OCC_081419

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IN THIS ISSUE: MUSEUM WILL HOST MODEL RAILROAD DAYS page 7

Octorara AUGUST 14, 2019

SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954

VOL XXIX • NO 29

SOCIAL SECURITY TALK

Parkesburg Library, 105 West St., Parkesburg, will present “Social Security: Your Questions Answered” on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. Attendees will learn how Social Security fits into their retirement income plan, when they should start collecting benefits and more. The program is free. For more information and to register, readers may visit www.parkesburglibrary.org or call 610-857-5165.

Celtic Martins To Close Concert Series pg 3

By Francine Fulton

Atglen Public Library, 413 Valley Ave. Atglen, offers a Harry Potter Club that meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 4:15 p.m. for Harry Potter games, crafts and book discussions. The next scheduled meeting will be on Aug. 28. Attendees will take part in a trivia contest. For more information, readers may call 610593-6848 or visit www.facebook.com/ AtglenPublicLibrary or www.atglen publiclibrary.org.

SPECIAL ENTERTAINMENT

OCC

will hold a meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 21, from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Strasburg Fire Hall, 203 W. Franklin St., Strasburg. Entertainment will be Eric Kearns: Voices of Legends. The Strasburg Senior Citizens group welcomes new members from Strasburg as well as from Lancaster city and Lancaster County. The club offers fellowship, musical entertainment, an annual picnic, a Christmas banquet, bus tours, bingo, refreshments, and more. Visitors are welcome. For more information, readers may call Bill at 717-687-9072.

SUPPORT GROUP

The Southern Chester County Chapter of Compassionate Friends, a self-help support organization to assist grieving families following the death of a child of any age, will meet on Wednesday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. at the West Grove Friends Meeting House, 153 E. Harmony Road, West Grove. All bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings are welcome to attend. No one is required to talk, and attendees may choose to sit and listen and may bring a friend or relative. For more details, contact scctcf@gmail.com.

Motorcycle Ride Benefits North Star pg 9

DogsHome Rescue Seeks Foster Homes

HARRY POTTER CLUB

Members of the Strasburg Senior Citizens group

CMBC Plans Awana Kickoff Event pg 5

Rover, who was once a stray, is currently available for adoption from DogsHome. He is shown with Jen Teti, a volunteer with the rescue organization.

Volunteers with DogsHome believe that a rescued dog waiting to be permanently adopted should be able to stay with a loving foster family until its forever home is found. The Chester County-based organization is currently in need of local individuals and families willing to serve as fosters so that even more dogs in need can be rescued. DogsHome will pay for all food, veterinary care and anything else the dog might need while it is in foster care, including toys, treats, a leash and more. “Fostering with us is totally free. All you have to give is love,” said Carin Ford, DogsHome president. Prospective fosters are invited to complete an application at www.DogsHome PA.org and then take part in a home

visit. “We arrange a time for a home meeting to see what your lifestyle is and what would work. We want to meet you and talk to you and meet the other pets, (adults) or children in the home to give us a sense of which would be the best dog to put in your home,” Ford explained. “We don’t do home visits to be intrusive. We won’t put a dog with anxiety issues in a home with young children who have the right to run and dance and sing, but the dog might feel threatened by that.” She emphasized that fosters do not need to have a large home or yard. “We don’t require a fenced-in yard. You build a better bond walking the dog on a leash and getting to know each other,” Ford stated. At times, foster families will adopt the dog, Ford noted. “When you foster, you have first dibs on adopting the dog. We call it ‘foster failure,’” said Ford.

“The fact is the dog has come to you under some kind of stressful situation. So, if you adopt, how nice that is. We are fine with foster failures.” She added that while giving a dog to its new family may be difficult for fosters, they have to keep in mind the best interests of the dog. “The knowledge that I helped saved this dog (makes) me happy,” Ford said of fostering. “You get the satisfaction of knowing what you are helping to do.” Those who foster a dog through DogsHome will receive support during the entire process. Since the rescue has two certified, professional dog trainers on its volunteer staff, including Ford, DogsHome works with the foster families to help get dogs trained and ready for adoption. “Typically people foster from us and adopt from us because we are a different See DogsHome pg 2

Food Boxes Available To Seniors In Need Gateway Church Offers GriefShare By Francine Fulton

The Chester County Food Bank (CCFB) hosts a number of programs that provide free food to residents in need. For older adults living in Chester County, the CCFB offers the Senior Food Box Program. As part of the effort, boxes of food containing items such as cereal, pasta, canned vegetables, peanut butter, rice, tuna fish and more are distributed monthly to local seniors. Recipients can pick up their boxes at 30 community sites, including food pantries, senior centers and senior housing facilities. “(To receive the boxes,) you have to be age 60 or above and there is a certain (qualifying) income level,” explained Claudia Rose-Muir, CCFB’s direct distribution program manager, noting boxes can be picked up at any senior center in Chester County. “The box contains about 23 different shelf-stable items. There is also a recipe that coincides See Food Boxes pg 2

By Francine Fulton

Claudia Rose-Muir, Chester County Food Bank’s direct distribution program manager, announced that qualifying older adults may receive a free box of food each month as part of the Senior Food Box Program. The boxes are decorated by local youths.

Those who are dealing with the death of a loved one are invited to attend the GriefShare support group, which is being offered at Gateway Church, 160 Cowan Road, Parkesburg. Meetings, which began on Aug. 6, will be held every Tuesday through Oct. 29 from 7 to 9 p.m. in The Venue, a meeting room in the church building. GriefShare is a nondenominational group that features biblical teaching on grief and recovery topics. “The program is designed for (people) 15 years or older. If a child who is 14 years or younger wants to attend, they must attend with a parent or a guardian,” explained co-facilitator Barbara Ranck. “We do get teenagers, senior citizens and all ages in between. We don’t have See GriefShare pg 6

Paul (left) and Twila Ranck (right) and their daughter, Barbara (not pictured), are the facilitators of the GriefShare group that meets on Tuesdays at Gateway Church in Parkesburg.

TENT SALE

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SALE DATES August 14th - 17th

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(2 miles west of Ephrata on Route 322)

(1 mile north of Quarryville on Route 222)

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POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER AUG. 14, 2019

Postal Patron


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