Lititz Record Express

              T H U R S D A Y , A P R I L 2 , 1 9 9 8
L i t i t z R e c o r d E x p r e s s
121ST YEAR 26 Pages - No. 51 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA 30 Cents
New laws on horizon for borough STEPHEN SEEBER___________
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — Douglas Shertzer, the
borough’s police chief, wants to
change some local laws in an attempt
to shore up enforcement and save
Lititz some money.
Mayor Russell Pettyjohn pre­sented
tire three most urgent propos­als
drafted by Shertzer — an open
container law for alcoholic bever­ages,
a fining system for repeat
offenders of false fire/burglar
alarms, and public parking revisions
that deal with recreational vehicles
and trailers — during Tuesday
night’s borough council meeting.
Currently, the borough has no
open container law, but that does not
mean that drinking a beer while
walking down Main Street is legal.
y INSIDE F a ta l f ir e ’s c au s e
□ Daylight Savings rem a in s u n k n o w n
Turn clocks
ahead
Remember to
turn your clocks
ahead one hour
when you go to
bed on Saturday night!
□ Entertainment
Local girls in ballet
Two Lititz youngsters will
be dancing in the Ukranian
ballet “Chippolino” when it is
performed by the Ballet
Theater of Lancaster this
weekend. Pages 12.
□ Church
LAMS growth begins
l Lititz Area Mennonite
School broke ground on its
$500,000 expansion project
on Monday. For more on the
ceremony and plans for the
new facility, see Page 16.
□Social
100th birthday
■.Helen Breneman of
Moravian Manor, who cel­ebrated
her 100th birthday
last week, once volunteered
lor American soldiers prepar-g
to fight in World War I. For
her story, see Page 14.
□ Business
Luther Acres project
A $2 million expansion pro­ject
is underway at Luther
Acres retirement community,
and a groundbreaking cere­mony
was held at the site on
March 26. Page 18.
□ Coloring Contest
J The winners from the
second week of the Lititz
Record Express Easter Color­ing
Contest appear on Page
26.
□School
Science Fair winners
Warwick High School had
24 students receive awards at
the recent Lancaster Science
and Engineering Fair, includ­ing
two second place division
winners, Nichelle Ginder and
Mike Morris (pictured above).
For all of the winners, see
Page 6.
□ Sports
Warrior baseball
starts strong
. The Warwick baseball team
won three of its first four
games in the new season. For
details on the games, see
Page 8.
□ Index
Births..................................... 14
Business..........................18-19
Church............................. 16-17
Classified.........................27-31
Editorial / Letters................... 4
Entertainment...................... 26
Manheim News.................... 12
Obituaries.....................2-3, 17
Out of the Past............... 19-20
Police Log............... ......21,32
School News.......................6-7
Social.............................. 14-15
Sports.......................... 8-11
WHS students plan fund-raising
rock concert for victim's families
STEPHEN SEEBER
Record Express Staff
LITITZ — Chemists at the state
police crime lab in Harrisburg con­tinue
to search for a cause to the
Centre County cabin fire that killed
11 people, including three Warwick
High School graduates, on March 22.
Trooper Terry Miller, of the Rock-view
state police barracks, said that
he hopes to have lab results by the
end of this week.
“We are still interviewing peo­ple,”
he said. “There have been a lot
of rumors floating through the
media.”
One of the first of those rumors
regarding a possible cause, which for
the most part has been ruled out, was
Children’s mystery writer
Ken Munro.
Writer to
visit LWC
book sale
RICHARD REITZ _______
Record Express Editor
LITITZ — It’s no mystery
where the best deals for books
will be this Saturday.
On April 4, the Lititz Women’s
Club will hold its annual Book
Sale at the Lititz Community Cen­ter
from 9 a.m.-l p.m. Admission
is free, but early birds will be
admitted from 8-9 a.m. for a $10
donation.
Proceeds from this year’s sale
will benefit the Lititz Public
Library.
Ken Munro, author of the popu­lar
“Sammy and Brian” detective
stories, will be at the sale from
9-11 a.m. to sign his books and
talk to readers about his
mysteries.
(See Book Sale, Page 26)
Munro’s first mystery story
was inspired by a stolen quilt.
Persons who would engage in such
consumption-while-walking activi­ties
can face other criminal charges
such as public drunkenness and dis­orderly
conduct.
In 1997, borough police reported
31 cases of drunkenness and 87 cases
of disorderly conduct None of these
incidents involved open beer cans on
public streets. Even though it is not a
big problem for the borough, Shert­zer
wants to make sure the crime is
covered more thoroughly when it
does occur.
His proposal will make it “unlaw­ful
for any person(s), while on any
public or semi-public street, sidew­alk,
alley or similar area, while in any
recreation area, or other property
owned or supervised by the Borough
of Lititz to consume any alcohol, liq­uor
or malt-brewed beverages.”
If the law is enacted, a violator
would pay fines of up to $300 and
prosecution costs. Failure to pay the
fines would justify imprisonment in
the county jai l for as long as 30 days.
Shertzer added that police would use
discretion when enforcing such a
law.
In regard to false alarms, in the
cover letter to his proposals, Shertzer
(See Open Container, Page 11)
that a gas furnace exploded.
Propane heaters that were at the
cabin, in addition to the fuse boxes,
will be sent to an independent lab,
chosen by insurance companies, later
this week for investigation. Still,
Miller said that they will not know
what happened for sure until he gets a
complete report from Harrisburg.
The early morning blaze swept
through the two-story wooden struc­ture,
overcoming its victims as they
slept during the final hours of a
spring break vacation.
Investigators used dental records
to identify the bodies, and last week,
the official cause of death was ruled
asphyxiation due to carbon mono­xide
poisoning.
Toxicology tests, which are stan­dard
in autopsies for all accidental
deaths, have not been completed.
Miller said that, assuming the vic­tims
were asleep when the fire began,
toxic fumes can make a person
unconscious in a short amount of
time.
Funerals for the three classmates
from Warwick’s Class of 1995 —
Erik Gray, Jimmy Ghiberti, and
Nicholas Berkey — were held last
week.
Steve Montpetit, funeral director
for Spacht Funeral Home, estimated
that 700 to 800 people attended a
memorial visitation at Lititz United
Methodist Church on March 26.
And students at Warwick will be
remembering their fallen classmates
at a special concert, scheduled for
Saturday, April 18.
The concert, sponsored by the
Warwick chapter of the National Art
(See Cabin Fire, Page 26)
Ark. shootings
prompt local
prayer session
Parents of students in the Warwick
School District plan to gather for a
prayer session April 7 at 7 p.m.
The calling is in response to last
week’s shooting in Jonesboro, Ark.,
where two juveniles set off a .fire
alarm at an elementary school and
open fired on their fellow students
and teachers while the building was
being evacuated. Four students and
one teacher was killed.
Locally, parents have decided to
respond with prayer, feeling that no
community is exempt from the
potential of such a tragedy.
People will meet in front of Kissel
Hill Elementary, Lititz Elementary,
John Beck Elementary, John R. Bon-field
Elementary, the middle school
and high school to pray for students,
teachers, coaches, and the staffs of
each facility.
N o y o k e !
Easter egg
hunts are
coming soon
With Easter just around the comer
several area groups are planning their
annual Easter Egg Hunts.
The Lititz Lions Club will hold its
annual hunt on Saturday, April 11 at
10:30 a.m. Hard boiled eggs, Easter
candy, and special prize eggs will be
provided by club members. The rain-date
is Monday, April 13 at 10:30
a.m.
There will be five age groups:
Ages 1 & 2 will be located in the
circle at the flag pole; Ages 3 & 4 will
be located on the outfield of the base-
(See Egg Hunts, Page 26)
Dedication scheduled Sat.
RICHARD REITZ
Photo by Ricnard Reitz
SATURDAY IN THE PARK — The beautiful weather last weekend provided a perfect opportunity for
youngsters to have some fun at the playground at Warwick Township Linear Park, north of Market Street. On
Saturday took advantage of the sunny day, including 6-year-old Bruce Baxter (back), son of Brian Baxter of
Lititz; and siblings (front, left to right) Rebecca and Eric Swisher, ages 5 and 4, the children of Mark and Terri
Swisher of Lititz. On April 4, the park will be officially dedicated at a special ceremony.
From a dream to a dream park
by the usage of tie park,” he said. The park has become a
popular site for ball players, kite-flyers, hike riders, jog­gers,
casual walkers and bird watchers. Its growing wild­life
habitat also attracts visitors.
Zimmerman said creation of the park would not have
been possible were it not for the contributions of over a
dozen community organizations.
“This was a big partnership,” he said. “No one entity
could have made this happen alone.”
Those groups, which are thanked on the sign at the
Market Street entrance, will be recognized again at this
Saturday’s ceremony.
The park’s unique blend of passive and active recrea­tion,
together with its environmental innovations, will
also be highlighted.
“Linear parks are a relatively new concept,” Zimmer­man
said. The Warwick park “is physically tied in with
four d iffe re n t d ev e lo pm en ts th ro u g h two
municipalities.”
The park also plays a pivotal role in the goals of the
Lititz Run Watershed Alliance. In fact, one of the
improvements scheduled for phase three of the project
later this year is the creation of a special wetlands area in
the northern area of the park.
Following the ceremony, Zimmerman said the guests
will be invited to explore the park’s various offerings and
stroll along its nearly one-mile-long path.
He added that this week, the trails are being marked for
walkers and joggers interested in keeping track of then-distances.
He said the markings will include a longer
“Red” trail, and the “Blue” trail, which will extend
around the lower loop.
Other improvements scheduled for this year include
the connection of the path to the Brookfield Run develop­ment,
and the construction of a footbridge over the Santo
Domingo Creek, which flows through the park. A path
from the creek to the nearby New Street development is
also planned.
In the event of rain on Saturday, the dedication cere­mony
will be held on Sunday, April 5 at 1 p.m.
Record Express Editor
WARWICK TWP. — Five years ago, its goal was to
combine environmental improvements with community
recreation.
Today it appears that the Warwick Township Linear
Park has accomplished that feat.
The hard work and community effort that went into
making the popular recreation site a reality will be recog­nized
this Saturday at a special public dedication cere­mony
near the Market Street entrance and parking lot.
Scheduled to begin on April 4 at 9 a.m., Township
Manager Dan Zimmerman said that several special
guests will assist in the dedication of the 48-acre park,
which begins at Market Street in the south, stretching
above Newport Road with a connecting pedestrian tunnel
under the busy roadway.
Township Supervisor Vice Chairman Bruce Bucher
will open the ceremony, with special guest speakers
including State Sen. Noah Wenger, State Rep. Jere Strit-tmatter,
County Commissioner Paul Thibault, and Lititz
Borough Council President Dennis Stuckey. A represen­tative
from the state Department of Conservation and
Natural Resources is also scheduled to participate.
Brian Uhlin, chairman of the township Recreation
Advisor Committee, will discuss future plans for a net­work
of community trails and parks throughout the
township.
Cub Scout Pack 142 will also participate, leading the
audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Zimmerman said the project, which was conceptual­ized
in 1993, cost between $300,00(1MQ0,000 to com­plete.
Those costs included land acqusitions, tunnel con­struction,
and the construction of the various facilities.
But the end result has made the investment
worthwhile.
“We are extremely pleased, and pleasantly surprised
Illustrator draws from imagination
RICHARD REITZ
Record Express Editor
KISSEL HILL — Dominic Cata­lano
has helped a rhinocerous dress
for a night out at a fancy restaurant.
And the Syracuse, N.Y. artist is an
expert on why you can’t take a rhi­nocerous
to a fancy restaurant.
Catalano is a children’s book illus­trator
whose books have been
enjoyed by thousands of youngsters
around the country.
He came to Kissel Hill Elementary
School on March 30, and visited each
elementary school in the Warwick
School District between March
23-30 to talk to students about how
he got his start, and where he gets his
inspiration. His final presentation for
students and their families was on
March 30 at 7 p.m. in the Bonfield
Elementary gym.
His first successful venture was as
an illustrator for Cricket magazine,
where his first published work was
an amusing cartoon entitled “Why
You Can’t Take A Rhinocerous to a
Fancy Restaurant”
While he eventually admitted to
not actually helping a real live rhi­nocerous
into a suit and bow-tie, he
said that in one respect he did, by
imagining the scenario, then illus­trating
it.
“You must draw from your imagi­nation,”
Catilano told the youngsters.
His first illustrated book was “The
Elephant,” and during his presenta­tion
he used the book as an opportun­ity
to introduce a group of students
— and the teachers — to “The Ele­phant
Dance.”
That book led to some of his more
popular works, including “Bernard’s
Bath” by Joan Elizabeth Goodman,
“Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo”
by Lany Dane Brunner, “Sleeping
Beauty” by Christine San Jose, and
the 35th anniversary edition of John
Ciardi’s poetry classic “The Reason
for the Pelican.”
During a slide presentation he told
the story Of “Bernard’s Bath” and
“Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo,”
and described how he created his
illustrations without actually meet­ing
the writers.
He admitted it can be difficult,
especially with works like “Merry
Christmas, Old Armadillo,” where
he was not familiar with some of
Brimner’s southern terminology.
“I found him through e-mail, and
he was able to help me with some of
the references I didn’t understand,”
Catalano said.
While the writer establishes the
story for the artist, he admitted that
the illustrator does have the oppor­tunity
to enhance the stoiy.
For example, Catalano said he
gave the charater in “Old Armadillo”
a star that he carries throughout the
book, and becomes important at the
(See Illustrator, Page 26)