Octorara JULY 22, 2026
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The Diamond Girl
Life Turned Upside Down
BY LOGAN MOYER
BY LOGAN MOYER
A
Gurel, a Parkesburg native, was an integral part of Temple University’s Diamond Band.
D i a m o n d G i r l fe a t u r e twirler. That’s a mouthful, but it means so much to Octorara alumna and Parkesburg native Mallorie Gurel. Twirling was in Gurel’s blood. Her mom was a baton twirler, which gave her a natural interest in twirling, dancing and cheerleading when she was growing up. She started twirling when she was 9 years old. “She introduced it to me when I was 7 or 8,” Gurel said. “Then I would beg her to put me in lessons.” She eventually connected with Wendy Rhoads at Ab-Salute Twirling in Ephrata and began formal training, eventually competing in competitions. Gurel never twirled with Octorara’s marching band, but she was the feature twirler in all her four years at Temple University as part of the school’s Diamond Band. “I’d say it’s kind of like a mix of dance and gymnastics, kind of like a cheerleader position,” Gurel said. “You’re trying to engage the audience, and it’s a big way to show See Twirling pg 2
OCC
Second Annual “Battle of the Boroughs” Underway BY LOGAN MOYER
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Three boroughs will compete for the trophy, but the real winner of the Battle of the Boroughs food drive will be the local community. After the first Battle of the Boroughs food drive was a resounding success in 2025, Parkesburg, Atglen and Christiana are once again collaborating for a friendly competition to benefit the Octorara Area Food Cupboard (OAFC). It began on June 24 and will run
through Tuesday, Aug. 4, which doubles as National Night Out. “It felt really good to see the community come together and have a lot of fun,” said April Brade of the Parkesburg Parks and Recreation Committee. Each borough has one individual designated as its battle leader. Brade fills that role for Parkesburg, while Jennifer Grossman reprises her role for Atglen’s Parks and Recreation Committee. Christiana’s leadership has changed hands this year, going from the Parks and A trophy has now been See Food Drive pg 3 created for the drive.
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Karly Burkhart was only five months removed from treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma when she found out that her youngest son, Grant, was being diagnosed with FOXG1 syndrome, an ultrarare genetic disorder that affects less than 2,000 individuals worldwide. Many children with FOXG1, sometimes referred to simply as “FOX”, never speak properly. Furthermore, 70% of children with the syndrome never walk independently. Grant and his older brother, Logan, live on a dairy farm in the Southern End with their parents, Burkhart and Troy Kirk. As you can imagine, making an old farmhouse handicapped-accessible will be no small, nor cheap, challenge for the family. “It’s a big fear of ours on how we’re going to figure out how to get him around the farm and the rough terrain,” Burkhart said. “This is our lifestyle, and we can’t really change that. Figuring out how to adapt has been a difficult thing.” Grant struggles with severe development delays. His parents took him in for genetic testing after he was not hitting milestones that many kids his age were. While his family is hopeful, there is a strong chance that Grant may never be able to live independently. His only chance of doing so is extensive physical therapy. Many individuals with the syndrome also have to eat out of a feeding tube. Very little of what Grant will need to survive is covered by insurance. “We just want what’s best for him,” Burkhart said. “We want to be able to provide the therapies that we can for him to get the most success that he can have for life.” See FOXG1 pg 5 Up to 50% OFF Floor Models!
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