Manheim Township townlively.com
NOVEMBER 1, 2023
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXIX • NO 23
GTGH hints at true meaning of holidays people to find out about people who are working to make the world a Jenn Knepper knows a good idea better place. I describe it as a live version of a gift catalog, except you when she sees one. Sixteen years ago, Knepper read walk into the event. We want people about a unique gift fair being staged to learn more about the issues at in Harrisburg by a women’s group. people’s hearts.” This season’s GTGH gift fair will be She reached out to the group, and presented on Sunday, after some thought, Dec. 10, from 10 a.m. she came to the conclusion that the “The gift fair is a to 3 p.m. at the Farm concept would be connection point and Home Center, something that for people to find 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster. Nearly 40 could benefit the out about people nonprofits and a Lancaster County who are working to dozen marketplace community as well. Fast forward to make the world a vendors are expected to be there. 2023 and the annual better place.” Food trucks will be Gifts That Give stationed outside to Hope (GTGH) alternative gift fair is alive, well and enhance the atmosphere. “Have you ever seen someone thriving. The event is known for its ability to bring nonprofits together, who has no hope?” said Gustavo its unique approach to gift giving Valdez, president of Kairos Ministries and its propensity for fostering Guatemala, one of the participating nonprofits. “That is a person who has hope. “We want people to think more no future, no way out. Hope is a way about the things they buy and what to tell people that there is a light at goes into them,” said Knepper. “The the end of the tunnel. With hope, gift fair is a connection point for there’s a reason for tomorrow.” BY JEFF FALK
Participants in the upcoming Gifts That Give Hope alternative gift fair include (from left) Katie Buckwalter and Gustavo Valdez of Kairos Ministries Guatemala, organizer Jenn Knepper and Luisa Tapia of My Peruvian Treasures.
Perhaps the best ways to describe the gifts that will be available at GTGH’s fair are environmentally friendly, ethically sourced and
meaningful. There are tuitions, mentorship programs, books, therapeutic camps and charitable donations that can be purchased in
someone’s name. It takes the concept of being more blessed to give than to receive to a whole other level. See GTGH pg 4
BY ANN MEAD ASH
To celebrate three decades of presenting “The Nutcracker” to Lancaster-area audiences, the Viktor Yeliohin International Ballet Academy will hold a special presentation of the ballet, which will bring together on stage 20 dancers who have played Clara in the production. “The Nutcracker” will be presented at the High Fine Arts Center at Lancaster Mennonite School, 2176 Lincoln Highway East, Lancaster, on Friday, Dec. 1,
at 6:30 p.m.; Saturday, Dec. 2, at 1 and 6 p.m.; and Sunday, Dec. 3, at 2 p.m. The former Claras will be honored at the 1 p.m. show on Dec. 2. The story of “The Nutcracker” has its roots in “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” written in 1816 by E.T.A. Hoffmann. The ballet tells the tale of a young girl, named Clara, who is given the gift of a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas Eve. Clara’s beloved toy then battles the Mouse King. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky wrote the score See “Nutcracker” pg 4
GiGi’s Playhouse is spreading its wings BY JEFF FALK
GiGi’s Playhouse’s new digs will allow teachers and clients more room to move around.
GiGi’s Playhouse is moving. Not far. Just right next door. But its new space will be significantly bigger, which will permit it to do what it does best, better. “It means we’re not going anywhere,” said GiGi’s Playhouse of Lancaster’s program coordinator, Alisha Fitzwater. “ We’re really grounded here in Lancaster with families and volunteers and everything. ... We provide a lifetime commitment to our families, from prenatal all the way up to adults. Once we meet a family, we want to be here for the whole family the
rest of the way.” GiGi’s Playhouse, Down Syndrome Achievement Center of Lancaster, recently entered into a seven-year agreement to lease a 7,400-squarefoot space at 2501 Oregon Pike, Lancaster. That building will offer three times the space that GiGi’s Playhouse currently occupies at 2503 Oregon Pike. While the move has already begun, it can’t be completed until a few construction and technical loose ends are tied up at the new location. A grand reopening is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 11, 2024. “It will be a lot better,” said Fitzwater. “Our largest group of See GiGi’s Playhouse pg 2
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