Check out Linglestown weekend events

SATURDAY

* Central Dauphin Band Boosters Spring Craft Show at the high school on Piketown Road from 9 am to 3 pm, free parking and admission.

* Drive-through Chicken BBQ at St. Thomas United Church of Christ located about a mile east of the village square, starts at 10 am, $7 donation — look for signs throughout the area about the BBQ.

* Safe Kids PA Workshop at 10 am at New Hope Church.

SUNDAY

Video: Bears love LP

CD board plans to cut 84 jobs, raise taxes to balance budget

Click the headline above to read this morning's front-page story from The Patriot-News.

Entrance signs in the works for Linglestown

Linglestown's lack of recognizable entrances to the village, especially on N. Mountain Road, was a topic of discussion at this month's Village of Linglestown Committee meeting.

CLICK HERE to read a report filed by community watchdog group SWAN that gives a blow-by-blow account of the meeting.

SWAN also submitted notes for township meetings held during February and March. These reports are a great way to keep in step with the inner workings of Lower Paxton Township that The Patriot-News and The Paxton Herald do not cover.

B² on life in Linglestown and beyond

For over a decade, numerous village residents who live in the area of Koons Park have seen me afoot with my trusty, tan-colored Lab mix, Buddy (pictured).

Sadly, this spring Buddy won't be accompanying me on my regular treks in the neighborhood. Nearly 14-years-old and showing his age, Buddy got ill a few weeks ago and my family decided to do him a kindness by putting him down.

He will be missed by my family and a neighbor who fed him biscuits twice a day.

******

I'm peeved that modern technology has changed a father's influence on a daughter's dating activities.

Back in the day, young men who called a girl's home had to ask a parent to beckon a young lady to the phone, and phone time was limited because there was only one in most households. (Dad's are always waiting for important calls, you know.)

Dads, being dads, loved to put the fear of God in suitors of their female offspring. And, in extreme cases, tell an undesirable one to take a hike or risk living a short life.

Thanks to cell phones, using the phone to screen all would-be son-in-laws has been ushered off to the Smithsonian Institute.

Ugh!

CD reveals details of superintendent search, finally

Central Dauphin officials may have noticed last week's protests by this blog, The Paxton Herald and community activist Eric Epstein about the secretive way the district has been looking for a new schools chief.

I cracked open today's The Patriot-News and found a detailed story that heavily quotes School Board President Ford Thompson and includes info on what Superintendent Luis Gonzalez has been doing since last summer.

CLICK HERE to read the article.

Want breaking news about Linglestown, Lower Paxton?

Head over to Twitter to get links to Patriot-News articles and other local media outlets, plus other good stuff that doesn't appear on the blog.

The story about CD schools that you'll never read in the daily paper

Thank God for community activist Eric Epstein and his quest to dredge information out of Central Dauphin officials about the odd way the school district is being administered these days.

In brief, Superintendent Dr. Luis Gonzalez's contract was not renewed last summer and he's been working out his contract by doing an enrollment study. His annual salary is $150,000, according to The Patriot-News. (I bet the district could have hired a consultant to do an enrollment study for considerably less than $150K.)

While Gonzalez has been shuffled off somewhere to work on a special project, the district's day-to-day affairs are being handled by Assistant Superintendent Carol Johnson.

This quizzical setup has attracted the attention of the state Auditor General Jack Wagner.

CLICK HERE to check out Epstein's comments that he presented at Monday's school board meeting.

Linglestown firefighters continue to protect and serve

The fire company today posted its activity report for February:

There were 34 calls for February bringing the fire company's call volume for the year to 71 calls. The top five responders are Chauffer J. Edward Crum with 24, Chief Bill Payne with 19, Firefighter Sarah Flowers with 18, firefighter Albert Flowers with 17, and firefighter Jarion Sinkkanen with 17. Average turnout per incident was nine firefighters and two fire police.

Linglestown-area 59-year-old trains with NFLers

Backyard news links, 03.07.12

* Sen. Piccola sponsors bill that targets buyouts of school superintendents' contracts. Central Dauphin mentioned in last paragraph of the story. CLICK HERE to find out why.

* Democratic candidate running against Republican Rep. Ron Marsico makes statewide news for being one of three gay candidates seeking state House seats this year.

* Lower Paxton among municipalities to file objections to Harrisburg's financial recovery plan.

* Lower Paxton Township supervisors approve recreation and park plan.

* Linglestown Foodery specializes in takeout and deli fare.

How to burn calories, shape your shape, have a good time and help sick kids

It's simple — shake, rattle and roll at the Zumbathon this Saturday, March 10, 1–3 pm at New Hope Church in Linglestown. The event benefits Caitlin's Smiles, a local nonprofit group that gives sick children laughs, hopes and smiles.

Register at the door – $15 + box of ziplock baggies. For more information, contact Kim Mumper via email or at (717) 914-1491.

What do flood plains, police vehicles and the Friendship Center have in common?

These are the issues that the Lower Paxton Township supervisors will wrestle with tomorrow evening (Tuesday, March 6) when they kick off their March meeting schedule at 7:30 pm. CLICK HERE to review the agenda.

The meeting will be televised on Verizon channel 22 and Comcast channel 21.

Music at Roasters tonight

Instead of watching the moon rise over Linglestown in the hours before bedtime, consider coming to St. Thomas Roasters coffee house for music, comedy and more from Frank Cotolo of Grantville, 8–10 pm, no cover.

If you insist on staying home, consider checking out Frank's newly published comedy-adventure book on Amazon.com entitled License To Skill. It's in Kindle format.

Notable Linglestown-area events

* This Saturday, March 3, St. Thomas United Church of Christ on the east side of Linglestown will hold its annual auction of handmade, new, and lightly-used goods. The public is invited. The fun begins at 9 am with a silent auction. When the silent auction closes at 10 am, a separate live auction begins. This is a light-hearted event that moves at a slower pace than your usual estate auction.

Up for bid will be handcrafted tables, shelves, cutting boards, afghans, dolls, stuffed animals, jewelry, pies, and special dinners; also, gift certificates and special items from local businesses; and multiple lightly-used items from local attics.

Come join the fun at 6490 Linglestown Road. Park behind the church and enter at the door on your far right.

* Mountain View Elementary School will have two performances of "The Music Man" on March 10 and March 11 at the Linglestown Middle School Auditorium. Tickets are still available. Contact the school at (717) 657-8585 for more info.

* The next meeting of Linglestown Garden Club will be held on Wednesday, March 14 at the Linglestown fire hall starting at 10 am. Featured topics will be house plants and bird houses.

* The 4th annual K-12 Christian Education Options Expo will be held on Saturday, March 17 from 9 am – 1 pm at the Hershey Lodge. There will be over 40 Christian schools and homeschools from eight Central PA counties all in one place for parents to come explore along with 20 exhibitors giving away free things. There will also be FREE Turkey Hill Ice Cream for all and giveaways such as a couples' retreat to Sandy Cove and a family trip to Great Wolf Lodge. The whole event is FREE and this year we've added speaker sessions by three PA notables. CLICK HERE for more info.