Cocalico Cal and his pals celebrate the coming of spring during Feb. 2, 2012 festivities.

With dozens of dignitaries and celebrities expected to attend, Ephrata’s groundhog, Cocalico Cal, might be expected to be nervous about once again correctly forecasting the weather for the remainder of winter. Lincoln Lodge Brothers report, however, that he is as cool as ice, never having been wrong once in his stint of 10 years. His only concern is the persistent rumor that the now unemployed former Lottery Commission mascot, Groundhog Gus, may rain on his parade. Gus is known to be jealous of the charismatic Cal and is looking for work. If Gus would be so bold as to crash Cal’s party Saturday, this reporter knows that surely the fur will fly.

The event takes place at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2 in the Ephrata Park, rain, shine or snow. Free coffee and doughnuts will be provided in the Eicher House in the park prior to the pageant. Barring any unforeseen problems, Cal will appear on stage and prognosticate the continuation or end of winter, without the use of barometers, thermometers, super dopplichs, radar guns or any other new-fangled contraptions. New recruits for the groundhog lodge will then be taken to the Cocalico Creek for the Initiation Rite of Immersion. All attending are welcome to join them for a polar plunge. Door prizes will be awarded. Those attending are invited to bring non-perishable food, which the Lodge will give to the Ephrata Area Social Services food bank. Admission and parking are free. Everyone looking forward to spring is invited to attend.

By: LAURIE KNOWLES CALLANAN Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

Major Kline after the ceremony at the AMEDD Medical Museum at Fort Sam Houston, TX.

On September 21, Richard Kline celebrated his birthday, and his daughter’s promotion to Major in the U.S. Army.

"It was quite a day. My father flew down to Texas to be there for my promotion," said the new Major Michelle Kline.

Michelle Kline is an Ephrata High School graduate, and daughter of Richard Kline and the late CharLee Kline, who died in 2003. She is also the granddaughter of Charles and Elsie Yeager, whose family owned The Ephrata Review for more than 100 years.

"I have very strong Ephrata connections. I always visit my family every Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. Ephrata is still my hometown," said Kline, 34, who now lives near San Antonio, Texas, and is stationed at Fort Sam Houston with the Army.

Kline is a clinical psychologist with the Army, having earned her undergraduate degree in psychology from Franklin & Marshall College. She then earned her Ph.D. in adult clinical psychology from the University of Houston.

By: ROCHELLE A. SHENK Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

The Seaside Heights area of New Jersey is near and dear to Dee Lynch’s heart.

That’s why she’s mounting an effort to collect items for victims of Hurricane Sandy.

"Hurricane Sandy struck in late October, but people in New Jersey are still trying to clean up," Lynch said.

The retired Ephrata High School special education teacher is seeking donations of boxed Valentine’s Day cards for children to share with their friends; cards of encouragement for victims of this devastating hurricane — many of whom are still dealing with the aftermath; and individually wrapped whoopie pies.

"People in Ephrata really reach out to people in need. After 9-11, the community donated over 1,000 Teddy bears to help comfort people in New York City. After Hurricane Katrina, over 1,000 Teddy bears were collected during the Ephrata Fair to help comfort people that were affected by that disaster," Lynch said.

She’s hoping that the community will once again reach out to people in need. In addition to the cards, her goal is to collect 500 whoopie pies, and although she would prefer if they were individually wrapped, unwrapped ones will also be accepted.

By: JAMES McGINNIS Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

Akron Borough Council heard a detailed description of plans for its section of the Warwick-Ephrata rail trail, slated to be built this summer.

Hugh Cadzow of the ELA engineering firm of Lititz gave a presentation showing an asphalt-paved multi-use trail. It continues southwest on an abandoned section of the former Reading-Columbia railroad line from the current southern terminus of the Ephrata Linear Park, just north of Parkview Heights Road. It crosses a small section of Ephrata Township before entering Akron just west of the Route 272 bridge, which PennDOT plans to replace with a smaller, concrete culvert this spring.

Once in the borough, the trail will continue following the old railroad grade, turning in a more westerly direction and extend to Main Street. It will connect via a wooden staircase constructed by a local Boy Scout as part of his Eagle project in 2011. Later phases of construction will extend the trail further west to the Warwick Township municipal campus, where it will connect with the Lititz-Warwick trailway, which extends to the east end of Lititz.

Photo by Stan Hall

The Rajah Shriners of Reading installed a new slate of officers recently in ceremonies held at the local headquarters in Blandon.

Edwin L. Engle of Denver, was installed potentate of the 3,700-member body for 2013. Born in Stouchsburg, Berks County, Engle is a graduate of Bethel High School and served in the PA Air National Guard from 1961 to 1967.

Engle’s career path was in the automotive industry. He worked in his father’s automotive supply business before taking a sales position with Carlos. R. Leffler, Inc. Engle worked in the oil and gasoline distribution business for over 30 years and owned and operated "On the Go Travel" in Lebanon for four years. He returned to the Leffler organization as a vice president of sales for the All-American Truck Stop division for Eastern United States and retired in 2001.

In 1990, he married Ferne Shanaman. Ed and Ferne have six children between them, including three sons and three daughters.

Engle is a member of St. John’s United Church of Christ of Denver. He is past president of the Richland Lions Club, past president of the Lebanon County Lions Sight Conservation Committee, past president of the Lebanon County Automotive Trade Association, and a member of the American Legion Post 880 in Richland.

South Central Pennsylvania’s One Book, One Community campaign enticed thousands of area residents to read "Zeitoun" by journalist Dave Eggers and participate in a wide variety of community-based programs that focused on the issues presented in the non-fiction title. Ethnic and racial profiling contributed to the Zeitoun family’s ordeal during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The regional reading campaign, now in its ninth year, was the first of its kind to be launched in Pennsylvania. In 2012 it ran from August 25 through mid-November.

"Zeitoun" was borrowed 2,916 times during the One Book, One Community campaign according to tracking done by the Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York county library systems and HACC academic libraries. These numbers reflect multiple formats of "Zeitoun" made available to the public as books, audio books, and e-books.

The relevance of this year’s book was enhanced by interest in the Muslim culture and Islam as many residents of the United States are from the Muslim culture.

Throughout September, October, and mid-November, an estimated 750 central Pennsylvanians participated in a total of 60 library programs, including book discussions, cooking demonstrations, and other related events. Many readers responded that they like the sense of community that the One Book program encourages while highlighting good literature. The response to this year’s campaign reaffirms the important role that libraries and books play in bringing people together.

By: ALICE HUMMER Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

After dealing with two snows requiring road maintenance over the holiday, East Cocalico supervisors started the year by being named in a lawsuit brought by residents of Park View Heights.

Stevens & Lee law firm was named at the Jan. 16 East Cocalico supervisors meeting as the special council to represent the township in any litigation.

"We are named in the lawsuit, along with many others," said East Cocalico Township supervisor chairman, Doug Mackley.

"The township might be thought of as a participant in the process where the deed restrictions were removed," said Mark Hiester, East Cocalico Township manager. "And we did have to sign off when residents won the right to purchase the land on which their mobile homes were placed."

At least twice in the last year and a half, Park View Heights residents appeared at township supervisors meetings requesting help to secure the right for residents to own their land instead of renting it.

Legally, there was nothing the township could do to assist. The residents feared with the state closure of the Vista Care health facility, the entire parcel of property — including the adjacent land where their homes sat — would be sold.