Print Edition Highlights - October 5, 2023

Farmers Fair bleacher seats:

A look behind the scenes of a 60-year-old tradition

Curt Werner/Dillsburg Banner

Dillsburg Lions with the help of the Northern High School wrestling team set up the bleachers on South Baltimore Street for the 2021 Farmers Fair.

 

Over 60 years ago, members of the Dillsburg Lions Club built four bleachers for the baseball fields behind the former Dillsburg Elementary School.

Some time later the idea came about to move them to South Baltimore Street and sell reserved seats for the annual Farmers Fair Fantastic Parade. The late Charlie Garber had a welding shop on Range End Road where he built the frames and the Lions placed the seat and foot boards. Garber also built a trailer to move the bleachers. Eight more frames were built in the 1970s and 1980s.

During these years the trailer was towed by Bob Myers and Lorin Stough. A lowboy trailer from the late Bob Young and Dave Young was also used. Later the lowboy was donated to the club and towed by the late Bob Sheaffer. Lions would lift the bleachers so the trailers could be pulled under them, tilted onto a track and slid on to center.
Lion Tom Kampel built another trailer matching the original. Now the club had two trailers, towed by Stough and Sheaffer.

Over the last 15 years, the Lions got older and lifting became tougher. A lot of ideas were discussed but none came to fruition. The club reached out to friends, relatives, Wrestling Boosters and Boy Scouts to assist.
Stough’s goal as president of the club in 2022, was to make “bleacher moving easier.”

With the help of new member Russ Mason, a welder and man of many talents, they brainstormed to make it happen, going to bleacher sites and discussing potential ideas for hours.

About five to six years ago backs had to be installed on the bleachers for safety. This meant the backs had to be removed for transport each way. They finally decided to put wheels on one end and a receiver on the other end and use tractors to push or pull with backs in place saving a lot of labor and manpower.

For the rest of the story see the October 5, 2023 edition.

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Borough, twp. vye for sewer hook ups

Carolyn Hoffman/Dillsburg Banner

How many sewer hookups remain for Wellsville's Sewer Authority? Gifford Pinchot State Park, which owns the treatment facility, says none. The sewer authority believes several are left. The disagreement affects both Warrington Township's desire to hook its park bathrooms to the sewer and Wellsville's plan to build a bathroom in the borough park.

In the past, the calculation to determine the number of hookups was based on an average flow to the treatment facility, thus leveling out the high months of summer with lower flows in colder months. The average flow is about 58,000 gallons, and the facility has a capacity of 70,000 gallons. However, for three days this year the flow went over that 70,000-gallon limit. The sewer authority has identified one infiltration problem, where more water enters the system, and that will be corrected.

In other activity at the October 2 session of the borough, council voted to advertise an ordinance that extends the sewer authority's charter until 2072. The original charter was authorized for 50 years and that is now expiring. Approval of the extension is expected at the November meeting.

Also, the sewer authority will be losing two members, as both either have or will soon move out of the borough. Darryl Boyd and Harry Burhman III are the resignations. Any resident interested in serving on the authority, which meets six times a year, is asked to contact the borough office.

Also announced at this session is that Wellsville will soon have paid part-time firefighters to cover daylight hours from Monday through Friday. Technically, the new firefighters will be borough employees that are on loan to the fire company. Plans are to review the service, which will begin on January 1, after a year. The borough agreed in principle to the plan, and now the solicitors for the fire company, Warrington Township, and Wellsville will work out the details. The borough secretary will administer payroll and the additional workers' compensation, and her work will be considered an additional in-kind contribution by the borough to the fire company. Current plans are for two firefighters to be on shift at a time, and they can only work three shifts during any given week.

Family Fun Night in the borough park will be October 28 from 6-8 p.m. Trick or Treat night will be October 31 from 6-7 p.m.

The borough has received one quote for snow removal and will search for another company to provide a second quote before approving a new contract.

For the rest of the story see the October 5, 2023 edition.

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Mechanicsburg Halloween Parade cancelled

The Mechanicsburg Halloween Committee in conjunction with the Mechanicsburg Chamber of Commerce and Borough of Mechanicsburg has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2023 Mechanicsburg Halloween Parade. Due to major utility excavation and construction on crucial streets of the parade staging area and route, it was deemed, in the best interest of the health and safety of the participants and attendees, to call off this year’s event.

For the rest of the story see the October 5, 2023 edition.