THE YEAR IN REVIEW May-August 2019
May
May 2 — Jill Fulton, a songwriter and vocalist from Greencastle, accompanied by David Gorozdos of Frederick on the keyboard, won the duo title at the Blues Society of Western Pennsylvania's Blues Challenge in Pittsburgh on Saturday, April 27.
May 7 — Local residents came together Thursday, May 2, with the focus "Love One Another" on National Day of Prayer.
May 9 — Across-the-board fees have not been approved or announced, but a few figures have trickled out concerning how Greencastle is going to fund federal water cleanup mandates, other storm water management projects in the borough and its new stormwater utility. The Greencastle-Antrim School District is at the top of the list of impervious area and faces an annual fee in the $50,000s.
May 14 — An Air Force intelligence officer, whose career has taken her all over the United States as well as overseas, will return home as the speaker for Greencastle's Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at Cedar Hill Cemetery. Lt. Col. Rachael Ott Chancey is the daughter of Jeff and Pam Ott and a 1998 graduate of Greencastle-Antrim High School.
May 16 — A disc jockey who has a host of Hollywood events to his credit is adding hometown gigs to his resume. DJ Bizzy, also known as Mark Smith, Greencastle-Antrim High School Class of 1998, was featured at the G-AHS prom on May 5 and will lead the teen dance on Monday, Aug. 5, as part of Old Home Week's Music on the Square.
May 21 — The annual Relay for Life returned to Kaley Field on the campus of Greencastle-Antrim High School full of energy Friday and Saturday. This year’s event raised $177,400, exceeding the $175,000 goal the Relay committee set earlier in the year.
May 23 — Greencastle businessman John Flannery was the top vote-getter in the Republican race for Franklin County commissioner in Tuesday's primary election, advancing to the fall general election with incumbent David Keller and putting veteran Commissioner Bob Thomas out of the race.
May 28 — "The Taryn three-peat" has a nice ring to it. Entering Saturday's girls' 1,600-meter run as the two-time defending state champion, the sensational Greencastle-Antrim junior delivered once again as Taryn Park won a third straight gold medal in the mile at the PIAA Track and Field Championships hosted by Shippensburg University.
May 30 — Commencement activities for the Greencastle-Antrim High School Class of 2019 kicked off with the Senior Walk Wednesday morning and will conclude with graduation Saturday morning on Kaley Field.
June
June 4 — Specific numbers for stormwater pollutant impact fees scheduled to be billed for the first time at the end of June were announced for the first time at a special meeting of Greencastle Borough Council Thursday evening. Council voted 4-2 on two motions, one creating the utility to administer stormwater issues and the other establishing stormwater impact fees.
June 6 — Sheetz Inc. is seeking a license to sell beer and wine at its convenience store at the intersection of U.S. 11 and Antrim Commons Drive south of Greencastle.
June 11 — The Greencastle-Antrim School Board approved the 2019-20 budget, supported by a 3-mill property tax increase at last week's meeting. Even with the tax hike there is a $950,000 shortfall between revenues of $41,340,830 and expenditures of $42,262,601.
June 13 — Bills to charge municipalities that do not have their own police forces — such as Antrim Township — for Pennsylvania State Police services were unveiled in Harrisburg on Tuesday.
June 18 — The Greencastle borough office recently underwent a quarter-million dollar renovation that blends the modern with the historic. Started late last year and completed earlier this spring, the renovation enhances safety, improves efficiency and meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
June 20 — WRGG has something for everyone because that's what community radio does. Greencastle's low-power, nonprofit FM station went on the air three years ago on Tuesday, June 14, 2016.
June 25 — Thirty-six years ago at the Cumberland Life Festival, a rite of passage for Greencastle-Antrim Middle School eighth-graders, George Simmers and two friends built and operated a still. Now, he is poised to open the first licensed distillery in Franklin County since Prohibition.
June 27 — The courtyard and parking lot project at Greencastle's Lilian S. Besore Memorial Library, the final phase of work funded by a capital campaign that started in 2010, will wrap up in July and a ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned during Old Home Week.
July
July 2 — One driver was pronounced dead at the scene of a accident Saturday afternoon in the Borough of Greencastle. The accident occurred at 1:08 p.m. in the 400 block of West Baltimore Street, according to Greencastle police. The victim was identified as Linda Mae Carter, 55, of Hagerstown by Jeffrey R. Conner, Franklin County coroner.
July 4 — This Old Home Week the Loyal Daughters will celebrate 99 years and the group is always looking for new members. Any present or former female of the surrounding area can be a Loyal Daughter.
July 9 — The weather forecast is hot and sunny for Greencastle's 52nd annual Sidewalk Days on Friday and Saturday, July 12 and 13. Hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
July 11 — A farmers market will be held in Greencastle from 4 to 7 p.m. on the last Thursday in the months of August, September and October. The Greencastle Farmers Market is an initiative of the borough, overseen by Lorraine Hohl, assistant borough manager, with support from the rest of the staff.
July 16 — Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove opened its doors to welcome local high school students participating in Penn State Mont Alto’s weeklong STEM camp last Wednesday.
July 18 — A woman who spent some of her early years in the Greencastle-Antrim community will return for a book-signing of her Bible study "Revealed in Ephesians: The Mystery of Who I Am in Christ" during Old Home Week.
July 23 — The "big guy" in an alleged drug hierarchy that led to the death of a 3-year-old girl in Greencastle a year and a half ago was arrested Friday, July 19, in Connecticut. Thomas Keogh of Vernon, Connecticut, was arrested as a fugitive from justice after an arrest warrant was obtained by Pennsylvania State Police. Logan Starliper was found dead in her bed on Jan. 6, 2018, at a West Baltimore Street residence.
July 25 — Years on the lam for a four-legged female fugitive in the Greencastle area came to an end Tuesday afternoon when she was apprehended and relocated to an undisclosed location. Greencastle police received a call from a man who spotted the goat in the parking lot of Jim's Tavern around 3:30 p.m.
July 30 — The Class of 1974 is currently the leading contender to be awarded the Greencastle-Antrim Alumni Association Old Home Week Alumni Cup, with the Classes of 1990 and 1994 tied in second place. The Alumni Cup will be awarded for the first time during the G-A alumni banquet being held from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9.
August
Aug. 1 — Prints of the art on the Old Home Week badge are being offered for sale for the first time this year. The limited edition signed and numbered prints depicting the springhouse at Ebbert Spring are being sold at Old Home Week headquarters on the northwest corner of Center Square.
Aug. 6 — Openings — official, archaeological and unofficial — were the order of the day on Saturday and Sunday as the 40th Triennial Old Home Week began. The official opening took place late Saturday morning, the grand opening of Ebbert Spring Archaeological Preserve and Heritage Park was was held Saturday afternoon and at the stroke of midnight Sunday Vernon McCauley announced "Happy Old Home Week, everybody" at the unofficial opening.
Vice President of the United States Mike Pence visited Manitowoc Cranes in Shady Grove Thursday morning to discuss the importance of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and how it will benefit manufacturing in Pennsylvania and across the country.
Aug. 8 — A crowd gathered on Center Square late Wednesday morning for the official Old Home Week photo.
Aug. 13 — The 40th Triennial Old Home Week ended with the official closing on Center Square Saturday night, but the memories will linger until they are refreshed at the 41st celebration in 2022. The week saw hundreds and, at time, thousands of people enjoying the traditional events like the official and unofficial opening ceremonies; nightly music; tours; class reunions; shows for everything from cars and motorcycles to flowers and dogs; the official photo; the parade; the fireworks; and much more.
Aug. 15 — The 40th Triennial Old Home Week that concluded Saturday was mentioned frequently at Tuesday's Greencastle Borough Council meeting, which included a number of other information items. The police and public works departments and Rescue Hose Co. volunteers received lots of thanks from numerous officials at the meeting.
Aug. 20 — "What's going on in Antrim Township? A lot," Mike Ross, president of Franklin County Area Development Corp., said during his annual Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce breakfast program Thursday.
Aug. 22 — A rare steam locomotive passed through the area Tuesday evening, drawing railfans and others interested in a historic moment to vantage points along local railroad tracks. The Norfolk & Western Class J 611 was en route from the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke to Pennsylvania's Strasburg Rail Road for a series of fall events. There were a couple dozen at Greencastle's High Line Train Station, according to Scott Sutton, a railroad enthusiastic and president of the Greencastle Area Youth Foundation, which oversees the train station.
Aug. 27 — Greencastle Borough Manager Eden Ratliff will leave his job of nearly three years on Sept. 20 to become manager of Kennett Township.
Aug. 29 — The next meeting of the Old Home Week Association is tentatively set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 27, 2021, in the Rescue Hose Co. meeting room. That was the last item on Monday's agenda during the final meeting for the 40th Triennial celebration held Aug. 3 to 10. The 41st Triennial Old Home Week, under the leadership of President Bonnie Shockey, will be held Aug. 6 to 13, 2022.