Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville
townlively.com
MARCH 3, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 3
Community Event Will Celebrate Small Businesses BY CATHY MOLITORIS
As successful local businesswomen, Megan Kalbach and Jacque Hess felt a pull to help others. The friends decided to use their experience and connections to create the Mountville Community Event. To be held Saturday, March 13, from noon to 6 p.m., the event will feature live music, food trucks, small businesses, crafters and more in Froelich Park, 350 W. Main St., Mountville. “ We both have had very suc-
Columbia Creative Factory, co-founded by Mychal LaVia (right), has found a new home at Kindred Collections, owned by Dena Krebs (left) and Julie Hess.
Forming A Creative Collaboration ychal LaVia believes in the power of collaboration. The co-founder of Columbia Creative Factory was looking for a new location for his organization when he walked into Kindred Collections at 452 Locust St., Columbia. The business, owned by Dena Krebs and Julie Hess, opened its 10,000-square-foot location in early 2020. “He came in and said he was looking for a space and I said, ‘Well, we definitely have space,’” Krebs recalled. “It sort of felt like it was meant to be.” LaVia plans to hold classes and workshops on-site but will continue Columbia Creative Factory’s mission of serving the wider community as well. LaVia opened Columbia Creative Factory in 2016 after successfully operating Lancaster Creative Factory, which he created with Kevin Lehman. LaVia said Columbia makes the perfect location for the nonprofit,
“We both believe in the community spirit in Columbia. It’s been a really cool collaboration.” When the building that housed Columbia Creative Factory went up for sale, LaVia began looking for options that would allow him to stay in the local community. The location at Kindred Collections is the perfect solution, he said. “Our mission is to connect with the community and strengthen our ties with the community,” he noted.
“They support that mission here at Kindred, and they have that same good energy.” Columbia Creative Factory offers free classes at the Columbia Senior Center as well as the Boys and Girls Club of Columbia. “Eighty percent of what we do is off-site, and we want to still do things out in the community,” LaVia said, adding that he plans to offer some on-site classes in mosaics and pottery. “It’s important for us to reach as many people as possible.” Krebs said Columbia Creative Factory has been a welcome addition to her business, which features more than 80 artists offering handmade, upcycled and vintage items. “ We didn’t know each other before Mychal walked in, but it’s been going very well,” she stated, noting that LaVia will be creating an in-house mural to commemorate Kindred Collections’ one-year anniversary. “We both believe in the community spirit in Columbia. It’s been a really cool collaboration.”
See Community Event pg 3
Organizers Megan Kalbach (back, left) and Jacque Hess (back, center), along with their children (front, from left) Hunter and Bella Kalbach and Doug, Tom and Richard Hess, invite the community to attend an event to spotlight local businesses.
Wrightsville River Rat Plunge Will Benefit Special Olympics
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Preschool Open Registration . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Business Directory . . . . . .3
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
When the pandemic prevented Special Olympics Pennsylvania from holding its annual Polar Plunge, residents of Wrightsville took matters into their own hands. Thanks to a team effort, the first Wrightsville River Rat Plunge will take place on Saturday, March 6, at John Wright Restaurant, 234 N. Front St.
Tax Aide Sites Now Available . . . . . . . . . .4 Food Truck Vendors Sought . . . . . . . .4 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .5 House Of Worship . . . . . . .8
See Plunge pg 4
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which is focused on creating shared arts experiences in the community. “I’ve been involved in the Columbia community since the 1980s,” he remarked. “I have lots of community connections and good friends here. I think it’s a really cool town, and where it’s going now, it’s exciting. There’s a great energy in Columbia, and you can feel it.”
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BY CATHY MOLITORIS
cessful careers in sales and marketing before the pandemic,” Kalbach said. “We felt a calling after helping with the Mountville Carnival’s food truck event last year. We felt God was calling us to help support local businesses. We saw small businesses struggling to get set up online this past year, struggling with figuring out how to do curbside pickup or to-go options. We had the knowledge, and so we just sat down and created MJ Small Business Squad.” This is the first event MJ Small Business Squad is hosting, and Kalbach said attendees can expect a fun afternoon. “We’ll have more than 40 vendors and small businesses and lots of local churches with kids’ activities,” she stated. “Miss Agriculture USA will be there with kids’ games and Cosplayers Care will be doing photos with superheroes and princesses.” The Easter Bunny will be there,