Hempfield MAY 27, 2026
SERVING OUR COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
REACHING MORE THAN 10,110 HOMES
VOL XLII • NO 7
For America250 Series Puts Auscultation Brass, Music Local Spin on Is Medicine American Backstories BY JEFF FALK
ONLINE
Sprpriing EVENT CALENDAR townlively.com/ events
A
ll humans are created equally, and peoples of different colors, backgrounds and beliefs can share the Earth and peacefully coexist. If indeed America is a grand experiment, then those are the premises. On the occasion of this country’s 250th anniversary, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum’s America250 lecture series examines forces which have directly and indirectly affected that experiment and highlights the role that Pennsylvania and Lancaster have played in it. “It’s really important to understand where we come from,” said museum educator Zachary Long. “This is an opportunity to look at
Dr. Patrick Donmoyer
250 years of history and reflect on it. None of the European powers thought that we were going to make it this long. But we’ve
become incredibly successful and become a world power.” The seven-speaker America250 lecture series that Long has pulled together will be presented at Landis Valley Village & Far m Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Road, Lancaster, on the last Friday of every month, beginning on May 29. There are costs involved with attending the series of lectures, which will c o n c l u d e o n We d n e s d ay, Nov. 18. “Pennsylvania was called the Keystone State because we bridged the northern colonies and the southern colonies,” said Long. “Pennsylvania has always played a critical role in this nation. At the beginning, this was the birthplace of the revolution. We supplied a great deal of food See America250 pg 2
HEM
VisionCorps Slates Rappeling Fundraiser VisionCorps will host Eye Drop 2026 on Friday, June 5, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Lancaster, 26 E. Chestnut St., Lancaster. The rappelling event aims to raise awareness and funding to support the organization, which is celebrating 100 years of service. VisionCorps is a nonprofit with a goal of empowering people of all ages who are blind or vision impaired, allowing them to attain independence. Headquartered in downtown Lancaster since its
founding, VisionCorps ser ves almost 2,000 individuals, providing services in five counties: Adams, Chester, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York. The organization also offers prevention of blindness services, including KidSight screenings for more than 12,000 preschoolers each year. VisionCorps also provides employment opportunities. Eye Drop 2026 will feature about 100 participants, each raising a minimum of $1,000 for the chance to rappel from the roof of the Holiday Inn Lancaster to the
Dick Coyne was ready to rappel
On the surface, there is no obvious connection between medicine and music. That is, until you realize that music goes with anything, or everything. Auscultation Brass is a collection of healing artists and a group of musical physicians. “I think there’s a part in our brains that, when music hits our ears, it becomes very soothing,” said Dr. Jerry Rothacker, the scheduler and main contact for Auscultation Brass. “For years, when I did surgery, I didn’t allow music in the operating room. I didn’t want it to be a distraction. But at one point, I told my staff, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to play classical music.’ What I found was that it wasn’t a distraction; it helped people concentrate. “What I was listening to wasn’t what my staff was listening to when they were driving home,” he added. “That’s the beauty of music.” Auscultation Brass is a Lancaster-based band made up of medical professionals - nurses and mostly doctors. Medicine is their profession, and music is their interest, but they are passionate about both. “Auscultation means to listen,” said Rothacker, a retired orthopedic surgeon and a tuba-playing resident of East Hempfield. “It’s like a doctor listening to your lungs and heart with a stethoscope. That’s Auscultation. We had a little discussion when the band was first formed. Someone came up with Auscultation, and we said, ‘That’s it.’”
See Fundraiser pg 8 during Eye Drop 2025.
R128437
See Music pg 3
Beautiful Gardens Start Here! Butterflgybird in & Hummrites! Favo
Awesome Selection!
• Annuals • Vegetables • Herbs • Perennials • Shrubs • Strawberry & Raspberry Plants & Lots More!
400 Long Lane At Marticville Road
Containers = Our Best Potting Soil, Proven Results!
(Rts. 741 & 324S) 3 Miles S. of Lancaster Follow us on
Our Strawberries Delicious!
Mon.-Sat. 8-6 717-872-9311 www.cherryhillorchards.com
R128441
BY JEFF FALK
POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER MAY 27, 2026
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron