There’s a new sweets shop in downtown Elizabethtown.  Nana’s Sweet Treats is located at 11 South Market Street in Elizabethtown.  It is owned and operated by sisters Brenda Shields and Deb Wright of Columbia, Pennsylvania.  Brenda and Deb grew up in Frostburg in the hills of Western Maryland.  Deb moved to Mt. Joy in 1980 and Brenda in 1987.  Brenda moved back to Maryland in 1994, but came back to Central Pennsylvania in 2004.  Deb has five children and 11 grandchildren and one on the way.  Brenda has one son and three grandchildren.  The collective grandchildren are responsible for the[Read more...]

The former Roth’s furniture building has been vacant since the furniture store owner’s death a few years ago, save a brief period in which it was occupied by a short-lived retailer.  Soon the building will be home to the Shoppes on Market, a multi-vendor retail consortium.  Leading this endeavor is Dolores Reidenbach.  She has over 25 years of business experience and has held multiple senior level positions in both small and large for profit companies. She currently owns and operates her own consulting company (Focused Future, LLC) providing consulting and services for relational based team and leadership development for companies[Read more...]

Lately in Elizabethtown there have been frequent sightings of a stocky man walking purposively down the street, seemingly lost in thought, and wearing a coat and tie and a distinctive black fedora. If you have ventured out recently, you too may have made this sighting. That man is Dan Robrish. He is the publisher, editor, and primary writer of Elizabethtown’s only print newspaper, the Elizabethtown Advocate. The Elizabethtown Advocate started publication about two years ago and filled the void left by the departure of Elizabethtown Chronicle. The Elizabethtown Journal recently caught up with Dan and asked him about his journey[Read more...]

When one walks along or drives down Market Street, it is difficult to ignore a large commercial van parked on the east side of the road between the post office and the Lynden Gallery.  On the side of the truck, painted in bold letters is “University of Pizza”.  This is the answer to the question, “Why is the van there?”  It is a mobile pizza restaurant that is the brain child of Jake Elliott, 22; Mason Elliott, 20; and Zach Myers, 20.  All three grew up in Elizabethtown and graduated from the Elizabethtown Area High School.  The Elizabethtown Journal caught[Read more...]

J’s Sweet Treats and J’s Sweet Treats Ice Cream Parlor is located on the Southeast corner of the Elizabethtown Square.  It is one of several new food-related businesses in Elizabethtown.  The owner is Jody Viers Stapler.  Jodi grew up in Elizabethtown.   She has been an entertainer since her childhood.  During her childhood years, she performed at the Fulton Opera House, the Ephrata Performing Arts Center, the Elizabethtown Music Foundation, and the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre. After high school she moved to New York, pursuing show business, and eventually landed in Los Angeles. During those years, she performed in commercials, off-Broadway,[Read more...]

Murray the Basset Hound is a familiar sight to many Elizabethtown residents.  He’ll be 10 years old this June, and is slowing down a little on his daily walks, but he hasn’t slowed down in the services he provides to the Elizabethtown Community. Murray has been a therapy dog with Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services for eight of his 10 years. Although many opportunities for therapy work exist outside of Elizabethtown, Mary Gottfried, Murray’s owner, decided that ‘giving back’ to their neighbors made the most sense when choosing volunteer activities with Murray. Murray was a twice monthly visitor at Elizabethtown’s[Read more...]

Two Elizabethtown Journal reporters, carrying a copy of Stalking the Wild Asparagus and munching on wild hickory nuts, were foraging for food near the Conewago Trail last weekend when they encountered an odd-looking character outfitted in cycling regalia and riding an Italian racing bicycle. He appeared to be four score and seven, but we suspect that he is considerably younger than that. Because the EJ reporters’ have an insatiable appetite for vapid stories, they engaged in a conversation with the man and recorded the interview presented below. The man preferred to remain anonymous, citing that his identification could be a[Read more...]

Lance was born and raised in Elizabethtown. After a 23-year career in police, security, and counseling, he changed course to pursue one of his passions – recreational bicycling. After a long involvement in sports such as football, track, wrestling and racing bicycles, the change was a natural progression in his life course. Additionally, repairing bicycles was a cathartic experience for Lance and furthered his excitement about making cycling a full-time job. Lance is the owner of Rails to Trails Bicycles in Elizabethtown. He currently lives in Elizabethtown with his wife Monica and his two children. EJ: What led you to[Read more...]

Elizabethtown College is an important institution in the Elizabethtown area. This is the story of one resident who not only was a student at the college, but has also started a career there.

Mark Clapper is an Elizabethtown College alumnus. He graduated in 1996. He was recently appointed the Director of Alumni Relations at Elizabethtown College. Mark, who assumes this new position on January 1, 2010, began with the College Admissions Department and, after several promotions, became Associate Director of Alumni Relations in 2005. Originally from Somerset, PA, he currently lives in Elizabethtown with his wife Michelle.

Many Etown students are engaged in interesting and fun activities. This is the story of one Etown ninth grader who has competed in math competitions and is on the school’s Junior Varsity Quiz Bowl team. Amar Paul is a ninth grader at Elizabethtown Area High School. He practices the martial art of Moo Duk Kwan.

EJ: You’ve competed in some math competitions recently. Were they fun?