Penn Manor townlively.com
FEBRUARY 21, 2024
SERVING THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES SINCE 1954
VOL LX • NO 43
Promise Players Giving back to local veterans will present “Sarah Mae for Valentine’s Day and Her Kinfolk”
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
L
ancaster County has a large population of veterans and active members of the armed forces, many of whom struggle with issues related to their time in service. Readjusting to civilian life can be a difficult process for military personnel who have seen combat, and conditions such as post-traumatic stress disorder can interfere with their daily lives and stability. According
This year, the Promise Players theater group will present “Sarah Mae and Her Kinfolk” as its spring musical. Shows will be held at Lampeter Church of the Brethren, 1900 Lampeter Road, Lancaster, Thursdays through
Sundays, March 7 to 10 and 14 to 17. The Thursday and Friday shows will be held at 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays will have a 2:30 p.m. matinee and a 7:30 p.m. show, and Sundays will have a 5 p.m. performance to conclude the weekend. T he Promise Players will See Promise Players pg 3
to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, more than 35,000 American veterans experienced homelessness in January 2023, and roughly 15,000 were unsheltered. Many individuals and local organiz ations in L ancaster County have banded together to meet the needs of veterans in the community. Nonprofits such as Woerth It Hollow in Kirkwood and Building Bridges Foundation in Conestoga offer equine therapy services for veterans. Other groups, including Tenfold in downtown Lancaster, specifically work toward addressing homelessness among the veteran population. Nancy Rankin, owner of the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant, recently partnered with Tenfold to create a donation drive to collect items needed the most by unhoused veterans. Until Feb. 17, Rankin received
The cast of “Sarah Mae and Her Kinfolk”
Members of the community dropped off donations at the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant.
donations of items such as blankets, winter clothing, deodorant, toothpaste and shoes at the Conestoga Wagon Restaurant, and community members also dropped off donations at the Building Bridges Foundation during its weekly veterans café. Ve terans from the found ation and multiple volunteers assisted with packing the items and delivering them to the Veterans’ Victory House, a temporary housing shelter operated by
Tenfold. In addition to providing temporary housing, the shelter offers various support services for unhoused veterans and their families. Rankin was inspired to create the drive after an encounter she had in downtown Lancaster in July. Unable to find her car in a parking garage, Rankin asked several pedestrians if she could borrow a phone to call her son, who was waiting to be picked up in another part of the city. See Valentines pg 3
Local cyclist will ride for cancer research BY ADRIAN ESCHENWALD
John Riddell of Quarryville is a veteran bicyclist. Riddell has completed a number of long-distance rides, and some of them have taken him across entire states. This summer, Riddell plans to bike from New York City to Niagara Falls, but this time, he is motivated by more than just his love for cycling. In July, Riddell will participate in the 10th annual Empire State Ride. The goal of the ride
is to raise money for cancer research; the funds raised by riders will benefit Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center in Buffalo, N.Y. When Riddell first learned about the ride, he was primarily interested in the opportunity to bike another scenic route. Shortly after he decided to participate in the Empire State Ride, Riddell said he began to realize how many people in his life have been affected by cancer. Riddell then decided to participate in memory of his friends and See Bike ride pg 5
FRUIT VEGETABLES OPEN ALL WINTER! Mon.-Sat. 8-6
400 Long Lane at Marticville Road (Rt. 741 & 324) 717-872-9311 www.cherryhillorchards.com Follow us
R104264
Five-a-day fresh & POSTMASTER: PLEASE DELIVER FEB. 21, 2024
PRSRT STD ECRWSS U.S. Postage Paid Engle Printing Co
Postal Patron
PEN
“We thought of ways we could truly walk the walk and give back to people who have served.”