The Adamstown Area Women’s Club will sponsor a bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show on March 6.

The cost is $32 a person, which includes driver’s gratuity. The price does not include a ticket into the show. That may be purchased at the door or online.

The bus will leave Weaver’s Markets at 8:30 a.m. and return at 5:30 p.m. The deadline for tickets is Feb. 6. For more information, contact Carolyn Wolverton at 484-0176.

By: KIMBERLY MARSELAS Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

Cocalico School District’s board of directors last week approved two new technology contracts aimed at streamlining technology upgrades and cutting costs.

The first contract with Microsoft will allow the district to simultaneously upgrade all of its computers whenever new software is issued. In the past, the district has had to purchase an individual software license for each machine and make upgrades in stages. The contract is based on the school system’s number of full-time teachers, meaning that costs won’t necessarily increase if the district buys more computers.

David Davies, assistant to the superintendent for administrative services, said the five-year contract was valued at $123,000.

A second contract with IU 13 provides new cloud-based back-up services as well as security, maintenance and server assistance.

The board approved both agreements at a meeting on Dec. 19.

In other action that night, the board approved supplemental contracts with two special education providers. New Story, a Wyomissing school for autistic students, will provide classroom services. Superintendent Bruce Sensenig said the staff specializes in applied behavior analysis.

By: JOYCE ZIMMERMAN, Staff Writer

Each year during the holiday season, antique and vintage Christmas decorations and other holiday-themed items capture the attention of collectors and shoppers looking for special items that stir memories of Christmases past. Likewise each year, certain things seem to emerge as "hot items" and become more popular than other items. Whereas any item classified "antique," especially if made in Germany or Czechoslovakia, tends to hold interest and value year after year, interest in certain vintage decorations can fluctuate from year-to-year.

Remember the ceramic Christmas trees your mom or grandma had in the 1960s or ’70s. Well, you guessed it! They are one of the hot items enjoying popularity during this year’s holiday season. Many of these vintage trees were created in local ceramic shops by people, perhaps even your mother or grandmother, who wanted to fashion their own gifts or keepsakes. This is the same era when the popularity of ceramics reached its highest level, when artisans created all kinds of items from animal figurines to dinnerware. Unlike the ceramic Christmas tree, many of these items have little value today and hold very little interest as collectibles. Undoubtedly, nostalgia plays a role in the ceramic tree revival, stirring pleasant and happy memories of childhood Christmases, perhaps at Grandma and Grandpa’s house.

By: ALICE HUMMER Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

East Cocalico Township supervisors quickly adopted their 2012 budget at their Dec. 21 meeting, having done the hard number crunching at their workshop meeting on Dec. 15.

At the workshop session, supervisors voted (2-1, with Noelle Fortna dissenting) to increase the real estate tax from 1.625 to 1.7 mills. The purpose for the 4.6 percent increase is, over more than a one-year period, to reverse the shrinking general fund reserve.

"The proposed tax increase will generate about $50,000 in additional revenue," said East Cocalico Township Manager Mark Hiester in e-mail communication. "Such an increase of .075 mills equals $7.50 of additional tax on a $100,000 property."

"The general fund," Hiester explained, "must maintain at least $500,000 per month to cover payroll and operating expenses."

Currently the general fund borrowed $275,000 from the capital reserve fund and has not been able to pay it back. Supervisors passed a resolution for a loan extension into 2012 with repayment of the $275,000 no later than April. This is when tax monies start to come in to the township.

The topic will be Working with Letters and Sounds. Participants may drop in between 4 and 6 p.m. Centers take approximately one hour to complete.

These workshops provide parents with an opportunity to spend some fun quality time with their child working through centers, meeting other incoming kindergarteners and their parents and learning about activities that can make the transition to school easier for everyone. Workshops are open to all pre-kindergarten students and their parents throughout the Cocalico School District.

Another workshop on the topic of kidwriting will be offered on Feb. 13, 2012 at Denver Elementary School.

In addition, the Cocalico School District will also offer workshops at each of the elementary schools. The content of these workshops will be the same at each school. Because the classrooms will be open for visitation, pre-kindergarten students and their parents are encouraged to visit the school the child will attend.

The locations and dates are as follows:

Adamstown Elementary School — March 26 at 5 or 6 p.m. The kindergarten classrooms will be open from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Reamstown Elementary School — March 28 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The kindergarten classrooms will be open.

SPORTS

More VETERANS, page A5

By: ROCHELLE A. SHENK Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

The

Ephrata

Review The

Ephrata

Review Thanks to some key individuals stepping up to volunteer, the Akron "Shoe-In" New Year’s Eve event is back after just a one-year hiatus.

Just as Mayor John McBeth had promised last December when he announced there would be no event on New Year’s Eve 2010, the event is back and ready to move forward from a new location.

Akron will indeed be hosting its fifth New Year’s eve celebration this year and this time Broad Street Park will be the hub of activities for the event.

"We want people to spend New Year’s Eve in their local community; to gather together with their friends and neighbors to welcome the new year," said new chairperson Barb McMinn.

The Shoe-In kicks off at 8 p.m. with a street hockey tournament in the park. McMinn said that the tournament is new to the event and provides children, teens and young adults with some fun. Following that the community is invited to attend a 9:30 p.m. New Year’s eve service at Akron Grace E.C.C Church, located at the corner of N. Seventh (Route 272) and Fulton streets. Since it’s coordinated by the Akron Ministerium, the service will be non-denominational.

Ephrata Area School District (EASD) has been awarded a Highmark Healthy High 5 School challenge grant worth more than $9,000 from the Highmark Foundation. The grant will provide funding for two programs to expand nutrition education for district elementary students.

One program will enhance nutrition education for second grade students at Akron and Clay elementary schools. Instructors from the Weller Health Education Center will teach students about digestion, nutrition, ingredients and the benefits of exercise. The lessons are tied to the Pennsylvania Academic Standards.

The second program will introduce students in grades one to four at Akron and Clay elementary schools to lesser-known fruits and vegetables. Samples will be available to encourage students to try something new and learn about unique varieties.

"One of the initiatives of Healthy People 2020 is to decrease the rate of childhood obesity, which is currently greater than 17 percent. The educational lessons provided through this grant will help students develop healthy habits that will last a lifetime," said Lori Bickel, school nurse at Akron and Clay elementary schools.

Vince Josiah Wenger, 1 month and 18 days, of Ephrata, passed away Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2011 at Ephrata Community Hospital.

He was born in Derry Township to Verlin and Rose (Horst) Wenger of Ephrata.

In addition to his parents, Vince is survived by two brothers: Weston and Jaden, at home; a sister: Adara, at home; paternal grandparents: Adam and Carolyn (Hurst) Wenger, of Leola; maternal grandparents: Leonard and Marian S. (Zimmerman) Horst, of Ephrata; maternal great-grandparents: Eli H. and Anna (Wise) Horst, of Leola; and Noah and Joanna (Stauffer) Zimmerman, of Newmanstown; and a maternal great-great- grandmother: Elizabeth B. Stauffer, of Richland.

Funeral services were held at the Pleasant Valley Mennonite Church, Ephrata, on Dec. 22, with Pastor Manny King officiating. Interment took place in the adjoining church cemetery.

Arrangements were made by Stradling Funeral Homes Inc., Akron/Ephrata. Online condolences can be given at stradlingfuneralhome.com.