Lampeter-Strasburg DECEMBER 11, 2019
IN THIS ISSUE: STUDENTS NAMED TO DISTRICT CHORUS page 3
VOL LVI • NO 37
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
CHRISTMAS DINNER
St. Anne’s Catholic Church, 108 E. Liberty St., Lancaster, will sponsor its 30th annual Christmas Day dinner for those who will spend Christmas alone or are unable to afford a meal. The meal will be served on Wednesday, Dec. 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Transportation is available in the Lancaster city area by calling St. Anne’s Church at 717-392-2225 or Lisa Wood at 717-669-6282 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. before Friday, Dec. 20. The dining facility is not wheelchair-accessible.
UPCOMING MEETING
ABWA Lancaster Area Express Network Chapter will meet on Wednesday, Dec. 18, from 7:15 to 9 a.m. at the Lancaster Country Club, 1466 New Holland Pike, Lancaster. The chapter will wrap up the year with a holiday party and learn about the Lancaster YWCA. Attendees will also hear from Carol Brian of 1847Financial and Sue Suter from United Way of Lancaster County. There is a cost to attend. Registration is required by noon on Monday, Dec. 16, at www.abwa-laen.org. For details, contact Sam Biastre at 908-938-4135 or samanthabiastre@gmail.com.
Latin Percussion Group Will Perform pg 13
By Dayna M. Reidenouer
“I’ve actually had someone email me and ask me if we’re doing this again and when. It’s good to know people like it,” Al Strausner mused. Together, Strausner and his grandson, Matthew Palmeri, built a temporary model railroad layout last year at West Willow United Methodist Church, 118 W. Willow Road, Willow Street. During the six days it was open in December 2018, more than 180 people visited. “People like to come and talk,” Strausner said. Matthew, age 12, is in sixth grade at Martic Elementary School. He and his grandfather have shared a love of model trains for as long as he can remember. Matthew helps with the layout in the basement of Strausner’s Willow Street home, and he has one at
his own house. “My layout’s a mess because I’m redoing it all again,” Matthew commented. Matthew’s mother, Amy Palmeri, occasionally provides assistance with Matthew’s projects. With last year’s holiday layout, she served as Matthew’s assistant. “We had everything on a cart, and she handed me the items so I could fill in the layout,” Matthew said. “My mom does help hopefully she’ll do that this year - and she sits and talks to people (when they visit the layout).” The design will differ from last year’s, but it will still be a realistic town. About 50 Plasticville buildings are slated to populate the HO- and O-scale layouts. Strausner, age 75, said he has had a few of the buildings since he was younger than Matthew, adding, “My aunt and uncle would get me one for every holiday.” See Model Train Layout pg 9
Al Strausner (left) and his grandson, Matthew Palmeri, will welcome guests to view a Plasticville-furnished model railroad layout at West Willow United Methodist Church on Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 14 to 29.
Servant Stage Announces 2020 Season Carving Out Time For The Holidays By Dayna M. Reidenouer
Servant Stage Company has announced its 2020 season, including a variety of shows and an expanded slate of theater programs for youths. Servant Stage Company has announced its 2020 season of shows, featuring Broadway musicals, an expanded youth theater program, original productions, and more. In keeping with Servant Stage’s mission to make great performances accessible to everyone, all performances will be offered for a pay-what-you-will fee at a variety of venues across Lancaster County. The season will include the regional premiere of the Broadway musical
“Amazing Grace,” based on the true story behind the titular song. The show will be presented on Friday, May 15, to Sunday, May 31, 2020, at Lancaster Bible College, 901 Eden Road, Lancaster. Broadway composer Christopher G. Smith will join Servant Stage for the production to serve as an artist-in-residence. An original musical revue, “A Broadway Melody,” features music from Broadway classics. The production will See Servant Stage Company pg 2
The plaintive strains of “Silent Night” played on a harmonica filled the air as members of the Manheim Township Woodcarvers Association (MTWA) and the Lancaster County WoodCarvers (LCWC) placed ornaments on a small artificial evergreen tree on Dec. 4. Each of the more than 170 ornaments had been painstakingly carved and decorated by members of the two groups. “Some of them are so beautifully ornate. They really bring the spirit of Christmas,” commented Lauren Musser, corporate
and community relationship manager for Hospice & Community Care (HCC). The ornaments are shaped like mittens, Santa Claus and Saint Nicholas, evergreen trees, angels, birds, and snowmen, and there is even a Noah’s ark See Woodcarvers pg 10
Hospice & Community Care staffers Kevin Frain (far right) and Lauren Musser (seated, right) accepted a Christmas tree stocked with ornaments for inpatient clients and their families from Manheim Township Woodcarvers Association and Lancaster County WoodCarvers representatives (continuing clockwise) Ruth Stetter, Clarence Kiehl, Mark Arbogast, Pete Kovarovic, and Rick Bledsoe.
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130 Tennyson Drive, Lancaster, will hold a “Country Christmas” Night on Saturday, Dec. 14, at 6:30 p.m. The worship service will feature Deep Holler Revival performing both traditional and more contemporary Christmas hymns and songs, all arranged in a country, bluegrass, and Southern gospel style. Dress is casual, and the public is invited to attend. For details, call the church office at 717-393-9182 or call 717-615-0525.
Volunteers Sought For Annual Bird Count pg 8
Model Train Enthusiasts Plan Holiday Layout
“COUNTRY CHRISTMAS”
Community United Methodist Church (UMC),
Rock Ford Posts Yuletide Tours pg 12