THE
Your Local
Section
SAHOPPING NEWS S ERVING O VER 34,000 H OMES
FREE
Community Newspaper
of Lancaster County
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2026 • VOLUME LX, NO. 43 • READ THE DIGITAL EDITION ON THE WEB: SNEWS.COM
In This Week’s Issue:
Calling All Snowblowers, We Have An Ice Skating Pond To Clear!
Section A
Do You Know...? Page 11A Valentine’s Dining & Gifts Page 10A
Student Spotlight
Ephrata High School Sophia Schumacher
Catalyst Christian School Bowen Good Biblical Message ............. 14A Births.................................... 15A Crossword Puzzle......... 12A “Happy Birthday”.......... 15A Obituaries ............................2A
On the bitter cold Monday after the recent weekend snowstorm, our photographer headed out to brave the treacherous back roads in the hopes of finding a snow related winter scene. He snapped a photo here and there as he drove around on the nearly empty roads, but felt he needed to keep looking for something a
little out of the ordinary. Well, his persistence paid off as he drove down a hill near Paradise, and off in the distance, he saw snow being launched by a multitude of snowblowers! They were quite a ways off the road, but he decided to head in the lane and inquire about what was going on. He met the owner, Mr. Stoltzfus, who
graciously invited our photographer to head on down to the pond and snap some photos. The hardworking crew was indeed a well-oiled machine, clearing the deep snow off the pond for skating. This was an impressive team effort with close to ten snowblowers ready to throw snow. This particular image was one of
Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese our photographer’s favorites because of the multiple snow streams being launched, and especially the crisscross pair in the middle. Other workers would come sliding by with wide shovels to clean up the small piles of snow. During the clearing process, two small thin spots were found and those areas were marked
as ‘off limits.’ This is one of those memorable moments that makes being a photographer in Lancaster County so special. This pond also had lights going from one end of the pond to the other, which most certainly was a bonus for late evening hockey games.
Lincoln Fire Company Continues Annual Community Fund Drive
Professor Beam’s “Deitsch Eck”......................4A Things To Do ................... 11A
Section B
Who’s Hiring in Healthcare
LOOK FOR OUR
FAMILY
FUN
PAGE on page 16A! Featuring a
SPECIAL CONTEST NEXT WEEK! Your chance to
WIN
50!
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The all-volunteer Lincoln Fire Company of Ephrata is continuing its 2025 fund into the New Year. 2026 is a big year for the company, as it anticipates the arrival of their new $1.3 million Pierce
fire engine. This is the first new piece of equipment purchased since 1992. Shown in the photo, from left to right, are (sitting) firefighter Smath PierreBellegarde; firefighter Ken-
dall Copenhaver; firefighter Lamar Buckwalter; (standing) fire police Sergeant Jim Painter, fire police Lieutenant Tim Showalter, fire police Captain Craig Bouder,
Shopping News Photo by Donald Reese Lieutenant Henry Chedraoui and firefighter Adrik Burkholder. The fire company, however, over the past few years
has saw a reduction in donations from business and residential donors. In 2025, only one in five addresses (Continued On Page 2A)