Lititz Record Express

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1 2 3 R D Y E A R 28 Pages- No. 49 LITITZ, PENNSYLVANIA 30 Cents
INSIDE
□ School
‘Sound of Music’
This weekend, the Lititz
Christian School drama depart­ment
will present its musical
production of the popular musi­cal
“The Sound of Music.” The
show stars Allison McConaghay
as Maria, and Kevin Arnold as
Captain Von Trapp. Page 6.
□ Church
Bach to Bach
Local musicians Jonathan
Lefever, Robert Kettering and
John D. Huber will celebrate the
music of Johann Sebastian
Bach in a concert planned at
the Lititz Church of the Brethren
on Sunday, March 19 at 3 p.m.
Page 16.
□Out of the Past
This week...
On this date in Lititz history: A
vote for a Lititz Borough pool
fell short of approval; an Gen.
Sutter article draws criticism;
the Lititz basketball team per­fects
the pretzel dribble; and
Lititz Record founder J.S. Buch
passes. These stories and more
from Lititz past can be found on
Pages 13 and 20.
Curious Fella
Lianas are curious creatures.
Are you curious about llamas?
On Wednesday, March 23 from
6:30-7:30 p.m., Marj Gerhart of
Brunnerville and her friends will
present a show-and-tell dem­onstration
featuring three
young llamas and products
made of llama linen. Learn more
about this event and the fasci­nating
world of the llama on
Page 22.
□ Editorial
Why a Warrior?
Glenn Knight, a Warwick High
School graduate, accepts par­tial
responsibility for the naming
of the Warwick Warrior back in
the late 1950s, when the War­wick,
Lititz and Elizabeth
schools merged. He explains
how the Pretzels became the
Warriors in the first of a three-part
examination of the War­wick
Warrior. Page 4.
□ Sports
Witmer is 7th
Warwick senior Ben Witmer
overcame a first round loss at
the state wrestling tournament
in Hershey last weekend, re­bounding
to earn a seventh
place finish in the 140-pound
weight class. He finishes his
successful season with a 32-9
record. Page 8.
Hockey team upset
The top seeded Warriors Ice
Hockey club was shocked on
Tuesday by an 8-4 loss to fifth
seed Middletown in the league
playoff tournament. It was the
first loss for Warwick, who will
now take their 17-1 record to
the state tournament. Page 8.
□ Index
Births........................................14
Business............................ 18-19
Church..................................... 16
Classified.......................... 23-27
Editorial / Letters.....................4
Entertainment........................ 21
Obituaries....................... 12, 17
Out of the Past.............. 13, 20
Police/Fire Log.....................2-3
School News................... 6-7
Social.................................14-15
Sports...................................8-11
‘Friends’ auction
raises $70,000
Cancer benefit far exceeds goal
RICHARD REITZ___________
R e c o rd Express E d ito r
LITITZ — When Crystal Engle
Hohenwarter began alternative
cancer treatment last October, her
closest friends told her not to worry
about the cost — they were confi­dent
that their benefit auction
would cover the bill.
But even in their wildest dreams,
they did not expect the event to be
as successful as it was last Friday.
Contributions are still rolling in,
but the effort has raised nearly
$70,000 — far exceeding the
group’s goal, and more than six
times cost incurred for Crystal’s
treatment.
Crystal lost her battle with breast
cancer in February, two weeks
before the Circle of Friends benefit
auction. But the mood throughout
the evening was positive and
upbeat, as 1,200-1,500 people filled
Clair Bros. Audio Enterprises,
north of Lititz, to support the cause.
“This auction was hope for Crys­tal,”
said Missy Deibler, a close
friend of Crystal’s and an organizer
for the event. “And she was very
clear, she wanted other people to
have the same opportunities that
she had.”
To honor Crystal’s wishes, the
Circle of Friends group will donate
about $12,000 to cover the cost of
the treatments, then regroup to
consider their next move with the
remaining $58,000.
Missy said that they will likely
See CIRCLE, page 19
Bumper guard minimizes
police officer’s injuries
STEPHEN SEERER_________
R e c o rd Express S ta ff
LITITZ - A borough police offi­cer
was nearly crushed between
two cars during a traffic stop last
Saturday.
Officer Karl Spidel is already
back to work, but the fact that he
can still walk may be due to a set
of bumper guards on cruiser
number six.
“He’s sore and he’s very lucky,”
said Lititz Police Chief Douglas
Shertzer in regard to Spidel’s close
call. “It could have been bad, but
that’s one of the hazards of police
work.”
The incident occurred on March
11, around 10 p.m., in the 300
block of South Broad Street. Con­ditions
were wet and dismal, and
Carl G. Volta was having trouble
seeing.
Police were responding to a
drunk driver tip when they discov­ered
Volta, an 85-year-old Neffs-ville
resident, having difficulty
navigating his way through the
borough. Once it was learned that
the man behind the wheel was not
drunk, but just lost a few miles
from home, Volta was sent on his
way.W
ithin seconds the man’s car
began to drift toward the lane of
oncoming traffic and police de­cided
to stop him for good and
offer him a ride home.
Spidel was approaching the car
to assist when Volta accidentally
put the car in reverse and pinned
the officer’s shin between two ve­hicles.
It appears that Spidel’s saving
grace may have been the fact that
he was standing in front of car
number six, the only Lititz police
cruiser with a bumper guard.
This safety accessory provides
additional space between the front
of the police car and anything that
contacts its front. The extra room
allowed Spidel to jump high
enough to minimize the damage. If
any other cruiser had been behind
Spidel on March 11, the outcome
could have been much different.
“The bumper guard made a big
difference,” said Shertzer. “Imag­ine
a 4,000 pound car coming back
and crushing you. It could have
been real bad.”
Spidel said that he was a little
embarrassed by the incident, but is
glad that he can at least laugh
about it now.
“It all happened so quick,” he
recalled. “I was trying to find the
quickest route to assist another of­ficer...
then I saw him (Volta)
throw it into reverse.
“I jumped on the hood and was
able to clear one leg. I really did
hurt, but after a few minutes I had
mobility. If they (the bumper
guards) weren’t there I’d probably
be in a cast with pins.”
Police said that Volta is not
being charged at this point.
Also, Shertzer said that Lititz
has no plans to outfit the rest of its
police fleet with bumper guards.
Instead, officers will be reminded
to stay clear of the danger areas in­volved
with any routine traffic
stop. Last Saturday proved that no
stop is routine.
Photos by Richard Reitz
Jennifer Ringley, of JenniCam fame, smiles for the camera operated by Eric Green, priorto shoot­ing
her cameo scene in “Hollywood, Pa.,” which was filmed in Rothsville on March 8. This was one of
the webcast video cameras, produced forthe movie’s website.
‘Hollywood’ and Vine
Film crew shoots
on location in
Lititz, Rothsville
RICHARD REITZ
R e c o rdE xp re ss E d ito r
LITITZ — Last fall, when
Greg Swartz was scouting loca­tions
in Lancaster County for his
film “Hollywood, Pa.,” he was
thrilled to discover that the
famed Hollywood and Vine in­tersection
is not unique to Los
Angeles.
A quiet spot in the village of
Rothsville has one as well.
It was so perfect, in fact, that
he reworked an entire scene in
his script so that one of the
movie’s funniest moments takes
place on that spot.
For the past three weeks
Swartz, writer and director of
the full-length feature film, has
been shooting the independent
project with a cast and crew that
includes some living as far away
as Los Angeles, and others as
close as Cedar Street in down­town
Lititz.
Filming in Lancaster County
wrapped last Friday, but not
before the project generated tre­mendous
buzz, thanks in large
part to its website, which not
only promoted the film, but al­lowed
visitors to actually experi­ence
the making of a movie as it
is happening. Swartz said as of
late last week, over 2.5 million
visitors checked them out.
“It’s been fantastic,” Swartz
Greg Swartz (left), director and aformer Lancaster County resi­dent,
discusses the upcoming scene with Stephen Seeber of
Lititz, who stars as “Gordy,” the main character in the full-length
feature film.
said of the reaction they received
during their stay. “We’re like
localheroes.”
Not bad for a guy who left for
California three years ago in a
van with a few personal posses­sions
and a dream of one day be­coming
a filmmaker.
The film tells the story of
Gordy Crbinak — portrayed by
Stephen Seeber, a Lititz resident
and a writer for the Lititz Record
Express. Gordy is a lovable loser
who returns to his Pennsylvania
home after a failed attempt at a
movie career in Hollywood...
only to find that his parents have
adjusted to life without him. The
story actually has its roots in a
real-life experience for Swartz,
now a Los Angeles resident. He
visited his parents at their Har­risburg
home last year, only to
find a similar situation — no
bed, and a couch that could not
accommodate his 6-foot-6 inch
frame.
From that epiphany, an idea
blossomed. The movie follows
Gordy’s rise in popularity as he
broadcasts the colorful charac­ters
from his hometown of Holly
Ridge, Pa. over the Internet, and
see HOLLYWOOD, page 17
Record Experss file photo
VFW Commander John Zagorski presided over one of his proud­est
moments last May as both the VFW and American Legion
unveiled a major monument to all veterans. During the 1990s, Post
1463 of the VFW gave more than half a million dollars to community
, and veteran projects in the Lititz area.
Stars will shine
at talent show
VFW gave
$544,000
during 90s
STEPHEN SEEBER________ _
R e c o rdE xp re ss S ta ff
LITITZ — For many local veter­ans,
the giving and the sacrifice did
not end on the battlefield. As the
centennial celebration for the na­tional
VFW came to a close in De­cember,
Lititz Springs post
members were able to look back on
a triumphant decade with a pride
unrivaled in the field of civil ser­vice.
In the past 10 years, Post 1463
has given more than half a million
dollars to the community and vet­eran
programs - that’s $544,000 to
scouting, youth sports, police, fire
services, capital improvement proj­ects,
and support for aged and
struggling veterans.
It’s an unprecedented level of
giving in an area well-known for its
supportive civic clubs. But it’s not
the dollar figure that impresses
VFW Commander John Zagorski,
it’s the muscle behind the money.
Committed veteran leaders, post
patrons, a hard-working ladies
auxiliary and a supportive commu­nity
has elevated Post 1463 to its
strongest point since it was
chartered in 1932.
“The club has always been in­volved
with the community,” said
Zagorski, “but not to this scale. I’m
proud of our veterans. ’ ’
When Post 1463 was founded on
July 23, i932 - operating with 17
members out of a Middle Lane
garage - its main focus was on build­ing
membership and finding a per­manent
post home. It would take
another 60 years before Lititz
would recognize just how valuable
these civic-minded veterans really
are.
“No one ever knew what this club
did and we didn’t always have the
funds to do it,” Zagorski added.
That changed in 1989, when the
club was permitted to run small
games of chance. At the time it gen­erated
some controversy, but in
hindsight it was a milestone
moment for this area.
Coupled with its canteen opera­tions
and the aggressive investing
of post treasurer Bud Spickler, the
See VFW, page 17
RICHARD REITZ
R e c o rdE xp re ss E ditor
LITITZ — The Warwick Com­munity
Talent Show this Friday
promises to be one of the most var­iety-
filled events in the show’s six-year
history.
With vocalists, twirlers, jugglers,
bands and the return of the karate
kids, event director Sandra M.
Couch, the television production
teacher at Warwick High School,
said “there is going to be a lot of va­riety
at this year’s show. ’ ’
For example, it will be the first
time that local audiences have seen
Brixton Albert’s golf ball trick, in-
BRUCE MORGAN
R e c o rd Express Sports E d ito r
LITITZ — In front of a crowd
of more than 100 local Republi­cans
and community leaders at St.
James Catholic Church on Satur­day,
March 4, Auditor General
Candidate Katie True stressed the
spired by last year’s Tiger Woods
commercial.
Brixton, 12, a sixth grader at
Kissel Hill Elementary, said he will
do some trick shots tapping a golf
ball into the air with a golf iron. He
will conclude his segment to dem­onstrate
how long he can hit it with­out
missing. His record so far is 233
times.
Ms. Couch said that 53 acts audi­tioned
for 24 slots at the show.
Never before have so many per­formers
auditioned to participate
in the popular show.
“It’s been growing in popularity
each year,” she said. In previous
See TALENT SHOW,page 23
need for education and prevention
programs in dealing with drug
issues.
State Representative True ad­dressed
the gathering for nearly 20
minutes as the keynote speaker at
the Warwick Area Republican
See GOP, page 17
GOP are True believers
State bid supported at Republican event
4.