Octorara townlively.com
JUNE 30, 2021
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL XXXI • NO 19
Rappelling For A Cause: VisionCorps Sets Eye Drop 2021 BY FRANCINE FULTON
Kathy Patterson, shown with Lucy, tends to the flower gardens at the Christiana Post Office.
A small garden at the rear of the Christiana Post Office was also created by Kathy Patterson.
Resident Creates Flower Garden At Christiana Post Office BY FRANCINE FULTON
hristiana resident Kathy Patterson has transformed the dirt beds in front of the Christiana Post Office into a thriving flower garden that also features decorative rocks, fossils and birdhouses. She created an additional flower garden near the back of the post office as well. Patterson has volunteered her time and talents to create the gardens at the post office, which she passes every day while walking her dog, Lucy. “About four years ago, someone was (taking care) of the garden and she moved on, and it was looking kind of sad. There was nothing but weeds,” said Patterson. “I took it on as a community project.” After requesting permission from Brian Hess, the officer in charge at the Christiana Post Office, Patterson weeded the beds and laid down a layer of woodchips as mulch. She filled the gardens with flowers such as bubblegum petunias, daylilies, nasturtiums, creeping Jenny, coneflowers, zinnias, hostas, irises and
“Several customers have stopped in just to say how beautiful the flower beds look, and they don’t even need any postal services.” In addition to rocks and several United States flags, there are three fossils in the garden. Visitors can pick them up to see former living organisms etched in the stone, including a snail. “I am a (former) teacher and I found these in my house. I thought it would be a teaching thing,” Patterson said. There are three birdhouses in the front garden. One is shaped like a
church, and the other two represent businesses that are located in Christiana. “The pink one with the dog paw is for the new groomer, Pink Paws Grooming,” Patterson said. “The blue one in the shape of a barn (represents) the barn builders, Little Washington Fabricator.” There is also a red birdhouse in the back garden for Walter & Jackson Inc. Another birdhouse that will be put in place is yellow, representing Hertz Systems. Hess is pleased with the garden, noting that blooming flowers make for a pleasant way to greet those who visit the post office, located at 19 N. Bridge St., Christiana. “ We have received many compliments on how nice the flower beds look,” he said. “Several customers have stopped in just to say how beautiful the flower beds look, and they don’t even need any postal services.” “Through her passion for plants and willingness to invest in the local community, (Patterson) has made a positive impact on the Christiana community,” Hess added.
See Eye Drop pg 6
Natanya Sortland will take part in Eye Drop 2021, rappelling down the side of the Holiday Inn in Lancaster.
Local Author Publishes Picture Book
INSIDE THIS ISSUE Event To Celebrate Local History . . . . . . . . . . .2
BY FRANCINE FULTON
Children’s author Iris Gray Dowling of Cochranville recently announced the release of her newest picture book, titled “Open Your Eyes (Discover the Cecropia Moth).” According to the author, the book is particularly designed for elementary-age children, who will learn the scientific facts about moths and butterflies that live in the eastern United States, particularly in Pennsylvania.
Stories For Summer: Library Directors Share Recommendations . . . . . .4 Community Calendar . . . .8 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Business Directory . . . . .12 House Of Worship . . . . . .12
See Local Author pg 5
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dahlias, as well as rocks and ornaments, including a ceramic ladybug. She purchased most of the flowers herself, but residents have donated plants as well. The garden is filled with perennials so that the flowers come up on their own each year. “The goal is to get this garden living on its own - to be self-reliant,” Patterson said.
“There is no practice. Only determination,” said Chester County resident Natanya Sortland, who will rappel 10 stories on Friday, July 9, in support of Eye Drop 2021, VisionCorps’ signature fundraiser during which participants rappel 120 feet from the roof of the Holiday Inn in downtown Lancaster to the ground, after committing to a fundraising minimum. Sortland said she is committed to the feat despite her fear of heights as part of an effort to raise funds and awareness for VisionCorps after the nonprofit organization helped her when she became visually impaired. Sortland’s vision was damaged after she suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a condition that often results in death or significant impairments. “I became visually disabled a couple of years ago. (As a consequence), I was cutting my fingers,
burning my hands and I almost got hit by a car. I could not read emails or pay bills,” said Sortland, whose coordinator of care recommended that she contact VisionCorps for help. “I was really lucky that I finally gave VisionCorps a call. They gave me a caseworker and I told her about all the things that I was struggling with. She said that I would be OK and get my independence back and (find) a new way to live.”