Manheim Central townlively.com
NOVEMBER 8, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LXIV • NO 41
Visit Manheim for Downtown Days BY CATHY MOLITORIS
Craft show will support mission outreach fund BY CATHY MOLITORIS
ail Ruhl knows it can be intimidating for people to walk into a new church. That’s one of the reasons Ruhl’s Church hosts an annual Manheim Holiday Craft Show. “We try to get people in the door however they feel comfortable,” said Gail, who is organizing the show with Michelle Eakman. “Coming into a church for a craft show might be where they feel comfortable, and then you get to have a conversation with them, and it could turn into something. That’s our hope.” The Manheim Holiday Craft Show will be held at Ruhl’s Church, 4810 Elizabethtown Road, Manheim, on Saturday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It will feature vendors and food. “We have over 30 vendors,” said Eakman, who is coordinating the craft side of the event and who will be selling her handmade infinity T-shirt scarves. “It will be a wide variety - baked goods to clothing
group from the church takes a stateside mission trip annually in June. This coming year’s trip is still being determined, but Gail thinks it’s possible the volunteers will return to Montpelier, Vt., where they served five individuals and helped a local church last year. Just weeks after they returned home, heavy rains and flooding hit the area, destroying one of the homes they worked on and causing major damage at the church. Gail encourages anyone who wants to shop, eat good food or enjoy some fellowship to come to the craft show. “We as a church are benefiting from having the craft show, but it’s also allowing local crafters and people who do direct sales a place for them to come and showcase their talents and sell their wares,” she said. “We try to be welcoming as a church. We want everybody to come through our doors and check us out.” For more information, search for “Manheim Holiday Craft Show” on Facebook.
See Downtown Days pg 3
“Come, Ye Thankful People, Come” BY CATHY MOLITORIS
This past July, a propane gas explosion destroyed the Rapho Township municipal building and caused major damage to several homes nearby the site on Colebrook Road in Manheim. Miraculously, no one was injured in the blast. Margie Peters, who co-pastors Hernley Mennonite Church in Manheim with her husband, Jay, remembers thinking the day showcased the grace of God. “We live about a mile down the
street from the township building, and I thought, ‘Isn’t it just amazing nobody was hurt and nobody was killed?’” she recalled. “I was so thankful, and I know all of us were being thankful in our own private ways, but I kept thinking, ‘Somebody needs to give the community a way to come together and give praise and thanksgiving to God for all He does.’” With Thanksgiving on the horizon, Margie realized now is the perfect time for that. She invites the community to Hernley Mennonite Church, See Thankful pg 2
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and embroidered items. We’ll have some direct sales like Pampered Chef and Norwex.” Gail, who is in charge of the food, noted that the menu will feature tried-and-true items that people come back for every year. “I’m making my chicken corn noodle soup, and we always have barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs,” she said. “We also offer some baked goods and a variety of beverages.” The soup will be available to eat in or to go. “People can bring their own containers to take soup, but it’s not necessary,” Gail shared. “We’ll dish it up in quart containers.” Gail and her husband, Chuck, have been making the soup for many years. “It’s a combination of a couple of recipes, and it’s been tweaked over the years,” Gail commented. Proceeds from the Manheim Holiday Craft Show are used to support the mission outreach fund of the church. “We do local, national and global missions,” Gail said, adding that a
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Ruhl’s Church will host the Manheim Holiday Craft Show.
There is a lot to discover around the square in Manheim, and a few local business owners are collaborating to encourage more people to visit the area. Several people have come together to create Downtown Days at Historic Market Square Manheim. Upcoming events will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 16. As Loren Cook, founder of LJC Massage Therapy explained, the idea of the event is to highlight small, local Loren Cook (left) and Erika Lundgren, with dog businesses. He was Marli, outside The Barking Baron and Cottage & Vine during October’s Downtown Day joined by Erika Lundgren, founder of Wholethy Tribe founder of The Barking Baron, to and Sunny Vibes Cafe & Wellness; do just that. “Our first one on Oct. 21 Katie Gibble, founder of Cottage & Vine; and Deneen Ostasewski, started with the four of us and has