About Town – July 7, 2024

 This week’s photos of Columbia

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

Wrightsville conducted a fireworks display at its Riverfront Park on July 4.

Columbia donated $8,000 toward the endeavor.

Before the show, overzealous boaters fired off several fireworks near the center of the Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

Here’s a look at Columbia River Park from the bridge. 

Here’s a closer shot.

Here’s a photo of a bridge light just because. 

A couple of shots of a display on Manor Street…

And here’s a sparrow possibly singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

A common sight in some of the alleys

Fire escape at the ready

This poodle was decked out for the holiday.

This tiny bee was about a quarter of an inch in length.

Funding for improvements to Columbia River Park 

American Legion Post 372

This horse casts a long shadow. 

He also has a neck beard. 

Meanwhile at Rotary Park 

Two PA State Police vehicles were monitoring the Veterans Memorial Bridge.

They were watching for vehicles that might be exceeding the 10-ton weight limit. 

The weight limit was imposed due to deterioration of the bridge. This steel support structure was put in place on the Wrightsville side last year as a precaution, according to a source.

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The Columbia Borough Public Works crew painted these crosswalk lines at 5th & Chestnut last week. The 500 block of Chestnut was paved recently. 

Clouds and trees

More clouds and more trees

This sign was installed at Rotary Park a few years ago. COVID is reportedly making a comeback in the form of variants.

Where’s the baby?

Shark alert

Create a green community with trash

Some sort of “seaweed” below the river surface

Graffiti on the Columbia portion of “the trail”

[Submitted video]

About the graffiti:

On 6 December 2023, [Palestinian author and activist Refaat] Alareer was killed by an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, along with his brother, sister, and four of his nephews, during the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip. The Euro-Med Monitor released a statement saying that Alareer was apparently deliberately targeted, “surgically bombed out of the entire building”, and came after weeks of “death threats that Refaat received online and by phone from Israeli accounts.”[5] On 26 April 2024, his eldest daughter and his newborn grandchild were killed by an Israeli airstrike on their Gaza City home.[6]

– Wikipedia

Todd Stahl is officially a member of the Century Club!

Todd Stahl

Todd Stahl, a longtime Columbian and Water Rescue enthusiast, recently (July 5) performed a 100.02 mile bike ride on the York County Heritage Rail Trail and the Torrey C Brown Rail Trail (Baltimore County, Maryland). Todd started at John Rudy Park (East Manchester Twp) and pedaled southbound into Baltimore County and made the return trip.

Todd pedaled 100.02 miles and burned 2,249 calories in 6:29 minutes. He consumed 8 bottles of water throughout his ride. Stahl faced several challenges during his journey encountering high temperatures (95°), and the humidity (94%) was brutal with both trails saturated with bugs

Todd, who has been pedaling for years, performed a 55-mile ride in June of this year. His previous high had been 65 miles. Stahl, added “pedaling 100+ miles in high heat and humidity is asking a lot from your body. I have now checked 100 plus mile ride off my list.”

[Submitted]

About Town – June 30, 2024

This week’s photos of Columbia (and elsewhere)

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

The Clydesdales were at Flinchbaugh’s Orchard & Farm Market in Hellam for the past few days. This one, however, isn’t real. The real ones are shown a little further down.

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Also at Flinchbaugh’s: beautiful scenery . . .

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Back in town: one down in Locust Street Park

A cloud wandering lonely as a cloud

After the rain

The former Cookman Church

At the Market House

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Seen in the 100 block of Avenue I

Borough hall awnings

The high school garden appears to be doing well.

A bird’s-eye view of the garden

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Time for a replacement?

In bloom

U.S. flag near the Shannon Armory

This osprey kept flying around above the railroad tracks near the “old” bridge. For some reason it held this small branch with his talons for a while (unless he was snagged) before releasing it.

It finally came to rest on this steel column for about a minute before taking off again.

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Busy river

A guy stretching high

Buildings peeking out

Changing the letters on the message board

You can go across on the bridge, but a cross on the bridge?

Seen at Plane and Franklin

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