Donegal /townlively
JANUARY 27, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXII • NO 1
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS IN THIS ISSUE!
Mount Joy Minnie Will Offer Her Prediction BY CATHY MOLITORIS
ill we have an early spring? Or will we endure six more weeks of winter? Mount Joy Minnie knows, and she’ll give her answer to these questions on Groundhog Day, Tuesday, Feb. 2. “This year we’re going to go virtual,” said Kerry Meyers, executive director of the Mount Joy Chamber of Commerce. “Normally, we would hold our Groundhog Day celebration at the town clock in Mount Joy, but we can’t do that this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.” Instead, Minnie will appear on Facebook and will give her prediction at approximately 7:10 a.m. “ We have new handlers for Minnie this year,” remarked Meyers, noting that Minnie doesn’t require a lot of “handling,” since she’s a stuffed animal. “Even though we’ll be doing things online this year, we’ll still do what we have always done, and
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“Even though we’ll be doing things online this year, we’ll still do what we have always done, and our handlers will discuss with Minnie whether she’s seen her shadow or not.” This year’s event will still feature a crazy hat contest as in years past. “We would normally judge the hats by applause, but this year, we are asking people to post their pictures on the Facebook event page or email them to me at the Chamber,” Meyers explained. Prizes will be awarded for the
See Food Bank pg 7
Mount Joy Chamber members (from left) Carl Hackman, Greg Sallade and Paul Gardner invite people to view Mount Joy Minnie’s Groundhog Day predictions on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
BY CATHY MOLITORIS
One day a few weeks ago, Pat Paules almost broke down in tears. These were tears of joy, not sadness, as she accepted a donation to benefit the food bank she oversees as part of Mount Joy Helping Services. “We received $5,000 in gift cards from Giant,” she said. “I was not expecting it, and when they presented the gift, I almost cried.” Employees of the Mount Joy Giant Food Store collected money for the gift cards through at-register donations from customers.
best hats, courtesy of event sponsor Keystone Lawn Company. Mount Joy Minnie has been predicting the seasons for many years, Meyers noted. The event even drew the attention of the Wall Street Journal last year when the paper included it in a feature on local Groundhog Day events. “We didn’t want to cancel this year, even though we had to do things a little differently,” Meyers stated. “People really enjoy it. We’re trying to keep things as normal as possible, and this is something we always do, so we wanted to do it again this year. It’s just a fun thing to do.” To view the Mount Joy Minnie Groundhog Day event, readers may visit www.facebook.com /mountjoychamber.
Children Invited To Music Program
Harper Kline enjoys making music at Little Notes at Florin Church of the Brethren.
Little ones are invited to make music at Florin Church of the Brethren during the Little Notes music ministry. The program is held from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. on the second, fourth and fifth Thursdays of the month at the church, 815 Bruce Ave., Mount Joy, and is open for children up to kindergarten age and their caregivers. “Little Notes is a program we offer to introduce children to music,” said Jan Chavez, program director. “We’ll get out a variety of musical instruments for the children to play with. I’ll play some sing-along songs. I like to include
songs they know and pepper in some new ones for them to learn.” The program, which is free, also features play time and other activities. “We’ll have parachute time and snack, and I might play a DVD or do a simple craft or coloring page with the children,” Chavez stated. To stay as safe as possible during COVID-19, the program is held in a large space where participants can spread out, and all snacks are individually wrapped. Chavez also sanitizes all instruments between sessions. Chavez started the program two years ago as a way to give back to the church she’s belonged to her whole life and to provide a musical opportunity for preschoolers.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Pork, Sauerkraut Dinner Planned . . . . . . . . .2 Business Directory . . . . . .4 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 House Of Worship . . . . . . .8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9 VFW Posts Youth Singing Contest . . . . . . .12
See Little Notes pg 2
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Giving People A Helping Hand
our handlers will discuss with Minnie whether she’s seen her shadow or not.” Minnie’s handlers this year will be Carl Hackman of Northwest Bank and Greg Sallade of State Farm Insurance Agency.