Columbia/Hellam/Wrightsville
MARCH 9, 2022
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIII • NO 3
Feeding Families
Spring Into The Park
SAIL Begins Food Distribution
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
ope Byers is mad at the groundhog, which predicted six more weeks of winter. “We are all waiting for spring,” said the director of Columbia Crossing River Trails Center. “We all have cabin fever.” But she has a solution: Spring Into the Park. The five-day event will be held at the center, 41 Walnut St., Columbia, from Tuesday, March 22, through Saturday, March 26, and will feature activities for people of all ages. “We want to kick off spring and show you all the fun you can have here,” Byers said. Highlights on Tuesday will include bingo and trivia hosted by Columbia Senior Center, beginning at 9:30 a.m., as well as a free yoga class on the riverside deck with Vital Tree Yoga, beginning at 6 p.m. On Wednesday, March 23, a Bridge Walk & Talk will be held at 11 a.m., with a Susquehanna National Heritage Area guide offering information about the bridges that have spanned the Susquehanna River. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Monica Spiese will host “Tell Your Story: An Oral History Workshop.” While the activities on Tuesday and Wednesday are geared more toward adults, Thursday, March 24, and Friday, March 25, will feature lots of kid-friendly options, Byers stated. Columbia School District has an early dismissal on Thursday and no school on Friday, offering plenty of time for students to head to Columbia Crossing, she said. Thursday’s programs will include story time and craft time with the Columbia Public Library, beginning at 10:30 a.m., as well as a Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary show at 2 p.m. A chalk obstacle course will also be set up under the center’s deck. On Friday, The Common Wheel will offer a free kids’ bicycle program during the day, and Raven Ridge Wildlife Center will present question-and-answer sessions
SAIL (Systems Aligned in Learning), a product of a collaborative effort between United Way of Lancaster and Luthercare that began more than five years ago, has endeavored to give Lancaster County children access to highquality child care. Utilizing peer mentors, the program has worked with in-home child care providers in a variety of ways to offer children and their families enhanced services. With the advent of COVID-19 and resulting restrictions, SAIL representatives knew they had to dig deeper to help families served by in-home child care providers. “One of the things we decided to do was to look at the emerging needs of the community in response to the pandemic,” said Ryan Fisher, assistant vice president of philanthropy with Luthercare. What they found resulted in SAIL honing its focus. See Families pg 3
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Megan Salvatore (left) and Hope Byers with examples of the Spring Into the Park coloring page
about local wildlife rehabilitation tours of the park and trails. A spethroughout the day. Miss Alison’s cial Spring Into the Park coloring Studio will host a kids’ yoga class at page is available online at 4 p.m., and the day will wrap up with https://tinyurl.com/2p8rrxrw, and children are encouran outdoor showing aged to print it out, of “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” “We want to kick off color it and add picbeginning at dusk. spring and show tures of themselves and their family parSpring Into the Park will conclude you all the fun you ticipating in their favorite outdoor on Saturday with a can have here.” activity before full day of family returning it to the fun, featuring a variety of activities that will be offered center to be displayed on-site. Each day of the event will feature all week as well, including oversized yard games provided by River Rock food trucks, with proceeds supporting Recreation and Columbia Kettle Columbia Crossing’s educational proWorks, and various self-guided grams. This is the first time Columbia
Crossing is holding an event like this, Byers said, noting that it’s not only an opportunity to raise funds for the center, but it’s also a way to celebrate the community. “We have a lot of regular visitors, trail users and families who come to us, and we thought, ‘Why not bring them all together here to have fun and help us raise money for even more programs?’” Byers commented. “It’s going to be a fun week.” For more information and a complete schedule of Spring Into the Park activities, visit https://susqnha.org or the event’s Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/4m7nn2k9.
Tour Scholarship Announced . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Serving Those Who Have Served . . . . . . .4 Business Directory . . . . . .8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9 House Of Worship . . . . . .12
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