Lions Send Borough Manager Kudos

By Pam Pomanto, Parkesburg Lion Club President

I want to take this opportunity to thank Parkesburg Borough Manager Jim Thomas, for enabling theParkesburg Lions Club to hold their annual Fire Company Fair bingo.

Upon arriving at Minch Park to set up for our event for the July 4th fair week, it was evident that the lighting in the pavilion was damaged and the possibilities of having our bingo was slim to none. 

We went to see Jim in his office and told him of our demise and he gravely told me that my assumption of not having bingo this year was right on target, BUT that he would look into it and get back to us quickly. 

I called our then-president to meet me at the pavilion to decide what our next option would be.  As we were thinking up ways to set up temporary lighting, Jim Thomas walked from the Borough Hall and came down to the pavilion with good news. 

Now my previous conversation with Jim was only 2 hours old and with a big grin on his face, he told us “not to worry, the new lights would be installed in 48 hours!!!"

I want to take this opportunity to "thank" Borough Manager Jim for a job well done.  It's not easy being the Manager of a borough as there are so many incidents that need his attention, but the Parkesburg Lions Club would like to take our hats off to him for helping put on our bingo.

There were many people wandering around the first night looking to play bingo and we find that it is a wonderful fund raiser for our club and the community enjoys it as well.

Again, thanks Jim!

Christana Lions Announce Sub Sale

This from LancasterOnline:

Christiana's Lions Club continues to hold fresh sub sales on the third Saturday of each month at the Lions Community Building on North Bridge Street in Christiana.

Proceeds from the subs, which are $4 each, help fund club charitable activities.  Fall sub sales are scheduled for 7 to 11 a.m. Saturdays, Sept. 17. and Oct. 15.   

To order, call 610-593-7134 at least three days prior to the sub sale, leave your name and phone number and the number of subs requested, and show up at pick-up day.

The Lions Club welcomes new members.  Anyone interested in visiting a Lions Club meeting or learning more about the international service organization may call Steve Shivery at 610-593-6945. 

More Headlines For Christiana Lions

Everyone is getting on the Christiana Lions' bandwagon writing about Jim Groff's trip to Joplin, Missouri.

The latest, Lancaster Online with this money quote from Leslie Reese who made the signature quilt Jim took with him:

"A signature quilt is very old. When you were moving on the Oregon Trail, your church would provide you with one. The congregation would make one with their signatures to remind you of them because you may never see them again.  I had made this quilt two weeks beforehand when Jim came in. I said, 'I have the quilt for you.' It really just blossomed from there.  This community and the communities around us are some of the most generous people I have ever met. No matter how hard it is, they did deep into their pockets and give."

Read the entire article here.

On Thursday, Parkesburg Today's cub writer Maggie Stuehrmann wrote about Christiana's Lions Club raising money and traveling to Joplin, Missouri to aid families and businesses devastated by a tornado on May 22nd.

Not to be outdone, local journalist Debbie Wygent wrote about the Lion's activities in Lancaster Online.  Debbie's article describes his work to get the ball rolling on a $4,000 fund raising drive:

Money quote:

Lions volunteers began to put their plans into action less than a week earlier. One call led to another, with Christiana's historic quilt shop donating a pastel work of hand-stitched beauty, warmth and art, and the food bank contributing practical sustenance.

Read Debbie's entire piece here.

Christiana Lions Headed To Joplin

The handmade quilt created by local crafters to raise money for Joplin, MO. tornado victims is unfurled at Monday evening's school board meeting.

By Magdalena Stuehrmann

On May 22, 2011, at about 6 o’clock in the evening, a massive tornado tore a devastating path through the town of Joplin, Missouri. 

St. John’s Regional Medical Center, a major hospital located in Joplin, was so badly damaged by the tornado that it could not be used to receive the injured in the aftermath, and patients and staff were forced to evacuate the hospital. 

Early reports estimated that about 40 people had been killed, and many more were left homeless after the tornado destroyed homes and apartment buildings throughout the town.

In the aftermath of the tornado, reconstruction efforts began to try to restore the town to its original, livable condition. Two months later, however, the job is not complete and the town and its citizens are still struggling to rebuild.

Organizations from across the country have sent teams to the area to assist in the effort. Among these organizations is Lions Club International and a team from a Lancaster branch of the Lions Club.

Mr. Jim Groff, the president of the Christiana Lions Club, is leaving today to go to Joplin Missouri to assist the Lancaster team that is already there. As he told the Octorara School Board at their meeting on July 11^th, he has already received much support from local organizations and individuals as our community reaches out to the citizens of Joplin. 

Members of the community created a beautiful, traditional Lancaster area hanging quilt (pictured above) for Mr. Groff to allow members of the community to sign for a donation of at least 5 dollars to shop their support to the citizens of Joplin. 

Mr. Groff brought this quilt to the board meeting to make more members of the community aware of the effort that was being made and give them the opportunity to show their support. 

The local group, the Chester County Foodbank also gave Mr. Groff two skid loads of survivor kits to take with him on his trip to Joplin for him to distribute to the residents.

Mr. Groff is leaving today and is planning to be back around July 24^th. 

We wish him and the residents of Joplin the best of luck with their rebuilding efforts and hope that Joplin will soon be back to normal.

The Weekly Wrap

A week ago Sunday readers were treated to a video of the beautiful fireworks in Minch Park, a great catch-up for those of us who were unable to make the real show. We were re-introduced to Ryan Vogelsong, a former Octorara student, in his new role as a Major League Baseball All Star player after having pitched for the World Champion Giants this past year with resounding success. We began the day with a Friday pre-fireworks photograph from Jack Mariano, taken from his mother’s front lawn on Fourth Avenue, and were introduced to the new “Report an Issue” feature of the Parkesburg Today that allows residents to report minor, non-emergency problems such as potholes or graffiti on the Internet to alert the rest of the community.

This Monday, we were able to read a piece from The Daily Local News, which finally gave Ryan Vogelsong his due in an article about his achievement in making the National League All Star team this year. Readers were introduced to one of Chester County’s hidden gems, the new Wolf’s Hollow County Park, with a review and photographs of the park. We were given an Independence Day special feature with the lyrics of the national anthem interspersed with photographs of Parkesburg flags in honor of the occasion, including the often ignored second verse of the song.

This Tuesday we found a winner of the Where in Parkesburg contest, Evelyn Townsend, who correctly guessed the identity of the gas station in the photograph (the Turkey Hill now stands in its place) and won two tickets to the Lion’s Club Circus. Taxpayers were alerted to an upcoming Taxpayer Cyber Coalition meeting with keynote speaker, Mr. David Baldinger. Mr. Baldinger proposes to remove the school property tax. We saw notable June 5^th’s throughout history, including the introduction of Spam to the world, the creation of the bikini and the kick start of Elvis Presley’s career. On a tragic note, the Parkesburg community mourned the loss of Collin McElroy, age 16, who was killed in a car accident on Sunday. Our hearts are with his family, and the families of the other boys who were also killed that day.

Wednesday saw the introduction of the Rocco and Anna’s Monday special, an offer that gives, with the purchase of one dinner, the second at half price. Readers were introduced to Miss Abigail Butler, a graduated senior readying herself for an exciting college experience. Other graduates in the news were those from the Canine Partners for Life in Cochranville. The dogs in this program are specially trained to assist individuals with serious impairments due to illness or injury and are now ready to begin bringing light and assistance to many residents’ lives. We also celebrated the 60 years of service provided by Mr.Brayton Hershey to the Christiana Fire Company, who has been working with the company since the age of 18. We also saw the invasion of the Parkesburg Today by a Coatesville filmmaker, Mr. John Hutelmyer, a graduate of Temple University’s Department of Film and Media Arts, and, as it was a very good video, we are willing to overlook this transgression. Tom Houghton, a frequent and successful champion for the reduction of Octorara’s high property taxes was also featured on the blog. Past July 6^th’s were featured as well, including the test of rabies vaccine, the establishment of the dollar as the United States monetary unit, and the day that Anne Frank went into hiding from the Nazis.

On Thursday, we were introduced to Lancaster General Hospital’s plans to build a new outpatient facility at the intersection of Routes 10 and 30. We also learned about Rainbow International, a company that provides water, fire and smoke damage cleanup and restoration to those who need it after disasters. Readers were invited to participate in another “Just for Fun” identification of an old Parkesburg signpost, and Kerry Glenn was disqualified automatically due to his well-known expertise, (though he later answered any way . . . and we're glad he did!).

Friday saw a possible end to the construction in the Octorara High School with photographs of the progress and plans so far. Mr. Kerry Glenn weighed in with his answer to the “Just for Fun” identification process with a well researched, well informed answer and background on the sign and the highway near which it stood. Readers were alerted to a community breakfast on Saturday morning at the Parkesburg United Methodist church (wait, free food?!?!), and to a new recording by local singer/songwriter, Mr. Kevin Patrick.

On Saturday, we learned about a significant past July 9^th, the day in 1868 when the 14^th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, a great step toward the equality of African-American citizens. The upcoming Lions Club Circus on July 14^th was advertised and the Octorara Summer Theater Program, taught by Octorara Alum Ms. Saskia Blaha, an accomplished performer, was highlighted. Readers were introduced to the newest member of the Atglen Fire Company, a brand new fire engine, a highly sophisticated piece of equipment. Readers saw in writing what most of us already suspected – traffic in the area is getting worse. For those who missed the July 3rd Fire Company Fair, a video was posted which included the fireworks display.

The Lions Circus Is Coming

Thursday July 14th is the date

Two shows at 5 and 7:30 pm

The tickets are $10 if purchased in advance, and $15 the day of. 

(Children 14 and younger are free)

Contact Art Polk at Polks Flowers (610-857-9290) or Jennifer Savage (610-857-4052) for tickets.

Weekly Wrap

As submitted by Kerry Glenn on Facebook

By Magdalena Stuehrmann

This Saturday in the Parkesburg Today,  two tickets to the Lions Club Circus were offered to the first person lucky enough to identify the location and name of the old building pictured on the blog by noon on the fourth. Also in news about the fourth, residents were warned that no yard waste would be picked up this week to keep the area looking great for the holiday. The Parkesburg Lions Club made a generous donation of $250, to the library and residents were kept posted that the library would be closed in honor of the Independence Day holiday. The library’s June News was posted, alerting members of the community (including parents with children who need to be out of the house for a while) to various activities hosted at the library over the summer, including a poetry group, a knitting group, and an American Girl Club.

            This Friday, we were alerted to all the Fourth of July hot spots in Chester Country for planned fireworks, introduced to possible relief for the invasion of the stink bugs, which was my first post at Parkesburg Today, and updated on the situations of school budgets across the area. Administrators and teachers agreed to one-year pay freezes, though so far it looks like this has only occurred for administrators in the Octorara District. The day began with a reminder of the fireworks display in Minch Park around 9:30.

            This Thursday, we were treated to a picture of a flag-bedecked red barn, presumably in honor of the upcoming holiday, a whimsical photo out of a Strasburg Ave. window. We also met Mr. Gerry Treadway, a frequent contributor to Parkesburg Today and dedicated patriot, setting out extra flags in honor of Independence Day. We were updated on both the Octorara District budget (which includes $1.6 million in cuts) and West Fallowfield Christian School where 24 top achieving students were awarded the Presidential Education Award. Parkesburg's own The Tree Doctor, Mike Martorano, alleviated our confusion over the strange purple boxes that hang from trees on Route 41 – they are traps for the infestation of tree eating Emerald Ash Borers.

            Wednesday would have been a revelation day for many of us, if we weren’t already acquainted with the coffee addiction sweeping the globe! The world seems to love its coffee! It was also made apparent that some of us don’t feel safe enough in Walmart to leave our guns outside the store – the clientele of mothers, teens and families can sure be frightening!

            Tuesday saw the beginning of the Parkesburg fire company fair in Minch Park, and the opening of several rooms for rent at Parkesburg Arms – 42 rooms, 8 bathrooms and various common areas are features of the building. The history behind “TheFlats” was revealed as well as an excellent picture submitted by Parkesburg Today's frequent yet reluctant contributor, Kerry Glenn,  of the buildings, date as yet undisclosed.

            Sunday in the Parkesburg Today, the day care business, Curiosity Corner went on the real estate market, asking price $1, 300,000. Any takers, check out Loopnet.com for more details.

Lions Club 'Checks' Library

Lions Contribute to Library General Fund