Manheim Central /townlively
SEPTEMBER 30, 2020
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXI • NO 37
Forgotten Friend To Offer Virtual Reptile Shows
A group of people from the Lancaster area enjoy roughing it on the south loop of Pennsylvania’s Black Forest Trail.
Steve Loewen of New Holland camps regularly in his converted toy hauler that easily accommodates his wheelchair and other equipment.
Let’s Go Camping! A Safer Way To Travel Is Trending BY ANN MEAD ASH
“There’s something about … being in the outdoors and smelling the fire.” The young women often camp well into the fall and as early as April, braving temperatures that can drop into the teens. Laura noted that to keep the food supplies light, they take along a lot of pasta and rice, and they carry dried beef. Laura uses a dehydrator to prepare food ahead for them to take along. Jessica noted that enjoying the journey in nature is a focus of the hiking trips. “When I am out backpacking, it would be a disappointment if I went home without seeing
any wildlife,” said Jessica, who notes she is especially on the lookout for rattlesnakes and copperhead snakes, but she has also seen bear, elk, fishers (which are similar to weasels or minks), foxes, coyotes, elk, deer, and flying squirrels. “You didn’t mention porcupines,” added Laura. Jessica relayed that during a hike through Harvey Winter State Park, a bear foraged ahead of them, continually stopping to look back before disappearing into the brush. She also recalled stepping on a rattlesnake on the Quehanna Trail. Because it was early morning and cold, the snake was sluggish. Kim Pierce and her husband, Gene, of Terre Hill, graduated from a tent to a hybrid camper a few years ago, but she still prefers cooking over an outdoor fire to using the stove in her camper. The couple’s first date was a backpacking outing on the Presidential Range in New Hampshire. “(After) we had a family, we camped at state parks in tents,” said Kim, who noted she loves her hybrid because the canvas reminds her of tenting. Kim honed her campfire skills when she did an internship at Yellowstone and worked as a park ranger in See Camping pg 5
Jesse Rothacker of Forgotten Friend Reptile Sanctuary holds a Gila monster in front of the greenscreen he uses for virtual presentations.
So You Want To Start A Blog BY DAYNA M. REIDENOUER
With unemployment in the double digits nationally and with limits on how much socialization can be done in person, starting a blog might seem like an ideal solution. Bloggers can earn an income while interacting with people outside their own households from the safety of their homes. However, there is more to becoming a successful blogger than just opening a WordPress account. It is easy to start a blog, but it can be challenging to keep it going.
INSIDE THIS ISSUE CLOTHING BANK POSTS HOURS . . . . . .2 BIBLE2SCHOOL CLASSES AVAILABLE . . . . . . . . . .4 SPORTS . . . . . . . . . . . .8 HOUSE OF WORSHIP . . . . . . . .9 CLASSIFIEDS . . . . . . .12 BUSINESS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . .16
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he pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in families looking into and plunging into camping during the summer of 2020. For fall, that trend does not seem to be slowing much, and fall weather is often ideal for camping activities. Scot Ash, general manager of Shady Maple RV in East Earl, has seen a 50% increase in sales over 2019, and he said that the majority of those sales involved first-time buyers. “RVing is an alternative way to travel that allows families to social distance while traveling and while camping,” said Ash, who pointed out that campers have their own beds, baths, and cooking and eating facilities traveling with them. “It keeps the family unit together,” said Ash. However, the safety factors and other benefits of camping can be achieved without “glamping,” as RVing is sometimes called. ELANCO-area residents and hiking buddies Laura Zimmerman and Jessica Zimmerman, who are related through Laura’s dad and Jessica’s grandmother, do not hesitate to hit the trail for as long as
10 days with up to 35 pounds of clothes, food, water and other supplies, including a tent, on their backs. They can cover as much as 10 miles per day, and they have camped in places like the Quehanna Trail in Elk County, the Pine Creek Rail Trail in Tioga County, and Jessica’s favorite, Black Forest Trail in Lycoming County.
Scholarship Fund Can Help Provide Programs For Students BY ANN MEAD ASH To allow Rothacker to bring more information about a number of dif“The kids get to meet some of the ferent types of reptiles, including same animals (as a live show), but box turtles, boa constrictors, alligathey get to meet some different ani- tors up to three feet, geckos, and mals as well,” said Jesse Rothacker, tortoises, to students from founder and president of Forgotten prekindergarten through college, Friend Reptile Sanctuary in across the county and beyond, the See Forgotten Friend pg 3 Manheim, who pointed out that Gila monsters have been part of all the virtual programs the organization has done since COVID-19 restrictions kept him from doing live shows. Rothacker sees benefits in the change. “We don’t usually bring venomous lizards, but now that we’re doing it virtually, (students) can be up close to the nose of a Gila monster and actually see the beady texture of their skin without liability or concern for the schools or teachers.”