Toys for Tots – List of donation locations

The 2018 Toys for Tots drive has started.  Please see the below list of locations that are participating with this year’s drive.   The toys donated will be picked up by December 7, 2018.  We hope you have a great and safe Holiday Season! 
Our Lady of Angels School (404 Cherry Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Park Elementary School (50 S Sixth Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Taylor Elementary School (45 N Ninth Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Columbia High School (901 Ironville Pike Columbia, PA 17512)
Northwest Savings Bank (350 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)
BB&T Bank (325 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Family First Health (369 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Turkey Hill Minit Market (342 Chestnut Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Union Community Bank (921 Lancaster Avenue Columbia, PA 17512)
Mountville Motors (806 Lancaster Avenue Columbia, PA 17512)
National Watch & Clock Museum (514 Poplar Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Dollar General (960 Lancaster Avenue Columbia, PA 17512)
Ship Rite (129 S Ninth Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Black Olive Family Restaurant (1506 Lancaster Avenue Columbia, PA 17512)
Andy’s Market (310 N Eleventh Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Moose Lodge# 307 (223 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)
St Paul’s Episcopal Church (340 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)
Hinkle’s Resaurant (261 Locust Street Columbia, PA 17512)

Donate to Columbia Public Library during ExtraOrdinary Give


Go HERE to donate.

The Library provides:


• Loans of items from other libraries throughout the county and the state

• DVD loans of up to three popular films – free for one week!
• GED and English Language Learners classes (in partnership with Lancaster Literacy Council)
• Internet access to Career Link and other job search sites
• Summer Reading program for children of all ages
• Reading Education Assistance Dog program
• Monthly community programs
• Volunteer opportunities
• Our Book Nook offers quality hardback and paperback books for sale year-round
• Participation in community events, such as Earth Day and National Night Out
• Family Fun Nights
• Family Movie Nights
• “Pre-School Pals” weekly story time
• Job Fairs
• Delivery of books to retirement homes
• School class visits
• Preschool Read-Alouds

Healthy Columbia announces FREE pancake breakfast for Columbia, PA Community

Columbia Community Invited to Attend FREE Pancake Breakfast Dec. 1 from 9 to 11:30 a.m.

Healthy Columbia is proud to announce a FREE pancake breakfast for the community of Columbia, from 9 to 11:30 a.m. on Dec. 1 at Our Lady of Angels, 404 Cherry Street. Healthy Columbia is a community-driven initiative from CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health. The initiative is dedicated to providing and coordinating services and the investments necessary to create a thriving community in Columbia Borough.

“We’re proud to be a part of this community and we’re looking forward to spreading some holiday cheer by bringing Columbia Borough together to celebrate,” said Kelsey Miller, program manager of Healthy Columbia. “We are encouraging the community to bring their friends and family to this free event.”

The Pancake Breakfast is open to the public free of charge and will include Santa as a special guest, and children’s activities. Pre-registration is not required, but members of the community may contact Healthy Columbia at 717-397-7625.

About CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health and Healthy Columbia

Healthy Columbia is CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health’s community-driven initiative dedicated to providing and coordinating services and the investments necessary to create a thriving community in Columbia Borough. A location of Catholic Health Initiatives, CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health is a community-based organization dedicated to the health and well-being of children and families in the Lancaster community. The organization works in collaboration with community partners to assure access to appropriate, quality health services and benefits for every child in the Lancaster community. This mission in children’s health includes multiple efforts, programs and services committed to improving the health of children and families throughout the Lancaster community. Most recently, the nonprofit announced plans to open the St. John Neumann School for Children and Families in Columbia, Pennsylvania in 2020. To learn more about CHI St. Joseph Children’s Health, visit www.CHIstjosephchildrenshealth.org.

Police seek information on fatal crash

On 11-12-18 at approx. 10:40PM the Columbia Borough Police were called to a vehicle accident at the intersection of N. 3rd St. and Rt. 441. Officers arrived on scene to find a single vehicle into a traffic signal pole. The male occupant, James Smith (30) of Columbia was deceased upon arrival of the officers. If anyone observed this incident occur they are asked to submit a tip below or contact Ofc. Brent Keyser at 717-684-7735.
The Columbia Borough Police Department was assisted by officers from the following police departments, West Hempfield, East Hempfield, East Lampeter and Manor Township as well as the Lancaster County Coroner’s Office.
Date: 

Monday, November 12, 2018

Reference ID: 

14302-11-13-18

Case Status:

Case Type:

Dec. 15 ceremony to honor veterans will include wreath-laying and 21-gun salute at Mt Bethel

Local volunteers are working hard to ensure that all veterans laid to rest at Mount Bethel Cemetery are honored this December on National Wreaths Across America Day.

This year, the ceremony, held simultaneously across the country at more than 1,400 locations, will be on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018. The goal: to place a live, balsam fir wreath at the headstone of every veteran buried there and spread patriotism and commemoration for the ultimate sacrifices they made for our country.  A ceremony consisting of a Military Color Guard, 21-Gun Salute and Taps will begin at noon.

Following the ceremony, a veteran representing the seven branches of service (Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Merchant Marine and P.O.W.) will present a wreath decorated with its respective flag. Volunteers will then place wreaths at the veteran’s grave along and state their name to remember and honor their service.

From now until December 3rd, volunteers will host various fundraisers to sponsor the 690 headstones wreaths needed to honor every veteran at Mount Bethel Cemetery.

“Every donation and wreath sponsorship is a meaningful gift from an appreciative supporter who knows what it means to serve and sacrifice for the freedoms we all enjoy,” said Karen Worcester, executive director of Wreaths Across America. “We are so grateful to the community of Columbia for participating in our mission to Remember, Honor and Teach.”

Three organizations are currently supporting wreath donations at Mount Bethel Cemetery. Friends of Mount Bethel Cemetery (PA0358P), Cub scout Pack 35 (PA0263P) and PSSDAR Junior Membership Service Project. Each of these organizations will be coordinating the fundraising event to raise money for both WAA and their organization.

National Wreaths Across America Day is a free, non-political event, open to all people. For more information, to donate or to sign up to volunteer, please visit www.WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.

About Wreaths Across America

Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at Arlington, as well as at more than 1,400 veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond.

About Town – 11/11/18

This week’s photos from around Columbia

(Click/tap on photos to see larger, sharper images.)

 Sunday morning river rescue rehearsal

There are more photos of this event later in this post.
 Thataway!

 On the other side

This starling just got hooked up to cable. 

 Digging up the 200 block of Locust

 This is why we can’t have nice things.

 No! Not yet! Tis NOT the season.

 Someone called the bug man.

If the problem is with ants, it could be due to unattended trash like this, a few doors up.
Or trash like this a few doors down.
(Hope the garbage doesn’t seep downstream.)

 By the way, the firehouse brewery project fell through.

 Nothing to see here.

Or here.

 Fence down!
 Now the vermin can get in – or out?

 Time for this to come down

 Drying off

 Feelin’ snarky

 Beginning of a trend?
The spray-painted address – high up – is similar to the format at 121 South 5th.

 Meanwhile, inside the market house

 Meter guys at work

 Moving stuff into Eastern Drillers

 Still more stuff

 Door into the mural?

 They ain’t movin’ for no one, not even for the lady pulling the cart.

 Your daily warthog

 What’s that guy doing up there?

 Maybe checking out this low flier

 UGI was here.
Here’s the “before” shot.
 Down at the apartment building project on Bank Avenue
If we end up with another big hole in the ground, council should have to hold its meetings there.

 More mattress madness?

 Don’t you just hate when your brake discs and saucepan spill out?

 The codes vehicles are numbered now.

 4

 3

 5 and 1

 On the rise
 This tree grate on Locust is now officially a tripping hazard.

 So’s this.

And this as well – on South 2nd.
 Streetlights on in the daytime

 No wonder the electric bill’s so high.

 Despite the new lines, truckers still have a hard time negotiating the turn at 5th & Chestnut.

 See?
Anyway, fall has fallen.

 And the leaves have turned.

Some are quite beautiful.

 Some are an obstruction, like this pile on Maple Street that forces walkers further out onto the road along which there’s no sidewalk.

 Here are more leaves on South 8th where the street is still being dug up. 
The town has so many leaves, it took three vehicles and five guys to clean them up on Friday, as shown in this submitted photo.

 Falling over

 Out on Grinnell Avenue

 Yep, it froze overnight.

 The borough has known about the issue for quite some time.

 Purportedly, there was a plan to fix the problem – which obviously did not come to fruition.

 At least the animal shelter is coming together.

 Veterans Day 
Never Forget.

 Back down at the river, these guys were practicing in the cold water Sunday morning, as the following photos show.

***************
 Red clouds

 More warthogs – three this time. Usually they fly in pairs.

 Here’s a closer shot of two of the three shown above.

 Signpost – no sign

 Backyard sprinkler – for those unexpected grill fires
 True

 Ferals – How many is it this time?

Men at work – one in the hole.

And right here seems like an appropriate place to post this: