Registered 501(c)3

Wes Zook is a Lancaster County resident. He owns and operates a small concrete pumping company here in Lancaster County. He has been married 32 years with one son. On January 16th 2025 a near death experience on the job left him humbled knowing in that moment he was completely dependent on some kind of human intervention.

Message from the speaker: “I’ve been privileged to be part of the same body of belivers for the last 50 years. Growing with the same people for so long, it seems we focus on purging the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes. But do we purge the third thing - the pride of life - with the same vigor? 2000 years ago Jesus took 12 very prideful men and chipped away at them for 3 years.”

Mr. Solanco Pageant Posted

Seven Solanco High School seniors will compete for the title of Mr. Solanco in the Mr. Solanco pageant on Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Solanco High School, 585 Solanco Road, Quarryville.

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The contestants are Aidan Rice, Aiden Elliott, Ander Frey, Brendan MeCouch, Isaac Esh, Kayden Tillie, and Kenton Green.

The contestants will participate in several different activities during the pageant, starting with the opening dance number, which will be a group line dance. Next will be a talent show portion, with each contestant preparing a different talent to showcase, followed by an impromptu question section. Contestants were given a list of 15 possible questions and will randomly pick one to respond to during the pageant. Then, attendees will participate in the swimsuit contest, where they will dress as a dad going on a

beach day with his children and carrying all the beach gear. The event will finish with formal wear, with each contestant wearing a suit from Capitol City Tuxedo, followed by the crowning of Mr. Solanco.

The panel of judges includes a school board member, teachers, and high school administrators.

Other seniors involved in the event include Sophie Pizzulli, mistress of ceremonies; Ava Martin and Anna Rineer, who are coordinating the backstage team; and Brendan Lundvall and Riley Todd, who are coordinating the sound board and light board.

Tickets will be sold at the door. The event will benefit the post prom event for the Class of 2026.

Farm Offers Mobile Petting Zoo

Frederick Family Farm offers a mobile petting zoo, which can bring the farm experience to any location. Instead of visiting a traditional farm, the friendly, well-cared-for animals can be brought to a birthday party, school event, community festival or private gathering.

The small family-run farm has been built on a love for animals, education and community. What started as a passion for

hands-on animal care has grown into a place where animals are treated with respect. People of all ages can learn, connect and create lasting memories with the animals.

Every animal on the farm, whether part of the mobile petting zoo, available for adoption or in foster care, is raised or cared for with their well-being as the top priority.

To learn more, visit www .FrederickFamilyFarm.org.