2010-01-14 17:52:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Danielle Arci knew, the minute she saw "Hairspray," that Tracy Turnblad was in her future.Granted, it took her 20 auditions, but like the heroine of "Hairspray," Arci never gave up on her dream.She'll be playing the dance-crazed Tracy when the national tour h......
2010-01-01 00:01:00
DR. LORI VERDERAME
I always view the month of January as a time to start fresh. Since I am a Capricorn, this is the month when I have to admit to another year of growing older. Before I can move forward into the New Year, I have to clean up the old one — that means cleaning up and storing away the holiday dec......
2010-01-01 00:01:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
There are some crafts that I see and I just know at that time I need to revisit the idea and learn how to do them. Part of the fun of crafts is showing others how something is made or the tricks behind the craft and its technique.David Gellat of Lancaster has been making boxes out of holid......
2009-12-27 00:18:00
DENNIS LARISON, Business Editor
It was Elly Karpouzis' fourth trip to Park City Center in the past week, but she couldn't have been happier on a rainy Saturday afternoon. "I just got a pair of shoes for $7," she gushed. "That's a good deal!" Merchants appeared to be nearly as pleased as......
2009-12-27 00:06:00
STAFF
The Lancaster County Department of Parks and Recreation will accept Christmas trees for recycling through Friday, Jan. 29. Instead of throwing Christmas trees out with the trash, Lancaster County residents can follow the signs beside the park office in Central Park, off Chesapeake Street, to dr......
2009-12-26 21:14:00
JON RUTTER
Fire torched a Christmas tree and routed members of a New Holland family from their apartment Saturday. The tree went up in flames shortly before 4:40 p.m. at the New Holland Apartments, 146 E. Franklin St., said Liberty Fire Co. Chief Larry Martin. "The family was eating at the table a......
2009-12-26 06:06:00
JANET KELLEY
Every Christmas story needs a happy ending, including one about the traditional centerpiece of holiday decorations — the beautiful evergreen.Some live Christmas trees, dry and devoid of decorations, are simply tossed out with the trash.But Con Muller and his colleagues at Lanc......
2009-12-25 07:04:00
TOM KNAPP
Angie Stevens believes Christmas is a day to spend with family.But her family this year got a whole lot bigger."We're just doing what needs to be done," Stevens said, matter-of-factly. "We're looking out for each other."That's why she and her f......
2009-12-25 06:57:00
KATY HOPKINS
For 13 Elizabethtown area families, Santa Claus came a few days early this year.He's Chris Halter, not Kris Kringle, but the joy he and fellow members of American Legion Post 329 spread Wednesday made it hard to distinguish him from the real deal.It's the first year the orga......
2009-12-25 00:01:00
P.J. REILLY
Demetrius Whitsett's father, Jermaine, served in Iraq for a year in 2004.And Jermaine Whitsett's U.S. Army unit is back in the Middle East right now, but, due to an injury, he had to stay home.So Demetrius, 11, a fifth-grader at Adamstown Elementary School, already knew what......
2009-12-25 00:01:00
STAFF REPORT
Closed for the Christmas holiday Lancaster City's Central Market will be operating under ......
2009-12-24 20:38:00
BERNARD HARRIS
Michael Rohm still remembers the flannel shirt he got for Christmas years ago."Pink is not a good color on a boy, and flowers are not something a boy wears," recalled Rohm, who wouldn't even wear the shirt to go play football with friends in Lancaster's Seventh Ward, but ......
2009-12-24 18:29:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Even with a warm-looking gray hooded jacket, a scarf and gloves, Christmas Eve morning was a cold one for John Pugh outside Clipper Magazine Stadium.But Pugh, of Lancaster, had a smile on his face just after sunrise Thursday morning, after spending the night waiting outside."Fo......
2009-12-24 07:57:00
ENELLY BETANCOURT
Local churches and organizations will once again help to ease the burdens of those who are struggling and in need this holiday season.St. John's United Methodist Church, 3001 East Lincoln Highway, will hold its annual Christmas day lunch for local families, travelers and anyone wishing......
2009-12-24 00:02:00
TOM KNAPP
Christmas was looking a little grim for the Wiest family this year.While many families are doing a bit of last-minute shopping or putting cookies in the oven, the Wiests are worrying more about their home at 5 S. Line Road, Stevens, which partially collapsed Monday morning during renovatio......
2009-12-24 00:01:00
STAFF REPORT
You elf procrastinators are not alone.Nearly half of all adults wait to wrap Christmas gifts until the week before the big day, and more than a quarter wait until a day or two before.Today's Lifestyle pages give you our annual freebie: a page of giftwrap. Cut it out (or carefull......
2009-12-24 00:01:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Someone gave Shirley Rhoades the standard "Merry Christmas" as she was leaving a Lancaster church late Wednesday afternoon."It will be now," the Lancaster woman said, holding several gift-wrapped toys for her grandchildren, who are age 3, 4 and 9.Across the room ......
2009-12-23 00:01:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
It might be more important this year than ever.Organizers are gearing up for the annual pre-holiday meal distribution that's become a Christmas Eve tradition here.It's the annual food distribution by the Lancaster County Project for the Needy, starting at 8 a.m. Thursday, Ch......
2009-12-22 07:14:00
TIM MEKEEL
Ross Dress for Less will arrive in Lancaster County by opening a store at Mill Creek Square, it was announced Monday.The California-based apparel chain will be the fourth anchor at the Lincoln Highway East property, due to open in fall 2010.Ross will join Kohl's, Bed Bath & ......
2009-12-22 00:02:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Nobody wants to hear the words "freezing rain" and "Christmas Day" in the same sentence, but the forecast for the holiday isn't looking too good."In most places in central Pennsylvania, people are going to be waking up to sleet or freezing rain on Christmas mor......
2009-12-22 00:01:00
JOAN KERN
Lititz Moravian Church held its first Christmas Candlelight Vigil in 1756.It has been virtually unchanged since the 1890s.Yet year after year, guests from near and far pack the pews for six vigils. This year, the last two will be held at 5 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday. For ticket availabi......
2009-12-22 00:01:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
From the spot where she sat ringing a Salvation Army bell at Park City Center on Monday, Glenna Roberts could watch the world go by.Or maybe it just seemed like the whole world.Because it appeared that everyone who didn't make it to the mall Saturday — when Lancaster Count......
2009-12-18 08:07:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
There are plenty of crafters out there with the holiday spirit, and Lifestyle announces the four winners of its Deck the Halls holiday ornament contest.The contest, cosponsored by the Crafting 101 column and Stauffer's of Kissel Hill, yielded 20 entries in the four categories: traditio......
2009-12-18 07:42:00
P.J. REILLY
You might have noticed the Lancaster County Courthouse seems a little less festive this Christmas season.What's missing?For the first time in many years, there's no Christmas tree in the lobby — a staple of the season.Talk among county employees earlier this wee......
2009-12-17 17:20:00
JACK ROBERTS and ALEJANDRO RIOS
It's our last column of the year and we've got so much to say, so let's be quick about it.nRecently we told you that Quentin Jones was just back from Hollywood -- well, he's headed there again. But it's not as if he doesn't know if he's coming or going.Qu......
2009-12-17 16:48:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
One week, folks. If you had any hopes of slowing down and really enjoying this holiday season, time is running out. But don't panic. Plan. Whether you have a family with young kids or teens, are empty-nesters, just-starting-outers or anything else on the social spectrum, Lancaster......
2009-12-17 16:43:00
JANE HOLAHAN
When the Radio City Christmas Spectacular arrives at the Giant Center in Hershey on Monday, it will be like coming home for the more than 150 cast and crew members who make the show happen. It was in the Hershey Arena that the massive touring show came together two years ago. Tait Tower......
2009-12-17 16:34:00
Staff
Jim Brickman.........MondayPop pianist Jim Brickman brings a Beautiful World to Hershey Theatre --really. He's bringing his "Beautiful World -- Christmas" tour to the Hershey Theatre Monday night at 7:30. "When you imagine Christmas and the days leading up to the big mor......
2009-12-17 16:23:00
JANE HOLAHAN
If you like your holiday music big, bold and glorious, head Friday and Sunday for "Sounds of the Season."Fifty members of the Lancaster Symphony Chorus, along with the principal brass musicians and the chamber string section from the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, will perfor......
2009-12-17 00:01:00
LORI VAN INGEN
The sound of ripping paper and the "oohs" and "aahs" that follow was music to the ears of Lancaster Chamber of Commerce & Industry staff.Wearing their own Santa hats, 17 children in the Salvation Army's after-school latchkey program gave a hug and sang a Christm......
2009-12-16 00:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
What holiday present, you ask, should I get for that person who has everything?Then you slap yourself on the head (after making sure you're not holding anything in your hand that might cause injury) and say, "Of course! A Viking helmet!"But where can you get a Viking h......
2009-12-13 21:32:00
LAURA KNOWLES
It may just be a coincidence that his name is Nicholas, but 18-year-old Nicholas Lomboy of Manheim Township is out to make Christmas a greener experience. For the past month, the Lancaster Catholic High School senior has been making a Christmas tree in his family's garage — out o......
2009-12-13 00:12:00
RANDY LEWIS, Los Angeles Times
It's an annual ritual: the flooding of the music market with dozens if not hundreds of holiday-themed titles. This year is no exception. Plenty of artists are releasing festive recordings, and labels are hoping all that good cheer will translate to some sales uplift. In the mix are offer......
2009-12-13 00:08:00
STEPHEN KOPFINGER
There's something about throwing a Christmas or New Year's Eve party that brings out the inner Martha Stewart in some people. And not always in a good way. Although Stewart has her act honed to the point where she seems to be able to entertain with ease, too many hosts and hoste......
2009-12-11 07:37:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Hauling people in horse-drawn wagons through his private forest to personally select their own Christmas trees as in bygone days was good enough for Elizabeth Farms owner Bill Coleman — until he met Santa Claus.Santa Claus, alias Jim Morrison, co-owner of the National Christmas Cente......
2009-12-11 06:00:00
JANE HOLAHAN
In 1959, Dean Lemon was looking for a Christmas tree with a friend and he noticed that the stand Harry Forrey ran on Lititz Pike was hopping."There were cars all over the place. I thought, this guy is doing OK," Lemon remembered. "So I said to my friend (Nevin Frantz), Let&#......
2009-12-11 13:39:00
GIL SMART and CASEY KREIDER
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2009-12-10 17:39:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
It's like Vanessa Reisig always says: "Art is the gift that never loses its value." Reisig, of Annex 24 Gallery, is one of many gallery owners and managers in downtown Lancaster who are taking advantage of that fact this holiday season by enticing shoppers with exhibits designed s......
2009-12-10 17:15:00
JANE HOLAHAN
"A Charlie Brown Christmas" is a classic. Generations have grown up watching poor Charlie Brown search for the meaning of Christmas in the hyped-up, materialistic world around him. And, for many, the musical score of the 1965 TV show, written by Vince Guaraldi, is just as memo......
2009-12-10 17:00:00
JANE HOLAHAN
In a career that's spanned more than 50 years, Judy Collins has always been willing to challenge herself, to change, to find something different out there. "I've always been adventurous," says Collins, who is bringing her Christmas show, filled with both Christmas songs and......
2009-12-10 16:42:00
JANE HOLAHAN
The story goes that Charles Dickens was at a low point in his career, suffering writer's block and having some financial troubles. Dickens had been thinking about writing a report about poverty in England and the hideous effects the industrial revolution had on children. One day, he......
2009-12-10 16:18:00
TOM KNAPP
Watch an accomplished skater complete a graceful triple axel on the ice this weekend, and you'd be forgiven for thinking the ice park at Clipper Magazine Stadium was an equally effortless undertaking. Tell that to Don Pryer, who on Tuesday spent a few hours spray-painting the ice. P......
2009-12-09 07:03:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
The recipe, named after the 1930s ice skater Sonja Henie, is a time-consuming one that Sandra Diem embraces. As a child, she baked this cookie with her mother.Diem said the cookie was named after the Olympic skater because, when made properly, it resembles aerial pictures of Henie twirling......
2009-12-09 07:03:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
Kitchens are filled with the aromas of pies, cookies, cakes and breads during the holiday baking season.Families and friends gather together and enjoy each other's company, catch up and carry on traditions of baking. Others take on the task alone, get out their family recipes and ......
2009-12-09 00:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
All right, holiday shoppers, let's look at offbeat Christmas gift ideas, courtesy of Hammacher Schlemmer.Let's start with the video camera pen. This ballpoint pen has a camera lens in its pocket clip and a microphone in its barrel. Now, for the paltry sum of $129.95, you can invade......
2009-12-06 00:14:00
CATHY MOLITORIS
Last year, Theater of the Seventh Sister got concrete proof that it pays to give. When TSS opened its production of the Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" with a pay-what-you-will admission rate, the community responded. People who wouldn't normally be able to afford......
2009-12-05 00:02:00
JANE HOLAHAN
OK, Wednesday was a strange day for me in the world of Christmas entertainment: The best and the worst, the old and the new, the merry and the maudlin all wrapped together.I watched "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," my all-time favorite holiday TV show.Right on top of that......
2009-12-04 08:12:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
There are plenty of things to love about Christmas — just ask any little kids you know.And those things to love certainly include "the music, the tradition and the memories" of the just-started holiday season, Cindy Wilson said.But way more important than any of thes......
2009-12-03 17:54:00
TOM KNAPP
In Elman Brown's untitled pen-and-ink drawing, a lone deciduous tree stands near a cluster of conifers, denuded of leaves and bearing a single Christmas ball on a snow-swept branch. Is it forlorn? Or hopeful? That's up to the individual eye to determine at Trees Galore, an annual fun......
2009-12-03 16:51:00
JANE HOLAHAN
The rumor is, there are snacks at Sunday School.That's the reason -- the only reason -- the six delinquent, nasty, bullying Herdman children show up.Snacks.It's their first time in church , where everyone is getting ready to put on the annual Christmas pageant.......
2009-12-02 00:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Santa Claus is coming to town.What town, you ask? Name one.Every city and town in America probably has its own Santa Claus. In fact, if you took all the Santas in the country and stacked them up along the U.S./Mexico border, they'd form a wall that illegal immigrants could never......
2009-11-29 00:10:00
JEANNETTE SCOTT
Santa has a Christmas wish of his own this year: He hopes children and their parents will observe good health etiquette when they visit him. After all, if there is something no one — including Santa — wants for Christmas, it's the flu. More than 60 percent of Santas are ......
2009-11-28 00:03:00
BERNARD HARRIS
The holidays are a time for tradition.A Christmas tradition for downtown Lancaster was revived Friday when Santa Claus returned to the roof of the former Watt & Shand department store for the first time in 14 years.Between 3,000 and 4,000 people watched as Santa appeared above t......
2009-11-27 10:46:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
It's called "choose and cut."As in, choose your own Christmas tree from the many thousands of possibilities in the fields, and then get to cutting.It's what the oodles of visitors to Frey's Evergreen Plantation, along Route 272 south of Willow Street, will be d......
2009-11-25 19:00:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Now that Thanksgiving is here, the turkey and the sweet potatoes are about to become leftovers, and you're going to need to get out for a little exercise, it's time to ... start celebrating all over again! No rest for the holiday weary. Downtown Lancaster for the Holidays begins Frid......
2009-11-25 17:30:00
JON FERGUSON
During the course of a 20-minute conversation, Wynonna Judd manages to mention, among others, Bonnie Raitt, Johnny Cash, Phish, B.B. King, Tammy Wynette, U2, Merle Haggard, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Metallica, Stevie Rae Vaughan, Chaka Khan, George Jones and her mother, Naomi. Whew! And i......
2009-11-25 16:47:00
LAURA KNOWLES
In this hectic, fast-paced holiday season, it might be nice to calm down a little, take a few deep breaths and relax ... You could try yoga, or perhaps the gloriously serene music of the Brandywine Harp Orchestra. The orchestra of 16 talented Celtic harpists performs Saturday at Lancast......
2009-11-23 16:33:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
For tens of thousands of people each year, Longwood Gardens has become a tradition at Christmas. And maybe this is why: "A Longwood Christmas" which opens Thanksgiving Day, offers living proof of the magic and wonder of the season. In the four and a half acre conservatory......
2009-11-15 00:06:00
MARTY CRISP
So, I'm waiting for the show to start at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, and I overhear a waiter talking to the people at his table. "Do you play Santa?" a patron asked. (The theater's actors can be wait-staffers, too.) "I wish," the waiter said. "It's a......
2009-11-15 00:04:00
STEPHEN KOPFINGER
We all know the conundrum that is Christmas. The fun that becomes the hassle of finding that perfect gift. The holiday spirit that gets worn down by all the commercialism. And, of course, what to get for your favorite aunt who has everything. It doesn't have to be that way. There......
2009-11-14 00:01:00
JOAN KERN
"A small unopened gift box with a bow."That's how one couple now thinks about the child they lost in a miscarriage.They heard the comforting metaphor last year at the Blue Christmas service at First Presbyterian Church, 140 E. Orange St.First Presbyterian will o......
2009-11-12 16:50:00
JANE HOLAHAN
So, it's time to ask the Christmas Spirit question. You know: It's only the second week in November, are you there yet or are you still bah-humbugging? Over at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, the holidays have definitely arrived with "Holly Jolly Christmas," a musical ......
2009-11-12 15:54:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Hey, it's that time of the year, when you've still got enough time to shop and actually enjoy yourself before the holiday rush hits.And three different arts and crafts shows in Lancaster County give you the chance to do just that.The Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen's Hol......
2009-11-10 13:39:00
STAFF
Players in the popular Shop-Dine-Do Holiday contest had an impossible task today -- finding the names of three contest sponsors hidden in today's Intelligencer Journal/Lancaster New Era.
Because of a technical error, only two sponsor advertisements carried the Shop-Dine-Do symbol......
2009-11-09 00:00:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
If you thought previous Christmas shows at the American Music Theatre were great, you ain't seen nuthin' yet.I'd call the AMT 2009 Christmas Show spectacular, but I hate to understate, so let's just call it the best holiday show that's filled that spacious stage in the ......
2009-11-08 00:15:00
JEANNETTE SCOTT
Many Lancastrians yearn for Christmases past, when Santa made his annual arrival by climbing a ladder to get into the Watt & Shand department store on Penn Square. Their nostalgic wish will come true Nov. 27, when the jolly fellow returns to the roof of what is now the Lancaster County C......
2009-11-08 00:04:00
MARTY CRISP
It's the "Most Wonderful Time of the Year," or so says the 13-member cast of American Music Theatre's "2009 Christmas Show." Yes, it's that time again. Across from the AMT parking lot on Lincoln Highway East, big signs at Rockvale Outlets proclaim "Seasons G......
2009-11-06 21:18:00
JANE HOLAHAN
From a dramatic point of view, the Christmas Story is a doozy.There is drama, suspense, great joy, humility and celebration.It's a story that features riches and kings right alongside the animals in a humble stable.And though we hear the story again and again at this time......
2009-11-05 20:32:00
LAURA KNOWLES
The autumn leaves may still be on the trees, but with this weekend's exhibit at Living Light Gallery, it will be a White Christmas, with snowy woods and haunting winter tree branches."White Christmas" opens Friday and runs through Dec. 31 at the gallery on North Prince Street......
2009-10-29 16:43:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Todd Mitchell, a veteran of the American Music Theatre, says the key for keeping his voice in good shape is simple: plenty of water and plenty of sleep. The water won't be a problem, but in about four weeks, forget about that sleep. Mitchell and his wife, Samantha, a dancer with AMT......
2009-07-24 12:30:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
Thousands of rubber duckies aren't the only thing you'll find at Schreiber Pediatric Center's annual Rubber Duckie Race and Festival happening Sunday at Lancaster County Central Park. You'll see Santa Claus there, too. Yup, the jolly old elf himself is sitting in on the fun......
2009-06-18 00:37:00
TOM KNAPP
Hannah Garman defied the doctors.The little red-haired girl from Lititz — whose battle with cancer and a plea for Christmas cards touched people's hearts the world over — was given only a few weeks to live late last year.But Hannah, who was diagnosed with glioblastom......
2009-05-27 01:31:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
I'm glad my daughter isn't a child anymore, for how would I tell Sarah that Santa Claus has died.I'm not talking about the jolly old elf at the North Pole with the flying reindeer, the guy who leaves gifts under our Christmas trees and gobbled down milk and cookies until the he......
2009-05-19 00:48:00
LORI VAN INGEN
Manheim Township resident Grover C. Gouker Jr., who personally answered the letters sent to Santa Claus by tens of thousands of children worldwide, died Saturday at his home. He was 86.For the past 59 years, Gouker, who was honored as the "Official Corresponding Santa Claus," ans......
2009-04-23 11:05:00
RYAN ROBINSON
Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond and Christmas Tree Shops will anchor the $40 million shopping center to be built this summer along the Route 30 strip. Mill Creek Square is proposed for 35 acres in East Lampeter Township along the south side of the highway, east of the Lancaster Host Resort an......
2009-03-12 11:36:00
JACK ROBERTS and ALEJANDRO RIOS
OK, here's what's happening on the local music scene. —In a little over a month, downtown Lancaster will be teeming with bands from all over the U.S. — and overseas. From April 16-19, the Chameleon, the Village and at least 10 other local venues will feature several ban......
2009-01-28 00:39:00
TOM KNAPP
Hannah Garman is blessed with just about everything a little girl could want.Except good health.Hannah, whose plight touched off a flood of Christmas cards from around the world to the sick little girl in Lititz, turned 5 on Jan. 16.Her dad, Darin Garman, said it was a pretty......
2009-01-22 11:17:00
By JANE HOLAHAN
Years ago, Liz McCartney was auditioning for a show and she sang "Love Didn't Do Right By Me," an old hit for Rosemary Clooney. "They told me I sounded just like her and I thought, oh, I should add that to my cabaret," recalls McCartney, a regular on the Broadway scen......
2009-01-10 00:54:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Budget woes have hit another local theater.Theater of the Seventh Sister has postponed its production of "The Exonerated," which was scheduled to open this week.TSS co-founder Gary Smith said the play, which was set to open Thursday, will be rescheduled after the nonprofit......
2008-12-29 10:17:00
MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Arlene Stauffer loved performing in high-school plays. More than 60 years later, she's still making a splash. Stauffer, 80, now performs in the pool, with the Silver and Grey Mermaids synchronized swimming and movement teams at Brethren Village retirement community, 3001 Lititz Pike......
2008-12-29 00:17:00
P.J. REILLY
Dion and Stacey Betts of Lititz were frantically trying to find something to do with three of their five children and a neighbor's child on Sunday.Something to do that wouldn't break their bank account.While surfing the Internet, they came across an advertisement for Theater......
2008-12-27 01:29:00
CARLA DI FONZO
For many shoppers, Friday wasn't about returning gifts — it was a chance to find the best bargains."It's like a safari, isn't it?" said Amy Cox of Delaware, surveying the parking lot at Tanger Outlets. "People come from everywhere for a sale."A ......
2008-12-27 01:17:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Maybe it's Santa Claus who brings the gaily wrapped packages to our homes on Christmas Eve, but it's our trash hauler who carries away the debris on Dec. 26.But does all that torn wrapping paper and those empty bags and discarded boxes set out by the curb Christmas night present ad......
2008-12-27 01:03:00
CHAD UMBLE
Tom Fasnacht's boyhood wish was to become a priest.After earning a bachelor's degree, Fasnacht began seminary studies. But he chafed at the strict seminary environment, and after a couple months he took time off to reassess his plans.He never went back.Today, even tho......
2008-12-27 00:33:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Christmas might be over, but the yuletide party's just beginning at Historic Rock Ford Plantation.Yuletide festivities date to the 12th century or maybe even earlier.But at Gen. Edward Hand's homestead, on the wooded banks of the Conestoga River, the celebration is decidedly......
2008-12-26 11:37:00
TIM MEKEEL and LIZ NAVRATIL
Park City Center offered a delightful shopping experience for Edie Oberholser and her family this morning. Plenty of parking. Wide-open aisles. Lots of heavily discounted merchandise. Short lines, if any, at the register. "It's not packed at all," said a pleasantly surprised ......
2008-12-26 00:05:00
P.J. REILLY
At midnight Christmas Eve, Bishop Kevin Rhoades said Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg — the mother church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg.He said Mass in the ornate sanctuary surrounded by marble statues and rows of red poinsettias before a crowd of hundreds....
2008-12-26 00:04:00
CARLA DI FONZO
For many people, an ideal Christmas is more about giving than receiving."This isn't work — this is fun," said Phil Capp, one of the volunteers at St. Anne Catholic Church's annual Christmas dinner on Thursday."I've been doing this for about 15 years,......
2008-12-26 00:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
After the Christmas dinner is eaten, the gifts are opened and the wrapping paper shredded by eager hands is disposed of, the cry of "Let's go to a movie" rings out.Not surprisingly, with Christmas falling on a Thursday and some people having off Friday as well, movie houses this year are p......
2008-12-25 00:06:00
LARRY ALEXANDER and BRETT HAMBRIGHT
Christmas Eve had a grim start as icy rain late Tuesday night and early Wednesday led to more than 150 crashes across the region, likely contributing to the deaths of three people, police said.The most devastating weather-related wreck happened just outside the Lancaster County line....
2008-12-25 00:03:00
MADELYN PENNINO, Staff
Nearly 80 families from Duke Manor Apartments filled up on scrambled eggs, sausage and pancakes Christmas Eve morning while waiting for a much-anticipated visit from Santa Claus.And, boy, did he deliver.Children who live in the 716 Rockland St. apartment complex were treated not onl......
2008-12-25 00:01:00
Tradition suggests that on this day, families gather around the Christmas tree to open their presents. It is a day of wonderment and joy; a day to reflect on one's blessings.We capture the images on our cameras, recording the smiles for posterity. The embarrassment comes years later wh......
2008-12-25 00:01:00
LORI VAN INGEN
Being a Christmas baby wasn't a big deal for Mary McGuire, who is celebrating her 100th birthday today."It just was. I didn't have any other kind of birthday, so I didn't know any better," McGuire said.When her family got up Christmas morning, she opened her bi......
2008-12-25 00:01:00
JEFF HAWKES
My teenage son works on a dairy farm a few evenings a week, and while he's grown accustomed to the nose-wrinkling odor of manure, I have not.I pick him up and he plops into the passenger seat, oblivious to how his work clothes fill the car with a pungent, organic smell, not exactly a s......
2008-12-24 20:08:00
TOM KNAPP
With the clock ticking the last few hours to Christmas, some folks Wednesday might have gladly traded everything in their Christmas stockings for a parking spot close to the mall.But even as last-minute shoppers made last-ditch efforts to find that perfect gift, good cheer seemed to permea......
2008-12-24 10:48:00
LIZ NAVRATIL
Jeremy Low was a popsicle Monday night. Low, who was born in Malaysia, an Asian country where the temperature is usually in the upper 80s or higher, spent almost an hour-and-a-half braving 21-degree weather to pin close to 100 feet of multi-colored Christmas lights into the hard ground. It......
2008-12-24 09:13:00
CINDY STAUFFER
And so this is Christmas. Mildred Martin was one of 14 kids, who were raised by their Swedish immigrant parents and who slept three to a bed, "like spoons," growing up in those cold New Hampshire winters. This 95-year-old woman and her late husband, George, came to La......
2008-12-24 09:14:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Mother Nature is giving us a nice little Christmas present this year. After the freezing rain that slicked up the county this morning and more rain off and on throughout the day, forecasts call for a dry Christmas Day with a mix of clouds and sun and a high temperature of near 40 degrees. ...
2008-12-24 00:33:00
MICHAEL YODER
Jordan Steffy might not have a long white beard, a round belly and bellow "Ho, ho ho," but Tuesday night he was able to play the role of Santa Claus with hundreds of presents in hand.Steffy, the former Conestoga Valley High School star athlete and current quarterback at Universit......
2008-12-23 10:14:00
JOAN KERN
People may not know Elaine Pottberg by name, but many know her by her bells. "A lady stopped me in (Central) Market the other day and said, 'I know you! You're the bell lady!' " The eclectic collector and interior designer bought the 1950s-era oversized red plastic be......
2008-12-23 10:00:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Hope you're not dreaming of a white Christmas, because it's not gonna happen. The frigid arctic air we've been experiencing in the last few days will make way for more seasonable temperatures in the 40s in the next week, so instead of snow, we'll be getting rain on Christmas Eve......
2008-12-23 08:00:00
STAFF
• The Rev. Carl E. Schroeder will preach on "Truly Christmas" in a Holy Communion service at ALL SAINTS ANGLICAN CHURCH, meeting at St. John Lutheran Church, 223 W. Orange St., at 10:45 p.m. Christmas Eve. The service will be conducted according to the 1928 Book of Co......
2008-12-23 07:15:00
JOAN KERN
You think the holidays are hectic? Imagine what they must be like for the Rev. Rene Perez, senior pastor of Lititz United Methodist Church, and his wife, the Rev. Wanda Santos-Perez, pastor of El Redentor United Methodist Church. Yes, you read that correctly. And both pastora......
2008-12-23 07:12:00
JANET KELLEY
For most people, working well past midnight on Christmas Eve, then driving more than an hour to be with family would be more than enough for any holiday schedule. But Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades — who will celebrate midnight Mass in Harrisburg and then drive to his sister's house near Gap......
2008-12-23 07:08:00
DIANE BITTING
"Glo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ria, in excelsis Deo!"
That Latin phrase — Glory to God in the highest — will likely be sung by many churchgoers on Christmas Eve as they belt out the refrain from "Angels We Have Heard on High." But for one Lancaster Catholic churc......
2008-12-22 11:47:00
CHAD UMBLE
While millions of travelers are hitting the roads, rails and skies the next couple of days, overall travel across the country is expected to dip during the Christmas season. Yet in Central Pennsylvania, more people will be taking to the road this year since our area has been insulated from some......
2008-12-22 00:06:00
JENNIFER TODD
Bundle up, it's cold outside.And not just any kind of cold. We're talking hat-down-over-your-ears, scarf-wrapped-around-your-face, mittens-tucked-into-your-shirt-sleeves cold.And maybe then some.An arctic air mass moving through the northeast will bring a combination ......
2008-12-22 00:05:00
MICHAEL YODER
As the "Great Western 90" steam engine pulled its nine coach cars full of smiling children past Nativity scenes set up in the cornfields of Paradise Township on Sunday, one special guest remained hidden in the express baggage car.For 50 years, jolly old St. Nicholas has been......
2008-12-21 00:10:00
ERIC STARK, Stark Ravings
No offense to Andy Williams, but Bing Crosby owns "White Christmas." Mr. Williams can have "Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season" and "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." No offense to Natalie Cole, but only her father should sing about roasting chestn......
2008-12-21 00:08:00
MARTY CRISP
Skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge takes a crash course at The Ghost School of Christmases Past, Present & Future and finds a new career as a philanthropist. But what becomes of Tiny Tim? He lives. Dickens reassures us of this in his 1843 novella "A Christmas Carol," currently playin......
2008-12-21 00:04:00
JON RUTTER
John Gingrow cast a professional eye on the multicolored Christmas lights he had entwined in the greenery outside the Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home in Lititz. Fifteen thousand bulbs cheered up the dusk like pinpoints of fire. But the bulbs were cool to the touch. Say hello-ho-ho ......
2008-12-21 00:04:00
STAFF
Andy Woolworth, in the doorway at left, and Carol Templeton, in the doorway at right, are treated to the Christmas caroling Saturday of their Musser Park-area neighbors and friends. The yearly event draws about 40 musicians and carolers who carry the season's tunes into the park and along i......
2008-12-21 00:02:00
PAULA WOLF
With the economy stuck in a recession, going to the theater might be a luxury some families can't afford. Well aware of the financial struggles many people are experiencing, Theater of the Seventh Sister co-founder and co-artistic director Gary Smith decided to try something different....
2008-12-20 00:27:00
JANET KELLEY
She sweetened his downtown digs•••If you had to create a house for Santa Claus, what would it look like?Would it look like a ski lodge or an oversized igloo for life at the North Pole?Rachel Garman envisioned something a l......
2008-12-19 13:18:00
ELIZABETH PATTON
Like a favorite holiday record, Thursday night's "Sounds of the Season" Lancaster Symphony Orchestra concert at Franklin & Marshall College's Barshinger Center was like a visit from a long-absent friend, loaded with music you know but may not have heard live. It's a co......
2008-12-19 11:04:00
LIZ NAVRATIL
Christmas is coming Thursday. But before it gets here, two winter storms are expected to visit Lancaster County. The first, which could drop several inches of snow, will arrive around midnight Saturday, said Millersville University meteorologist Eric Horst. The snow should turn int......
2008-12-19 01:52:00
CARLA DI FONZO
Most people don't think of the lights from EMS and fire trucks as beautiful, but that changed Thursday evening at Lititz Area Mennonite School.A caravan of almost 50 emergency-response vehicles gathered in honor of Hannah Garman, a child diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor and giv......
2008-12-19 01:09:00
LORI VAN INGEN
Over the past 16 years, Trinity Evangelical Congregational Church's annual Christmas dinner has become a tradition in Lititz for people who are alone or have financial difficulties."We want to share the love of Christmas with the people in the community," Walt Pasedag, one of......
2008-12-19 00:04:00
JON FERGUSON
When Leigh Nash and Matt Slocum decided to reform Sixpence None the Richer after four years apart, they chose to celebrate by recording a Christmas album.It seems an odd choice, but Nash said it helped ease both of them back into the collaborative process.She said it also helped the......
2008-12-18 11:31:00
JANE HOLAHAN
This year, the winter solstice officially begins at 12:04 p.m. on Sunday. Where will you be to mark the shortest day of the year? How about spending a few hours enjoying the glories of winter? Because Sunday is also the first day of winter. And while just about every culture i......
2008-12-18 11:30:00
LAURA KNOWLES
From the mournful strains of the "Coventry Carol" to the heartfelt joy of "Angels We Have Heard on High," the musical celebration of the Christmas season at Wheatland Presbyterian Church is a blend of old, new, familiar and original. The concert, which is christened as &q......
2008-12-18 07:06:00
ZAC MORROW
If you're a last-minute shopper like me — or also like me, just a dude who puts off holiday shopping — read on. It's not too late to find the perfect present. Just follow this advice, or what I like to call "Seven Simple Rules to Getting Through the Mall Alive." 1.......
2008-12-18 00:45:00
TOM KNAPP
Hannah Garman wants to celebrate Christmas in a very big way.But the plucky 4-year-old — she will turn 5 in January — was diagnosed in late October with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain tumor, in her cerebellum.The prognosis, according to her grandmother, Shi......
2008-12-17 10:25:00
JANET KELLEY
Tuesday's white and wintry storm was just a preview of coming attractions, according to forecasters. "It's a pretty good weather pattern for snow if you're hoping for a white Christmas," Eric Horst, Millersville University meteorologist, said today. The roller coas......
2008-12-17 01:52:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
My daughter thinks our Christmas tree is tacky.It's artificial and stands about 3 feet tall. It has green branches, plus a few silver ones that contain fiber-optic strands that light up and change colors thanks to a rotating color wheel in the base.OK. Maybe Sarah's correct.......
2008-12-16 18:39:00
Associated Press
This recipe should be enough for a standard gingerbread house. It's stronger than cookie dough, so your house will hold together better. It's also less likely to change shape and size while baking. Best yet, it's entirely edible (assuming you only decorate with candy and use frosting ......
2008-12-16 10:00:00
LAURA KNOWLES
Marine Sgt. Brad Etzweiler can still recall the comfort he found when he read letters from school children. "It made me feel that I was not alone, that someone remembered us," said Etzweiler, who has been stationed in Iraq, Morocco, Cuba and Pakistan. The Millersville soldier wil......
2008-12-14 00:14:00
JEANNETTE SCOTT
Imani Page's faith that she can do anything led her to the Neiman Marcus "Build a Tree" Contest. Though the second-grader at St. Anne School didn't win first place — she was one of six finalists — she has another shot through an online public opinion poll that ends......
2008-12-14 00:12:00
MICHAEL LONG, Entertainment Editor
Despite his relative wealth, Charles Dickens wrote with an intimate knowledge of poverty, if not from the brief time he spent working in a factory as an adolescent, then from the city of London itself. In 1843, when Dickens published "A Christmas Carol," the industrial revolution was ......
2008-12-12 11:42:00
CHAD UMBLE
A flood of Christmas cards that will be addressed and stamped this weekend are expected to wash into local post offices Monday, helping produce the busiest mail day of the year. But ahead of the annual deluge, post offices say they expect the slowing economy to continue to reduce the amount of ......
2008-12-12 11:27:00
LAURA KNOWLES
It was a dark and stormy night. Really, it was. In fact, the bone-chilling pouring rain outside provided the perfect backdrop to the Theatre of the Seventh Sister's "A Christmas Carol." It was a stark reminder that Charles Dickens' timeless tale of Scrooge is much more of a ghost story than a C......
2008-12-12 00:33:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
REVIEW: TheaterIt could be called "Scrooge: In His Own Words." Or "What Dickens Really Wrote." Or "Ebenezer: Exposed!"But Gary Smith, who brilliantly honored Dickens' genius by leaving ......
2008-12-11 11:37:00
CINDY STAUFFER
All you romantics out there, admit it. You want snow on the ground for Dec. 25. You know: a winter wonderland, baby it's cold outside, Jack Frost nipping at your nose. This may be your year. "For people hoping for a white Christmas, the period of Dec. 17 to 24 looks very inte......
2008-12-11 14:35:00
PAUL FRANZ and GIL SMART
Sunday News columnist Gil Smart takes on Bill O'Reilly's "War on Christmas." ...
2008-12-11 11:52:00
KATHLEEN DAMINGER
When Santa Claus first started riding the rails at Strasburg Rail Road a half century ago, Strasburg's station was hardly bigger than a phone booth and the engine pulling the passenger cars was powered by diesel, not the trademark steam the railroad is known for today. Back in those earl......
2008-12-11 11:51:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Before becoming a member of Quartetto Gelato, Peter De Sotto played the violin in the Toronto Symphony. And, he was a strolling Gypsy violinist at a restaurant, just like his father, who is still performing at age 84. Don't assume the two jobs didn't fit together nicely when De ......
2008-12-11 11:50:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Charlie DelMarcelle noticed something as he began rehearsals for Theater of the Seventh Sister's "A Christmas Carol," which opens tonight at the Stahr Performing Arts Center. The character he is playing, Ebenezer Scrooge, is not a horrible guy. He keeps it cold in his coun......
2008-12-11 07:05:00
CATHY MOLITORIS
Need a little holiday cheer? Take a break from shopping and gift-wrapping, grab a group of friends and hit the town.
DOWNTOWN LANCASTER FOR THE HOLIDAYS
For holiday fun, look no further than downtown Lancaster, where each weekend, the city offers a variety of activi......
2008-12-11 00:31:00
CARLA DI FONZO
People may be cutting back on spending this holiday season, but that doesn't mean they aren't getting into the "green" spirit."After 20 years, I threw out all my old Christmas lights," Saul Weston of Lititz said. "There's so many LED lights to choose fr......
2008-12-10 07:00:00
SUSAN JURGELSKI
Five hours of driving was no obstacle for Alicelynne Watson. Watson, who grew up in Gap and now lives in Virginia Beach, Va., drove all the way to Clipper Magazine Stadium, on Wednesday, Dec. 3, for final judging in the Lancaster New Era's 2008 Holiday Cookie Contest. It turns out ......
2008-12-09 20:42:00
LINDA ESPENSHADE
Fruitcakes really can be used for something other than boat anchors or discuses.They truly do serve a purpose other than substituting for a tricycle wheel or holding up the Christmas tree.Believe it or not, they can be eaten. I know it's shocking, but some chefs say fruitca......
2008-12-09 20:24:00
LINDA ESPENSHADE
Although fruitcake appears in the history books of Egypt, Persia and Europe during the Middle Ages, Great Britain eventually staked its claim on the dessert.On Christmas Day, a dark fruitcake topped with a layer of marzipan and white icing, is often consumed with a cup of tea at 3 p.m. whe......
2008-12-07 00:02:00
STAFF
Community 'Carol'
Theater of the Seventh Sister, in recognition of tough economic times and in the giving spirit of the Christmas season, has billed the entire run of its production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" as "pay what you will.&quo......
2008-12-06 01:06:00
MADELYN PENNINO
More than 100 children, toys in hand, marched down Strasburg's Main Street on Friday to drop off toys for needy children.Students at Strasburg Elementary School visited Movies Galore, 14 E. Main St., where they lined the sidewalk to donate stuffed animals, dolls and games as part of th......
2008-12-06 00:38:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
Someone recently told Stacy Rutherford that her picture should be in the dictionary, right next to the definition of a Virgo.To the uninitiated, a Virgo would be someone who's "ver-r-ry A-personality, ver-r-r-ry organized," Rutherford said with a sheepish smile.Very or......
2008-12-04 16:48:00
CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE
You have probably located the box of gloves, hats and scarves for this winter season and, like me, found many single gloves that had no matches.I'd held on to them in hopes of finding their mates by the end of the season — I never did. The singles were stored away for no reason o......
2008-12-02 01:21:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Times might be tough, but there's one entertainment event coming up that should fit any family's budget.For the first time in the 19-year history of Theater of the Seventh Sister, the entire run of an upcoming holiday show will be offered on a "pay what you will" basis....
2008-11-30 00:14:00
MICHAEL LONG, Entertainment Editor
Every year about this time, I get a few new Christmas albums in the mail. This year, the folks at EMI sent over Anne Murray's latest holiday offering, a 15-song retread of her standards that promises (can it be?) "four NEW songs!" The album surely has untold merits, but they will,......
2008-11-30 00:02:00
DENNIS LARISON, Business Editor
Christmas tree growers were bracing themselves last week for the beginning of a hectic holiday season, given that there are just four weekends between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year instead of five. "We've been cutting [pre-tagged trees] all week," said Jackie Bowser, co-own......
2008-11-29 01:03:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
It might be a thankless job 364 nights of the year, but on Friday night in Lancaster, being a tuba player was the equivalent of being a rock star.OK, that's probably an overstatement.Nonetheless, this often misunderstood, always overlooked giant of the horn section is guaranteed......
2008-11-29 00:47:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
A temporary Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death early Friday in a stampede of shoppers in New York, while two people were shot and killed during an argument in a Toys "R" Us store in California.The Christmas 2008 shopping season officially has begun, and evidently the Grinche......
2008-11-29 00:42:00
PATRICK BURNS
Holiday purists this time of year love to expound on how Black Friday is the ultimate distortion of the true meaning of Christmas.But the East Cocalico Lions Club has devised a "double-reverse exploitation" strategy that twists Black Friday commercialism back into line with the t......
2008-11-29 00:36:00
TOM MURSE
Matt Brown won't admit it, but he's got a pretty challenging job.The 36-year-old Millersville University music instructor is only the third conductor of the annual Tuba Christmas in Penn Square, which has been a staple of the holiday season here for 30 years.What's so di......
2008-11-28 18:34:00
TAYLOR BUNDY, 18, Freestyle
While much of the county continued its food-induced slumber early Friday morning, endless checkout lines snaked across aisles, behind displays and through shoe, housewares, jewelry and toy departments and trailed off way beyond the once-relevant "ENTER HERE" sign.While the majori......
2008-11-28 09:54:00
JANE HOLAHAN
THEATER REVIEW
If you're dreading the upcoming Christmas season because either you go crazy with all the plans and family traditions, or someone you love does, check out the Rainbow Dinner Theatre's "Deck the Halls and Clean the Kitchen." You'll......
2008-11-26 01:10:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
REVIEW: Theater"Deck the Halls and Clean the Kitchen," now onstage at Rainbow Dinner Theatre, is like a steaming cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's day.The show is a warm, comfy and funny look at a typical American fam......
2008-11-26 01:02:00
CARLA DI FONZO
For some area Christmas tree sellers, size doesn't matter — at least in terms of pricing.Maryanne Schwartz of Frog Hollow Evergreens in Manheim said their trees come in only two prices. "All of our trees are $30," she said Tuesday. "Except for the potted trees that......
2008-11-25 01:05:00
STAFF REPORT
Lancaster city's Christmas tree was topped with a star Monday, next to the Soldiers and Sailors monument overlooking Penn Square.The 25-foot-tall Norway spruce was brought to the square by Millwood Landscaping, which has been delivering Lancaster city's Christmas tree for 18 years.......
2008-11-24 00:25:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
Great music, terrific voices, elegant costuming and a festive yuletide set are all rolled into one glittery holiday package in the American Music Theatre's Christmas 2008 extravaganza.Writers-directors-choreographers Brad and Jennifer Moranz and a stellar cast, led by longtime AMT vete......
2008-11-23 00:19:00
SUZANNE CASSIDY
When Americans tune in to the Thanksgiving Day parades on television Thursday, they will have to ignore the specters of retail gloom and economic doom floating amid the giant balloons. The storied Macy's parade is expected to be as glitzy as ever, but according to media reports, Macy's ......
2008-11-23 00:16:00
JAMES BUESCHER
Thanks to the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials of the 1960s and '70s — classics like "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman" — stop-motion animation is almost synonymous with the holidays. It's been a while since parents have been able to......
2008-11-23 00:14:00
DIANE BITTING
An Amish family in Christiana has been celebrating Christmas nearly every day since late October. OK, it's not a real Amish family. The actors just make it seem that way, as they transform the Freedom Chapel Dinner Theatre...
2008-11-23 00:02:00
STAFF
Didactic Art
Works of the Pennsylvania College of Art & Design faculty, including this photograph by Scott McMahon, will be on display Monday, Nov. 24, through Jan. 9 during the Faculty Biennial exhibit. The show features artwork of more than two dozen instructors. For m......
2008-11-21 13:40:00
MARY BETH SCHWEIGERT
Even Santa has to tighten his belt this holiday season. But no matter how low the stock market dips, plenty of toys will still load down Old St. Nick's sleigh. "The last place parents (or Santa) will cut back is on toys for their kids at Christmas," says Bob Friedland, public......
2008-11-19 09:34:00
PERVAIZ SHALLWANI / Associated Press
As American as ... pumpkin pie? We'll leave it to others to debate whether apples or pumpkins make the most all-American pie. But whatever the answer, no one should have to suffer through another Thanksgiving of disappointing pumpkin pie. Too often, pumpkin pie is the victim of a so......
2008-11-19 09:33:00
PERVAIZ SHALLWANI / Associated Press
History has not been kind to the cheese ball. Early on, this classic party food earned an ugly reputation it's been mostly unable to shake — an orange softball filled with garish industrial cheeses, smacking of an untraceable sweetness, and coated with stale, often soggy, nuts....
2008-11-18 10:00:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
Like many of us, the tree in front of Elizabethtown College's Zug Hall has grown a bit since the 1970s. Only it has grown upward along with outward, making it an even more impressive sight on E-town's scenic campus. And this Wednesday night, the 50-foot-tall tree, already "dressed" for the......
2008-11-17 00:03:00
LORI VAN INGEN
Touted as a kids-helping-kids project, Operation Christmas Child is known for bringing smiles to hurting children all over the world."It doesn't take much ... . Just one simple act of kindness, just one shoe box filled with simple items and a great truth can make the difference in......
2008-11-16 00:04:00
MARTY CRISP
Who knew I could get excited about "A Christmas Carol" again? After seeing the Charles Dickens classic 700 billion times, I would begin to fidget while waiting for the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future to do their respective things. "A Christmas Carol," for me, ha......
2008-11-16 00:03:00
HELEN COLWELL ADAMS
Christmas is coming, and what DO you get for the person who has everything? One band of women thinks there's a better way than buying more stuff. "We all know that Christmas is every day in North America," one of the women said. So this year, they're offering an alte......
2008-11-13 14:30:00
JANE HOLAHAN
When it comes to Christmas, Cynthia DiSavino is a driven woman. "The house has to look a certain way, I'm hell-bent on it looking pretty," DiSavino says with a laugh. "I hate to say Martha Stewart but..." So a decade ago, when she decided to try writing a play, t......
2008-11-13 11:28:00
CINDY STAUFFER
Bob Smith was a man possessed. On the beach in Maryland and Florida this summer, the waves were lapping and the sun was shining. But the 52-year-old Warwick Township man was thinking Christmas lights. "Silent Night." Mannheim Steamroller. "Carol of the Bells." Trans-Sib......
2008-11-11 13:21:00
JANE HOLAHAN
It all begins and ends with a 5/16 Allen key wrench. That's a larger version of that tool you get when you buy inexpensive furniture you have to assemble yourself. Except this Allen wrench puts together and takes apart the entire set for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, which b......
2008-11-09 00:04:00
MARTY CRISP
To get in the mood for Christmas this early takes effort. I decided any show that could get me in the mood before Thanksgiving deserved a good review. American Music Theatre kicks off the holiday season in warm-and-fuzzy style with "...
2008-11-08 00:05:00
JOAN KERN
A crumbled tissue, a piece of broken marble, a sketch, a letter. Those were some of the items placed on the altar last year at First Presbyterian Church's Blue Christmas service. Grieving worshippers put them there during a candlelighting ceremony as a symbol of their sorrow. &quo......
2008-11-07 01:42:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
REVIEW: TheaterDutch Apple Dinner Theatre is kicking off the holiday theater season with a speed version of "A Christmas Carol" that's just what the doctor ordered in this dismal economy.Imagine Charles Dickens on antidepre......
2008-11-07 00:06:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
For Celtic fiddler Cayley Schmid, being in American Music Theatre's 2008 Christmas Show is like Alice arriving in Wonderland.The glitz and glamour of AMT's Broadway-style shows is certainly a far cry from what the 20-year-old woman was used to back in Washington State. There, she p......
2008-11-06 14:30:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Jim France, who is playing Ebenezer Scrooge in the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre's production of "A Christmas Carol," has lived on three continents, in eight countries, 11 states and 23 cities. Classic gypsy life for an actor, right? Not in this case. France, a native of En......
2008-11-06 01:29:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Santa Claus is getting fancy new digs for his Lancaster stops this year.The Mayor's Office of Special Events announced the Big Man will come to downtown Lancaster and set up residence in Binns Park on Black Friday, Nov. 28.MOOSE spokeswoman Jennifer Baker said that in previous y......
2008-11-04 16:01:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
From the streets of Victorian London, the timeless story of Ebenezer Scrooge makes its way to the stage of Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre."A Christmas Carol," the classic holiday story of human redemption featuring Bob Cratchit, tiny Tim, three ghostly spirits and, of course, the mis......
2008-10-30 13:48:00
JANE HOLAHAN
The cast of singers, dancers and musicians at the American Music Theatre are heavily into their rehearsals for the upcoming 2008 Christmas Show, opening Saturday. Everyone but Clarence, that is. "Well, Clarence is on strike," explains Michael Minor, a performer in the sho......
2008-10-29 18:36:00
LINDA ESPENSHADE
For Ted Houser's Christmas gift last year, his brother-in-law gave money toward a microloan that would help a fledgling business in a developing country.Houser, of Lancaster, wasn't the least bit disappointed that his brother-in-law didn't spend the money on him. After all, it ......
2008-09-18 12:26:00
JANE HOLAHAN
Meghan Garstang is not your average actress. No, we aren't talking about her acting, dancing and singing skills, which will be on full display at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, beginning tonight, when she stars as Eileen in "Wonderful Town." How many actresses can say the......
2008-08-06 01:27:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
It's August, fall is approaching and Halloween is just 12 weeks away. You know what that means.Correct! Any day now, stores will start putting out their Christmas items.As a public service to you, my readers, I will endeavor this holiday season to call to your attention some spe......
2008-07-19 01:12:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
For 58 years, Grover C. Gouker, posing as Santa Claus, has answered Christmas letters from children across the nation and overseas. Now the 85-year-old man who may well be America's unofficial Santa is sharing some of his more than 100,000 Christmas letters in a new book titled "My San......
2008-07-11 01:57:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
"Journey to the Center of the Earth," the first of a new generation of 3-D movies, will be released nationwide today, and Lancaster has it.Penn Cinema, 541 Airport Road, Lititz, has just installed a brand-new Dolby 3-D system, becoming the second theater in Lancaster County with ......
2008-06-30 00:02:00
MICHAEL YODER
Joyce Jones knows the anguish of spending a Christmas without any presents to give to her children.Many years ago, the public affairs officer for the Lancaster County detachment of the Marine Corps League was a single mother with not much money to spare during the holidays. Jones broke dow......
2008-06-17 17:06:00
MARICHELLE ROQUE-LUTZ
Call it a vocal marathon: For two months each summer, the area's best-trained singers as well as those aspiring to beautiful singing come together to celebrate the human voice in OperaLancaster's Summer Lemonade Concerts.The selections in each program are chosen to best display the......
2008-03-31 18:03:00
SUSAN E. LINDT
Shaneice Felder knows how to get things done with impressive flair.Despite having been diagnosed in August with kidney failure related to lupus, she managed to throw together a more-stylish-than-usual community blood drive.In fact, it's pretty much a party with an open invitatio......
2008-02-25 00:03:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
REVIEW: TheaterFor Hortense Brand, a planned cruise to Europe is in for rough seas and stormy weather. Not because of any weather phenomenon, but because of her irascible husband, Daniel."Paris Is Out," now onstage at Rainbow D......
2008-02-09 00:50:00
MADELYN PENNINO
Students studying Chinese at Hempfield and two other area high schools marked the beginning of a new year Thursday.Underneath hanging scarlet lanterns and brightly colored parasols, 61 students of the language performed short skits, songs and dances as part of a Chinese New Year celebratio......
2008-01-30 01:34:00
CARLA DI FONZO
At this point, most Christmas trees have been removed from their cozy living room settings — but they're not gone for good.Christmas trees are granted a useful "second life" through Lancaster County's various recycling programs.Around the county, 37 municipal......
2008-01-18 03:11:00
MARICHELLE ROQUE-LUTZ
Christmas isn't over yet for some folks.Not until this weekend anyway, when OperaLancaster presents "Amahl and the Night Visitors" at Millersville University's Lyte Auditorium.Families keep certain Christmas traditions. Some celebrate the season with a "Nutcra......
2008-01-14 12:02:00
DAVID O’CONNOR
They are forever young and handsome, looking out confidently from beneath their military uniforms, many also with hats and insignias. There are 17 of them at various places around Jane Hershey's Christmas tree, pictures of the men and women wearing the uniforms of this nation's battles ......
2008-01-09 02:21:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
I might throw my hat into the presidential-nomination ring.If I do, I'll cross-file, not as both a Republican and Democrat, but as a "cross" voter. Most of us voters are cross at our elected officials, so why don't we just form a Cross Party? I'm sure we're the majority.I believe I ......
2008-01-05 12:11:00
DAVID O'CONNOR
Having offered the service since the late 1980s, Lancaster County's parks department may be "the pioneers of the tree recycling and mulching service" here, parks official Deb Werner mused on Friday. But the county crew is not alone. In Manor Township, "residents really d......
2008-01-04 00:19:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
It's the kind of show that might make you want to get up and sing and dance.That is, unless you forget the words, or your knees give out, or you get tired and have to sit down to rest."Mid-Life: The Crisis Musical," now onstage at Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre takes a som......
2008-01-03 08:42:00
LAURA KNOWLES
Think you're all done with opening gifts, baking cookies, trimming the tree and watching all those sappy holiday movies? Not so fast! The Not Ready for Drive Time Players aren't about to let you move on past the holidays quite yet. The holiday season is still here, whether you like i......
2008-01-02 01:58:00
LARRY ALEXANDER
When I was growing up in Ephrata in the 1950s, every winter I'd hear the town's Old Codgers make the same complaint."We don't get winters like we used to when I was a boy," they'd say. "It'd start snowing at Thanksgiving, and we've have it right through to Decoration Day." (Memorial Day wa......
2007-12-31 00:03:00
JENNIFER TODD
Christmas is over, so let the party begin.In modern society, Dec. 25 is viewed as the highlight of the holiday season — the culmination of several busy weeks of shopping, cooking, wrapping and decorating. When that day is over, many sigh with relief and sink into a comfy chair....
