Twilight red hot at plate

Linglestown Twilight sandlot baseball team plated 29 runs over two road games to extend a winning streak to eight games and improve their record to a league-leading 15–2.

The team cranked out 20 hits in a 17–2 win Thursday over Steelton. Catcher Bryan Stovall earned a mention by going five-for-five.

In Friday’s contest, Linglestown pounced on Lawnton with five runs in the first and breezed to a 12–3 win. Jason Kelly went the distance on the mound, and shortstop Sam Phillips drove in four runs. In the field, first baseman Sean Frailey turned in the play of the game in the fourth inning when he made a diving catch of a sharply hit grounder down the line, righted himself and finished off an unassisted put out.

Upcoming games … Twilight is back in action Saturday at Koons Park against Pennbrook, 5 pm. They will wrap up the weekend with a makeup game Sunday at Middletown, 5 pm.

New business coming to Linglestown

The white house along Linglestown Road at Blue Mountain Parkway that for years had a display of blow-up decorations out front every Christmas is being converted into a health-care office. (Click the photo to view a larger version.)

Kolback Chiropractic is renovating the property with a goal of opening in late August or early September, said a construction worker at the site today. The practice currently operates out of an office located near Dunkin' Donuts on Linglestown Road.
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Hat tip to Pastor George Reynolds of Linglestown Life for the news tip.

LP weekend happenings, July 10–12

* Music at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house located in Linglestown's village square this week features the Sablemen on Friday and folk rock/blues/jazz singer and guitarist Ross Etnoyer on Saturday. Enjoy tunes and java from 8–10 pm both nights, no cover.

* Lower Paxton Twp. will begin its summer concert series Friday at Brightbill Park, 7 pm. The Lower Paxton Township Variety Band will provide the music.

* West Hanover Winery kicks off its summer concert series Saturday.

* New Hope Church is offering a five-day youth sports camp starting Sunday for boys and girls ages 5–11. Camp times are 6:30–8:45 pm Sunday through Thursday; cost is $25 ($20 for second child, $15 for third or more); registration required. Call 717-545-3400 to register.

Linglestown to host youth baseball tourney

Linglestown Baseball Association will host the annual Future Stars Tournament starting Friday night for players age 10 and under. This year’s tournament features 10 teams from Dauphin, Hershey, Lower Dauphin, New Cumberland, Susquehanna, Palmyra, Lower Allen, and host Linglestown.

Play begins tomorrow evening, July 10, with games beginning at 5:45 pm. The early games are Lower Dauphin vs. Hershey Blue and Lower Dauphin United vs. New Cumberland. The nightcap game features Palmyra vs. Linglestown.

Pool play continues Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Semifinal games will be played next Wednesday, July 15, and the championship game is scheduled for next Thursday, July 17, at 7 pm.

CLICK HERE for more info.

Local developer buys Colonial Country Club

The Patriot-News reported early this afternoon that Lower Paxton Twp.-based housing and commercial developer Triple Crown Corporation purchased Colonial Country Club today at a sheriff's auction.
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CLICK HERE for background information.

Gazette contributors needed

I'm in need of a few hardy souls to submit brief articles that focus on life in Linglestown and throughout Lower Paxton for publication on days when I'm on vacation this summer.

Please consider joining Gazette readers Ken Stambaugh, Karen Cattabiani, John Robinson, Harrison Michelson and others who have had items published by the Gazette.

To grab a tiny bit of local acclaim, e-mail articles to B².

Backyard News, 07.07.09

* Lower Paxton Twp. supervisors took a step Tuesday night to head off upcoming electricity rate hikes. The township has taken a lead role with an alliance of midstate municipalities that will buy electricity in bulk.

* CLICK HERE for a complete recap of last night's supervisors' meeting brought to you courtesy of community watchdog group SWAN.

* The Cooper family of Lower Paxton Twp. is getting quite a reputation for their forays into food sampling, according to The Patriot-News.

* In news just beyond our backyard, The Paxton Herald recently reported that a "massive" road project is scheduled to start July 27 on Linglestown Road (Route 39) in West Hanover Twp. at the truck stops near the I-81 interchange. The two-year, $12.9 million project will widen the road to five lanes and install four traffic lights.

* Finally, this week’s edition of The Paxton Herald has news about the brewing controversy over Central Dauphin school administrators seeking an outside company to run the district’s bus fleet. The bus driver union tells the newspaper that they plan to seek wages and benefits for the final two years of their current contract if they get the heave-ho. Plus, the drivers took an ad out to launch a petition drive against outsourcing school bus transportation.

Twilight has big night at plate

Linglestown Twilight, two-time defending East Shore Twilight league champs, scored runs in punches Tuesday evening in Koons Park to defeat Middletown 11–5.

Twilight veteran hurler Pete Hayden only allowed three hits during a six-inning outing to pick up the win.

Offensively, Twilight piled up 16 hits and got production from every batting spot. Player/coach Steve Econ, catcher Bryan Stovall and left fielder Nate Shroy had three-hit games, and right fielder Kyle Hollingsworth was the top RBI-producer with three.

Twilight’s record stands at 13–2 (second place, one-point behind Palmyra). The team’s next home game is this Saturday, July 11, against Pennbrook, 5 pm.

Twilight note … Patriot-News reporter Eric Detweiler attended the game and wrote a feature article that appeared in this morning's edition, but I have not been able to locate a link to it on PennLive.

Linglestown family to host French student

By John Robinson
for Linglestown Gazette

The Rittle family of Linglestown will be playing host to Octave Leborgne, 17, of La Chapelle-St-Mesmin, France, August 5-25. This cultural experience is sponsored by LEC, a Paris-based organization that has sponsored student visits since 1972.

Todd and Cindy Rittle live near the Colonial Country Club with their children, Jared, 16, and Lauren, 13. It was Jared who first heard of LEC, thanks to his then French teacher Madame Kathy Lipsett. This fall, Jared will begin his studies in the French IV class at Central Dauphin High School, after a nine-day tour of Paris, Normandy, and Brittany in July. He hopes to be able to use his knowledge of French for travel and for his chosen profession of engineering.

Read more >>
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Pictured in family photo – (left to right) Jared, Todd, Cindy, and Lauren Rittle

Lower Paxton crime

* Pair of burglars tries to steal a 42-inch, flat-screen TV while its owner was sleeping a few feet away on the couch.

* Thieves steal $144,000 in construction gear from the Monticello Heights townhouse development construction site on Crums Mill Road. Call Lower Paxton police at 657-5656 or the tip line at 635-2606 if you have information on the theft.

Government watchdog, 07.06.09

* In Lower Paxton Twp. news, the Parks and Recreation Board held their monthly meeting last Wednesday. CLICK HERE for meeting highlights provided by community watchdog group SWAN.

* The supervisors will meet tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7, at the Municipal Center, 7:30 pm. The meeting will be broadcast live on Comcast channel 20.

The meeting agenda is fairly light. One item that is of interest to some Lingelestown residents is the proposed acceptance of Blackberry Lane between North Mountain Road and Blue Mountain Parkway as a public road. CLICK HERE for background information (see second item).

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* The Central Dauphin School Board will meet next Monday, July 13, in the Lecture Hall of Central Dauphin East High School, 7 pm. The big topic of discussion is supposed to be a proposal to outsource management of the district’s bus fleet.

* Gazette reader and my chief geek advisor Jay Mumper unsuccessfully tried to find an online CD School District calendar that automatically notifies interested parties when it is updated. He turned his frustration into productive action by setting up a Google calendar with the district’s 2009-2010 calendar.

CLICK HERE to view the calendar (PDF file), HERE to subscribe to the calendar’s RSS feed, and HERE for a file that can be imported in MS Outlook.

He would welcome letting someone else who follows district news be the editor (or to add school board meetings, etc.). E-mail B² if you would like to volunteer.
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SWAN will hold its monthly meeting on Monday, July 13, at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 1100 Colonial Road, 7 pm. The public is encouraged to attend.

Fireworks highlights

Gazette thanks go out to Linglestown Fire Company and Lower Paxton Twp. for staging another great show!

Swim, watch fireworks at Koons Pool

Koons Pool will be opening at 6 pm tomorrow, Sunday, July 5, for an evening swim. And, as an added bonus, swimmers will have prime seats for the fireworks show at Koons Park that will start at about 9:15 pm.

Cost is $3.00 a person or $15 a family! Everyone in the community is welcome!!! Please call 717-574-4883 for more details!
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New hours at Koons Pool ... New operating hours are Mondays and Fridays 1 pm to 8 pm, and all other days 12 pm to 8 pm! The pool is open seven days a week.

Previously, the pool was open seven days a week, 1 pm to 8 pm.

Fireworks show Sunday in Linglestown

Below is need-to-know info about this year's fireworks show sponsored by Linglestown Fire Company and Lower Paxton Twp.:

Time and location: 9:15 p.m. Sunday at Koons Park, Linglestown Road and Balthaser Street, southeast of Linglestown Square.

Show length: 25 minutes.

Best view: Around the perimeter of Koons Park.

Best parking: Linglestown Middle School and Elementary School parking lots.

Music at Roasters

Rock/alternative/jam band The Snoods will be doing their thing tonight at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house, 8-10 pm, no cover.

By the way, Java Geof and his gang at Roasters are taking the day off tomorrow, Saturday, July 4, to celebrate Independence Day. The coffee house will reopen Sunday.

Colonial Country Club headed for tax sale?

Central Penn Business Journal reported today that Colonial Country Club located west of the village of Linglestown along Route 39 will go up for sheriff's sale July 9.

However, if you're looking to buy the club on the cheap, odds are you won't get a chance to bid on it. Lower Paxton Twp.-based Triple Crown Corporation officials announced in May that they plan to buy and manage the country club.

The club borrowed millions of dollars in recent years to renovate the clubhouse and golf course. Like many golf facilities throughout the U.S., Colonial's membership count dropped when the economy tanked. Eventually the club defaulted on a mortgage.

Rams tops in Linglestown Pony baseball

If you like to root for underdogs, you’ll love this story.

The Rams had a rough go of it during the first half of this season, but their play improved in recent weeks and they won five of their last 10 games to qualify for the playoffs.

This week a miracle-on-grass-and-dirt of sorts took place. First, the Rams beat the top-seeded Owls in a close game Monday to advance to the championship game against the Mets, who defeated the Padres 11–10 in the other semifinal game. In between rain showers Wednesday night, the Rams capped off their comeback season by downing the Mets by several runs to claim the division crown.

Congratulations to the Rams players and coaching staff headed by Scott Hoffman on their dramatic playoff run to become the 2009 Pony Division champs.

Rams, 2009 Linglestown Baseball Association Pony Division champs

Homza wellness notebook, 07.02.09

Study Shows Chiropractic Care Aids Asthmatics

Doctor and Technology
Offer a Breath of Fresh Air

Submitted by
Dr. John Homza (pictured) of Linglestown

(June 29, 2009) Dr. Curtis Fedorchuk, a chiropractor from Dahlonaga, Georgia armed with technology that has been used by NASA, has made remarkable inroads in the battle against asthma. Fedorchuk’s research was recently published in The Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research and detailed the wonderful transformation of his star patient — a 7-year old girl who had suffered from severe asthma and chronic cough for almost her entire life.

Read more >>

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Click the photo for a brief video message from B² about this post and future ones like it.

July is sports camp month

MEGA Sports Camp coming to Linglestown ... New Hope Church is sponsoring a five-day camp for soccer, basketball, cheerleading, basketball and softball for boys and girls ages 5–11 on July 12–16, 6:30–8:45 pm; cost is $25 ($20 for second child, $15 for third or more); registration required. Call 717-545-3400 to register.

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Girls' middle school volleyball camp ... Central Dauphin state championship volleyball coach John Barrick will hold a camp July 13–15 at the high school for girls in grades 5 to 9; cost is $75. E-mail coach Barrick to register, or CLICK HERE to download a registration form.

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NBA coaches coming to LP ... According Patriot-News sports editor Paul Vigna, a free basketball skills clinic for boys and girls ages 8 to 13 is being offered by the Philadelphia 76ers staff on Tuesday, July 21, at the Lower Paxton Township Friendship Center. CLICK HERE for more details.


Pictured is Sixers' Ambassador of Basketball World B Free.

Marsico steamed about state budget

State Rep. Ron Marsico, Lower Paxton's go-to guy in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is frustrated over the status of budget negotiations. CLICK HERE to find out why.

Lower Paxton notes, 07.01.09

Fireworks show on tap … I hope to see you at the fireworks show at Koons Park this Sunday, July 5. The first rocket will be laucnhed at 9:15 pm or so. The event sponsored by Linglestown Fire Company and Lower Paxton Twp. usually attracts a huge crowd, so be sure to show up early.


Linglestown square project update … The township is gearing up to open Blackberry Lane as a public street from Blue Mountain Parkway to Linglestown Life church on N. Mountain Road. An ordinance related to the alley will be considered during the supervisors’ meeting on Tuesday, July 7.

Blackberry Lane provides access to the new township parking lot located behind the former Chocolate Cafe that was constructed to replace parking spaces that will be eliminated by the planned square project.

The alley has a stone and packed-dirt surface that has numerous potholes. Township officials will address at a later date whether to improve the alley and whether to restrict the flow of traffic to one way, township manager George Wolfe said via e-mail.

The township supervisors have taken no action on a request made by several Linglestown merchants to make portions of Raspberry Lane located west of N. Mountain Road a public road as well. At a minimum, the supervisors want to see how the Blackberry process works out before giving additional consideration to Raspberry, said Wolfe.