Happy Halloween

Yard decorations at home on Elmer Avenue in Linglestown.

Linglestown man arrested in hit-and-run death

Wendell F. Ritchie was arrested for the hit and run accident that killed a man in Mechanicsburg last week. CLICK HERE for story in today's Patriot-News.

New docs hang out shingle in village

At least one of the "For Sale" signs in the village of Linglestown will be coming down soon.

A Carlisle-based medical practice appears to be opening a satellite office at 6085 Linglestown Road, which is the former location of Pinnacle Health's Family Medical Center of Linglestown.

Cumberland Valley Endocrinology Center opened in 2002 and specializes in treating people with diabetes and hormonal disorders, according to an article that ran in The Carlisle Sentinel about two years ago.

Linglestown postcard

Fall foliage in Linglestown at the intersection of Elmer and Elaine avenues.

Roadside laundromat

Construction of the world's first roadside laundromat is under way along Wenrich Road in Linglestown. The first machine was installed over the weekend, and several more will be located along a half-mile stretch of the two-lane road.

The business owner, having battled with the local zoning board for approval of his innovative plan, is worried that his machines will be carted away by junk scavengers that scour Linglestown every Sunday night.

I better stop this spoof before it gets too far-fetched. Actually, this appears to be someone taking advantage of the Lower Paxton Township's bulk item collection service. CLICK HERE for more details.

Linglestown Colts team in Super Bowl

Linglestown Colts Midget varsity team beat Mechanicsburg 16-12 Saturday to advance to the Keystone Midget Football Conference championship game against Cumberland Valley this Sunday, Nov. 4, 3 pm at Susquehanna Township High School.

The game gives the Colts a chance to avenge a 16-6 loss to Cumberland Valley on Sept. 23.

In other playoff action, Colts Pee Wee varsity team finished off a great season with a tough 12-7 loss to Cumberland Valley.

Linglestown weekend preview

* Saturday – Paul Zavinsky will provide musical entertainment at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house, 8-10 pm, no cover charge.

* Saturday – Linglestown Fire Co. "All-You-Can-Eat" Pancake Breakfast, firehouse social hall, 7 am to noon, $5 for adults, $3 for children age 11 and under, children age 6 and under free.

* Saturday – Linglestown Colts youth football teams in second round of playoffs:

- Pee Wee team will meet arch rival Cumberland Valley at noon in Mechanicsburg
- Midget team plays Mechanicsburg at 3:00 pm in Mechanicsburg.

* Sunday – New Hope Church sermon series called A Dummies Guide to Basic Bible continues. This week's message is entitled God: My Big Idea or God's Amazing Self-Revelation?

Service starts at 10 am. Come as you are – no need to wear your Sunday best. CLICK HERE for map.

Indoor volleyball offered by church

If you like to play volleyball, consider checking out volleyball nights offered by New Hope Church, 584 Colonial Club Drive.

Currently, open volleyball sessions are Thursday nights – women from 7:30 to 9 pm, and men from 9 to 10 pm.

No sign up, no fee – just show up and have at it.

Verizon cable TV coming in 2008

This is a follow-up to a post from last week about Verizon's fiber optic services in the Linglestown area.

According to an article in today's Patriot-News, the company is gearing up to compete with Comcast for TV customers next year. CLICK HERE to read the story.

Monday night football

Linglestown Colts used portable lighting at Koons Park for an intrasquad youth football game last night. It was too dark for ESPN to broadcast the game, but it seemed like the players and coaches were having fun.

Yet another shopping center coming to area

The proposed shopping center on Linglestown Road in Susquehanna Township is moving forward, according to today's Patriot-News. It will be anchored by a Giant food store, and include two banks and a gas station.

The development plan still needs to be approved by township commissioners.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

Boo!

Trick-or-Treat in Lower Paxton Township will be observed on Thursday, October 25, 2007, between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 pm.

Linglestown postcard

The Kittatinny Ridge of Blue Mountain serves as a backdrop for the historic village of Linglestown. In this photo, early morning fog and a splash of fall colors can be seen.

This shot was taken just east of the village along Linglestown Road near Margaret Avenue.

Colts advance in playoffs

A pair of Linglestown Colts varsity youth football teams notched shutout victories Saturday in the first round of the Keystone Midget Football Conference playoffs.

The Pee Wee team beat Mechanicsburg 27-0, and the Midget team topped Steelton 8-0. The Midget victory is notable in that they lost to Steelton a couple of weeks ago.

In round two, both Colts teams are matched up against a team that defeated them in the regular season.

Pee Wee team will meet arch rival Cumberland Valley this Saturday at noon in Mechanicsburg; Midget team plays Mechanicsburg this Saturday at 3:00 pm in Mechanicsburg.

Linglestown weekend happenings

* Ongoing through Friday, Oct. 26 – Pumpkin Patch at Linglestown Life church. CLICK HERE for more details.

* Friday, Saturday & Sunday – Old fashion hayrides at Koons Park from 6 pm to 8 pm, sponsored by Lower Paxton Jayees, tickets are $2 per person.

* Saturday – Linglestown Colts youth football teams in playoffs:

12:15 pm, Colts PeeWee vs. Mechanicsburg @ Linglestown, Koons Park
4:00 pm, Colts Midget vs. Steelton @ East Pennsboro High School

* Saturday – Hallelujah Hayride and Halloween Harvest at Linglestown Life church, 1430 N. Moutain Road, 4:00 to 8:00 pm. CLICK HERE for more details.

* Saturday – Indoor flea market at New Hope Church from 8:00 am to noon.

* Sunday – New Hope Church sermon series called A Dummies Guide to Basic Bible continues. This week's message is entitled The Bible: A Collection of Human Writing or Inspired by God?

Service starts at 10 am. Come as you are – no need to wear your Sunday best.
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Upcoming event:

* Saturday, Oct. 27 – Linglestown Fire Co. "All-Your-Can-Eat" pancake breakfast.

Work resumes on village parking lot

PPL today began the process of relocating a utility pole that has held up construction of the municipal parking lot located on Blackberry Lane behind the Chocolate Cafe.

In the picture, the new pole is to the left of the old pole, which is marked with an “X.” The old pole is located in the middle of the lot's main driveway, and will be removed after cable TV, telephone and power lines have been relocated to the new pole.

Gazette mailbag: Verizon FIOS inquiry

Do you have any info on when Verizon FIOS Internet/TV will be available in Linglestown? I've heard some in Lower Paxton have it already.

Verizon is actively marketing FIOS Internet service in Lower Paxton Township, but FIOS TV service is not available yet because the company has not obtained a cable TV franchise agreement from the township. FIOS is an abbreviation for fiber-optic service.

Comcast currently is the only cable TV franchisee in Linglestown and throughout the township.

Verizon has deployed its TV service in parts of the Philadelphia region, and will soon offer service in the Pittsburgh region. No time frame has been announced for bringing FIOS TV to the Harrisburg region, according to a Verizon phone representative.

In Pennsylvania, cable TV providers must acquire a franchise agreement from a municipality prior to offering service in a town or city. This is a big stumbling block for startup operations like Verizon because the state has well over 1,500 municipalities.

Verizon is seeking a change in state law that would authorize a statewide franchise agreement. The legislation is not high on the state Legislature's to-do list this fall, and cable TV companies are lobbying against the proposal.

Hayride anyone?

For some seasonal fun, check out the “Hallelujah Hayride” this Saturday, Oct. 20 from 4:00-8:00 pm. at Linglestown Life church, 1430 N. Mountain Road, which is about 100 yards north of the village square. CLICK HERE for a map.

Relax, ride on a hay wagon and meet Heroes of the Bible! Enjoy pumpkin fest goodies at our super bake sale, wonderful homemade pulled pork barbecue, chicken corn soup, hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and more. There’ll be something fun for everyone one, including crafts for the kids and many games, and a really cool hay-maze.

Admission is $5.00 per vehicle. Yes, that's right $5.00 a carload. All proceeds benefit Children and Youth Ministries.

Update: Eyesore cleanup requested

Some Linglestown residents contacted Lower Paxton Township last week about the blighted property on N. Mountain Road that formerly was a Mobil gas station. Here's the response from township manager George Wolfe:

Township codes officers have been working for some time to obtain compliance with municipal property maintenance regulations by the owners of the old gas station on North Mountain Road . However, involved property owners are unwilling to accept responsibility. Ultimately, the Township’s final option may be to condemn this property for maintenance violations, but then the Township could be accepting some of the responsibility for maintenance and clean-up of the gasoline storage facilities. Such a liability is one that the Township believes should be undertaken by either the property owner or the provider of the vehicle fuel and, as such, the Township is still attempting to force these parties to accept responsibility for property maintenance.

The Township has also involved the PA Department of Environmental Protection in regard to this property, given that the vehicle fuel facilities are still in place. DEP may have more success in obtaining compliance with its regulations than the Township, which has more limited enforcement options.

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Hat tip to Q for the news tip.

Update: Geo's Country Oven

I stumbled upon a Patriot-News restaurant column published in June about Geo's move to the Country Oven site. CLICK HERE to read it.

Notable Lower Paxton meetings

* Lower Paxton Township supervisors will meet Tuesday, Oct. 16, 7:30 pm, Township Municipal Center, 425 Prince Street. CLICK HERE to view the meeting agenda.

Comcast cable subscribers can view a live broadcast of the meeting on channel 20.

* Village of Linglestown Committee is scheduled to hold its monthly meeting Thursday, Oct. 18, 7 pm, Linglestown Fire Company's brick building.

The committee is spearheading the square improvement project that is tentatively scheduled to begin construction next spring.

Pair of Colts teams set for playoffs

Linglestown Colts varsity youth football teams capped off the regular season Saturday evening at Red Land by winning two of three games.

SCORES (overall win-loss records):
PeeWee: Linglestown 26, Redland 12 (7 - 1)
Pony: Linglestown 0, Redland 12 (3 - 5)
Midget: Linglestown 12, Redland 6 (5 - 3)

Colts Pee Wees and Midget teams begin the playoff season this Saturday, Oct 20:

12:15 pm, Colts PeeWee vs. Mechanicsburg @ Linglestown, Koons Park
4:00 pm, Colts Midget vs. Steelton @ East Pennsboro High School

CLICK HERE to view league standings. The Colts compete in the American Conference.

Pumpkin Patch sprouts in Linglestown

Be sure to check out the Pumpkin Patch at Linglestown Life church. The Children's Ministry is selling pumpkins in all shapes and sizes, and while supplies lasts, mini pumpkins and fancy gourds … hurry they're going fast!

Through October 26, the Pumpkin Patch will be open to the public during these hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 am-1:00 pm and 4:00 pm until dark, Saturdays 10:00 am-4:00 pm, and Sundays 12:00-4:00 pm.

Linglestown Life is located at 1430 N. Mountain Road, that's one block north of the flagpole in the village square.


View Larger Map

Linglestown retailer robbed at gunpoint

Lower Paxton Twp. police continue to investigate Saturday's armed robbery at the Solid Rock Christian Book store on N. Mountain Road.

CLICK HERE for more info from The Patriot-News.

Linglestown weekend things to do

Updated 10/12/07, 8:00 pm

* Friday, Saturday & Sunday – Old fashion hayrides at Koons Park from 6 pm to 8 pm, sponsored by Lower Paxton Jayees, tickets are $2 per person.

* Saturday – St. Thomas United Church of Christ, 6490 Linglestown Road, will hold a drive-through chicken BBQ beginning at 10 am. Cost is $6.50 for chicken, baked potato and applesause to eat there or take out.

* Saturday & Sunday – Apple and Pumpkin Festival sponsored by Boy Scout Troop 10 at the American Legion on North Moutain Road, located across from Hornungs Ace Hardware.

* Saturday – Dauphin County Sheriffs K9 Fund Chicken BBQ, 10 am to ?, Linglestown Fire Company parking lot.

* Saturday – Jacobs Avenue yard sale, CLICK HERE for map.

* Saturday – Dauphin County Community Recycling Day at HACC from 9 am to 1 pm. This is a great way to get rid of old electronic equipment. CLICK HERE for more details.

* Saturday – Linglestown Colts Junior Varsity youth football games at Koons Park. Games start at 9 am; last game starts at 12:30 pm.

* Sunday – New Hope Church kicks off a new series called "A Dummies Guide to Basic Bible" at 10 am. This week's message is entitled "Humanity: Naked Ape or Made in the Image of God?"
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Upcoming events:

* Saturday, Oct. 20 – Indoor flea market at New Hope Church.

* Saturday, Oct. 20 – Hallelujah Hayride and Halloween Harvest at Linglestown Life United Methodist Church, 1430 N. Moutain Road, 4:00 to 9:00 pm.

Citizens seek eyesore cleanup

The former gas station on Mountain Road has become an unsightly mess. The place is weed infested, trashed and now features graffiti. Quite a lovely gateway to the historic village – not!

Lower Paxton Township officials have been contacted to check out the property for code violations, according to posts on the PennLive.com Linglestown forum (see #204).

St. Thomas Roasters happenings

PUMPKIN SPICE is the special flavor of the month for October at St. Thomas Roasters coffee house located near the Linglestown square.

Geof Smith and his staff offer it in their brewed coffees on select days. You can try their Pumpkin Spice Latte offered everyday OR take home a bag of beans (ground or whole) to enjoy the fresh coffee aroma and taste at home.

This month get 50 cents off St. Thomas Roaster's Pumpkin Spice Latte and/or Pumpkin Spice Beans.



Disclaimer: This is a free ad posted to promote cool stuff to do in the historic village of Linglestown.

Get your e-junk ready to recycle

Dauphin County Community Recycling Day is this Saturday, Oct. 13 from 9 am to 1 pm at Harrisburg Area Community College (along Industrial Road, use entrance W2).

You can recycle the following items for FREE:

Answering Machines .. Camcorders .. Compact Disk Players .. Copiers .. Duplicators .. Electric Typewriters .. Fax Machines .. Hard Drives .. Laptops .. Mainframe Computers .. Microwave Ovens .. Mobile Phones .. Modems .. PC Equipment (all types) .. Peripherals .. Printers .. Radios .. Remote Controls .. Scanners .. Stereo Equipment .. Tape Players .. Telephones .. Televisions .. VCRs .. Word Processors .. Pagers

The first 100 participants to recycle their electronics will receive a $5 Best Buy gift card!

Household appliances will be accepted for a small fee.

For more info, call the Recycling Hotline at 780-6351.

Emergency crews have Linglestown "blues"

Linglestown's "Blue streets" section was mentioned in a Patriot-News article on problems streets with similar names pose to firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

CLICK HERE to read the story.
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Photo credit: John C. Whitehad, The Patriot-News

Supervisors to discuss square project

Lower Paxton Township supervisors are scheduled to hold a workshop meeting Tuesday at 7:30 pm at the municipal center, 425 Prince Street.

The first topic of discussion on the agenda is the Linglestown square project.

Colts snapshot

The 50-50 ticket man works the sideline Sunday at the Linglestown Colts game at Koons Park. Volunteers do a great job week in and week out running the longtime youth football program.

Yesterday was Parents' Day. Players and cheerleaders were introduced, and four-year jackets were awarded.

Colts butt heads with Raiders

Linglestown Colts won one of three Sunday against the Steelton Raiders at Koons Park.

Colts Pee Wees picked up their sixth win of the season, while the Pony and Midget teams played tough in losing efforts. I watched some of the Pony and Midget action, and both games featured some hard hitting.

Despite losing a close game, the Midget team secured a playoff spot.

SCORES (overall win-loss records):
PeeWee: Linglestown 39, Steelton 12 (6 - 1)
Pony: Linglestown 6, Steelton 28 (3 - 4)
Midget: Linglestown 6, Steelton 12 (4 - 3)

CLICK HERE to view league standings. The Colts compete in the American Conference.

Linglestown travels to Red Land next Saturday, Oct. 13. to play the regular season finale. First game starts at 5:00 pm.

Web site details Linglestown native's engagement

Nathaniel Reed, who grew up in Linglestown and graduated from Harrisburg Christian School, tells the world about his wedding engagement via a slickly produced Web site.

Nathaniel was my next-door neighbor during his formative years.

Linglestown gets new street

Blacktop was laid down Saturday for a street and cul-de-sac at the future site of The Townes at Autumn View, an 18-unit condo community that will be constructed near Koons Park.

Before paving, an excavation crew worked over two months on recontouring and installing underground utilities.

CLICK HERE for background info on this project.

Fall foilage starting to show up

Leaves still are still mostly green in Linglestown and across Pennsylvania. Extended drought conditions might cause leaves to fall prematurely and have less vibrant colors, experts say.
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Tree pictured is on Elmer Avenue in Linglestown, Pa.

Linglestown Gazette mailbag

I love to keep up to date on the local area through the Gazette. I make it a regular part of my day! – GR, village of Linglestown

This is a really cool site and I like the way you keep us informed about
what's happening in our parts. The little things that we all wonder
about but have no way of finding out about. - MP, Centennial Acres

Just wanted to let you know I check in everyday to see what is going on in Linglestown. You do a great service to the local community! - G via e-mail

I've enjoyed reading the Colts updates as a former player. Thanks for attending and posting! – Vern via a post comment
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Please consider subscribing to this blog's RSS feed. In the right-hand sidebar, click on the orange icon or "Subcribe to Linglestown Gazette" link, and then follow the instructions.

Using a feed is great way to automatically find out when new information is added to Linglestown Gazette.

I use an online feed reader called Bloglines.

Linglestown Middle School in the news

Students at the school are raising money for cancer research. CLICK HERE to read an article that appeared on the front page of section B in today's Patriot-News.

Linglestown weekend happenings

Wow, the weekend's almost here again. I've stumbled upon a few things for you to consider checking out.

* Frank Cotolo returns to the stage at St. Thomas Roasters on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 8 pm to 10 pm. His guitar playing and catchy tunes are a sure bet to make you smile and dance.

Frank was recently featured in a video shot during his Roasters gig in September. CLICK HERE to view it.

* Backing up a day, Henry, Emmy & the Miscellaneous Etceteras will be serving up some folk music at St. Thomas Roasters from 8-10 pm on Friday.

* Linglestown Colts youth football teams will be in action this weekend.

Junior Varsity teams play Saturday starting at 9 am at two fields, Koons Park and Linglestown Middle School.

Varsity teams play Steelton on Sunday starting at 1 pm at Koons Park.

* New Hope Church, 584 Colonial Club Drive, will host a FREE wellness seminar by Mark Everest of Occupational Athletics on Saturday from 8:30 am to noon. No pre-registration is necessary. CLICK HERE for a map that shows the church location.
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Upcoming events:

* Saturday, Oct. 13 – St. Thomas United Church of Christ, 6490 Linglestown Road, will hold a drive-through chicken BBQ beginning at 10 am.

* Saturday, Oct. 13 – Dauphin County Community Recycling Day at HACC from 9 am to 1 pm. This is a great way to get rid of old electronic equipment.

Purdy challenges Malesic for school board seat

Jay Purdy has suspended his campaign for Lower Paxton Township supervisor to challenge Central Dauphin School Board member Christian Malesic as a write-in candidate.

Malesic made headlines during the summer for suggesting that the district's gun policy was too strict.

In an e-mail, Purdy said local Democrats and Republicans urged him to run, and below are his comments about Malesic's brief tenure on the school board:

Mr. Malesic has quickly shown as an appointed member of the CD School Board that he has an ominous personal agenda other than promoting quality, cost-effective education and student safety. This was most vividly illustrated by his advocacy of allowing some students to have firearms in their personal vehicles on school property.

CLICK HERE for a news brief on Purdy's candidacy from The Patriot-News.
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Related posts:
* Malesic keeps seat on school board, 8/21/07
* C.D. board sticks to its guns, 8/7/07
* C.D. school official getting crucified, 8/2/07

Give me a tune-up and oil change

Murphy's Automotive is now open for business at the garage located on the Linglestown square.

Open space will remain open – for now

Earthmoving taking place in a field just east of the village of Linglestown is a for a pole barn project, according to a Lower Paxton Township official.

With only one dozer and one earthmover buzzing around the property, this is clearly a small project.

The property owner, Eric Kessler of Lower Paxton Township, would need to obtain township approval prior to developing a housing project on the tract located in the 6200 block of Linglestown Road.

Kessler is president of a real estate development and construction firm. He also chairs the Village of Linglestown Committee that is working on the square improvement project.

Ground breaks on mystery project

I awoke to the sounds of heavy equipment this morning emanating from a former farm field just east of the village of Linglestown along Route 39.

Is a major housing development being constructed? More details will be posted soon.

L.P. supervisors to meet at special time

Lower Paxton Township supervisors will meet Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 2 at 4:30 pm at the municipal center, 425 Prince Street. The meeting agenda seems to only have routine business matters.

The meeting is supposed to be televised on Comcast cable channel 20.

Linglestown Colts football update

Linglestown Colts varsity youth football teams won two of three games against Susquehanna Township in non-conference action. By winning, the Colts PeeWee team has qualified for league playoffs.

SCORES (overall win-loss records):
PeeWee: Linglestown 20, Susquehanna 0 (5 - 1)
Pony: Linglestown 6, Susquehanna 12 (3 - 3)
Midget: Linglestown 30, Susquehanna 0 (4 - 2)

CLICK HERE to view league standings. The Colts compete in the American Conference.

Linglestown hosts Steelton next Sunday, Oct. 7, at Koons Park in week #7 of the season. First game starts at 1:00 pm.