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Pretzel Legacy Author Fulfills Family Request BY ANN MEAD ASH
Jill Marie Thomas is the author of several books, including several Bible studies. Among her works are “Risking It All,” the story of how she gave away her income for a full year, and “The Day My Son Fell from the Sky,” which tells the story of her son’s powered parachute crash, which he survived. Most recently, Thomas has written “Twisted: Mindful Pretzel Consumption,” the story of how her great-great grandfather, Julius Sturgis, opened America’s first pretzel factory in Lititz in 1861, when the country was on the brink of civil war. “My family has pestered me to do this for years,” said Thomas, who taught math at Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport while competing in East Coast judo competitions until 2010, when a mat accident sidelined her for two
years. A delicate surgery enabled her to walk again, but the two-year recovery led to a deep depression. Thomas started writing to “lift myself out of that funk,” and she was soon leading Bible studies via Facebook. In 2017, when she was between writing projects, she agreed to write “Twisted.” “The relatives were passing away, and the stories go with them,” said Thomas, who noted that her father, Tom Sturgis Jr., is still making his way into the Shillington factory five days a week at the age of 87. Thomas said she parked herself in front of the Sturgis archives at that factory to do her research. “We have anything that was published (about the business),” said Thomas, noting that the book features old photos from the archives, including one of Julius, who died in 1897 at the age of 62. The factory passed to his son William, and William’s son, Tom Sr., before passing to her father. Thomas said she began the book with her memories of the factory. “I
Artisans Sought For Porchwalk grew up in Shillington, but I visited Lititz as a child,” said Thomas, who spent time in the original factory at 219 E. Main St. “That’s where I learned to twist my first pretzel,” she recalled. Thomas and her brothers worked at the factory in Shillington when they came of age. “I worked at everything from cleaning rest rooms to scrubbing the sides of the oven walls,” said Thomas. “My father didn’t coddle us. He said, ‘If you want any respect in this factory among the other employees, you have to do the dirty work,’” she recalled, noting that she worked on the assembly line and her brothers cut the factory grass. Her father had the opportunity to make pretzels with his father and grandfather. “My dad told me how they mixed the dough in large batches by hand and then twisted the pretzels by hand and lay them out and put them in and out of the oven,” she noted. “He knows the old methods.” Thomas said the book contains “a little bit of everything,” including recipes, pretzel trivia, and a tran-
Jill Marie Thomas displays the book she wrote about her family’s pretzel business, which started in Lititz in 1861.
script of an interview with her grandfather. When “Twisted” was published in 2019, Thomas had 32 speaking engagements to talk about the book lined up for 2020, but she said most of them were canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions. She hopes to resume speaking soon. More information about Thomas and her books may be found at www.jillmariethomas.com.
p.m. Parents are asked to stay with children ages 3 and 4. The children will be grouped by age and will rotate through the following stations: crafts, Bible lessons, music, games, and water break time. Masks and social distancing will be incorporated into the program.
Registration forms are available at the church office, on the Lititz Moravian Church Facebook page under “Events” and at www.lititz moravian.org. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, July 7. For information and to register, call the church office 717626-8515.
Summer Vibes At PA Beaches BY WENDY ROYAL
Philipsburg •Chapman State Park, Clarendon •Hills Creek State Park, Wellsboro •Little Pine State Park, Waterville •Lyman Run State Park, Galeton •Ole Bull State Park, Cross Fork •Parker Dam State Park, Penfield •Poe Valley State Park, Coburn •Raymond B. Winter State Park, Mifflinburg •Canoe Creek State Park, Hollidaysburg •Colonel Denning State Park, Newville •Cowans Gap State Park, Fort Loudon •Gifford Pinchot State Park, Lewisberry
•Greenwood Furnace State Park, Huntingdon •Pine Grove Furnace State Park, Gardners •Prince Gallitzin State Park, Patton •Shawnee State Park, Schellsburg •Whipple Dam State Park, Petersburg •Beltzville State Park, Lehighton •Gouldsboro State Park, Gouldsboro •Hickory Run State Park, White Haven •Locust Lake State Park, Barnesville
Sick of hours of traffic heading to Maryland or Jersey shores? Not to mention crowded beaches and boardwalk shops that make a big dent in your wallet. You don’t have to go down the shore to enjoy a beach vacation. Pennsylvania offers an entirely different beach experience. More than likely, if you live in PA, you’re within an hour or two of a beach. Most of the lakefront beaches in the commonwealth are in our pristine state parks, but you’ll find private and public beaches throughout the state. Thirty-five of Pennsylvania’s 121 See Beaches pg 6 state parks have beaches that are typically open and free to the public for swimming from late May to midSeptember. Many of these beaches have a swim-at-your-own-risk policy. They are generally open from 8 a.m. to sunset, daily, but may have adjusted schedules, so check the website before hitting the road. You’ll find links to all the state park beaches on www.townlively.com/ summer-vibes-at-pa-beaches. •Bald Eagle State Park, Howard Fun in the sun at Beltzville State Park Beach, •Black Moshannon State Park, Lehighton, Carbon County
The 22nd annual Lititz Artisans’ Porchwalk will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. This year, the event will be held at the entrance of Lititz Springs Park, 24 N. Broad St., Lititz. Vendors are being sought for the juried event. All work must be of original design and executed and signed by the exhibiting artist. The deadline for applicants is Thursday, July 15. The artist or craftsperson must
provide all supplies needed for setup, including protection from the weather. The show will be held rain or shine, and canopies or tents are recommended. Exhibitors must remain open during the scheduled hours. All exhibitors must operate their own booths for the entire show. For additional information as well as the application, visit www.lititz porchwalk.com. Details are available by contacting lititzporchwalk @gmail.com.
Christian Women’s Club Slates Luncheon Lancaster Christian Women’s Club will host a luncheon at noon on Wednesday, July 7, at Bent Creek Country Club, 620 Bent Creek Drive, Lititz. Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon will include a musical medley of patriot-
ic songs presented by Linda Damico. Jennifer Ebaugh, an avid runner, will speak on “Running to Win - Life’s Choices and Consequences.” There is a cost to attend. Reservations are required by Friday, July 2. For details, contact Dawn at 717-587-2555.
HILLTOP ACRES FARM MARKET
Church Plans “Compassion” Bible Camp “Compassion: Be Loved, Be Kind, Be You” is the theme for this year’s Lititz Moravian Summer Bible Camp for children ages 3 to 12. Compassion Camp will be held outdoors at the picnic pavilion behind Lititz Moravian Church, 8 Church Square, on Sunday, July 11, through Wednesday, July 14, from 6:30 to 8
June 30, 2021 - 5
JUNE 30 - JULY 6 Walnut Creek Sliced
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FRESH PRODUCE They're Here! Fresh NJ Bulk Blueberries! Freshly Pulled Homegrown Sweet Corn Coming! Sweet Eastern Lopes .......................................................................................................................... Ea. $2.99 Sweet Red Nectarines ...................................................................................................................... Lb. $1.69 Firm Green Peppers ............................................................................................................................ Lb. $1.49 Fresh White Mushrooms ..................................................................................................... 8 Oz. Tray $1.69 Vidalia Onions ............................................................................................................................................ Lb. 99¢ Romaine Lettuce .............................................................................................................................. Ea. $1.39 Sweet, Western
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347 Rife Run Rd. Manheim, PA 17545
Available By The Case Lb.
Broccoli Head
$
2/ 3
717-665-7809
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2/$5 OPEN 6 DAYS A WEEK Mon.-Thur. 8:00AM-5:30PM Fri. 8:00AM- 6:30PM Sat. 8:00AM-4:00PM R073175
