Lancaster General Health will open a new Urgent Care in Ephrata May 29.

The one-story, 5,000 square-foot facility will be located in the 222 Commons next to the Sheetz convenience store at 895 E. Main St. and will provide extended hours for minor medical emergencies and outpatient laboratory, X-ray and EKG services.

"This hybrid model meets the needs for patients requiring immediate urgent care and for LG Health patients who live in the area and need a convenient place to come for outpatient lab and imaging services that are closer to where they live," explained Susan Wynne, senior vice president of ambulatory services for LG Health.

Wynne also noted that LG Health and Ephrata Hospital have and will continue to collaborate to provide services to patients in the area.

"From our experience, we know that urgent care centers attract patients from a much wider geographic region," she said. "The location at the major artery of Route 322 will bring a large number of transient patients, including those from out-of-state, who are familiar with and are seeking the convenience of the urgent care setting."

Ephrata track athletes give Coach John Keller a ride after returning to the school following the girls team's section-clinching victory Monday at Lampeter-Strasburg. For complete details on the title, turn to page B-1. (Photo by Stan Hall)

Make-A-Wish of Philadelphia and the Susquehanna Valley will host the 23rd Annual Mother’s Day Truck Convoy and Family Fun Festival May 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Burle Business Park.

Day-long activities for children and adults of all ages begin at 8:30 a.m. with the famous Make-A-Wish auction, which contains more than 200 items from local businesses. The auction promises to include gifts for mom as well as items the entire family will enjoy.

Visitors can look forward to food, games, live entertainment and the largest gathering of clowns in the Susquehanna Valley. New this year is a BINGO tent, which will be available all day. Admission is free.

Over 300 trucks will depart from Burle Business Park at 1:30 p.m. and travel from Route 30 to Route 222, taking the Brownstown exit through Akron and into Ephrata, turning onto State Street and returning to Burle Business Park via Route 322.

The Ephrata Review would like to give veterans or families of veterans an opportunity to sit in the Steinman skybox at the Lancaster Barnstormers game at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 28 against the Somerset Patriots.

From those submitting photos for our "It’s All About You" Memorial Day preview tribute to veterans (May 23 issue), we will randomly select five families who can claim up to four seats to the May 28 game.

So, continue sending in those photos (see ads in this week’s edition) and earn a chance to spend Memorial Day enjoying hometown baseball in the comfort of the Steinman skybox at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Please indicate on your submission, if you are interested in being entered into the Barnstormer skybox drawing. Those who have already submitted will be contacted.

What is "It’s All About You?"

For more than 134 years, The Ephrata Review has focused its attention on you the reader. The content of the hometown weekly newspaper is uniquely local and is what we mean when we say "It’s All About You."

Terry Madonna

The Ephrata Area Chamber of Commerce will be celebrating its 90th anniversary May 17. To mark the occasion, a celebration will be held at the Eden Resort. The evening will include cocktails, dinner, live entertainment and key-note address from special guest Dr. G. Terry Madonna.

Dr. Madonna is a nationally recognized political pollster and director of the Center for Politics and Public Affairs at Franklin and Marshall College. He directs the National and State Franklin and Marshall College Poll. Dr. Madonna will provide perspective on the 2012 elections, with an emphasis on the presidential and congressional elections. Specifically, he will address the political environment the president faces — given the issues the voters have indicated are important to them. He will examine the relevant polling data and relate the findings of the polls to the campaigns. Plus, expect an analysis of policies and personalities. Finally, he will examine the presidential race and other campaigns in Pennsylvania.

By: LESLIE PENKUNAS Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

Ephrata grad Justin Yeager is shown with school children from Bocas del Toro, Panama, during a previous research visit.

Ephrata grad Justin Yeager recalled the first time he became passionate about poison frogs.

It was during a childhood visit to the National Aquarium in Baltimore with his family. He was four.

His mother, Ann, laughed from her home in Ephrata when reminded of that trip. She said that he begged her and her husband, Chuck, for a pet poison frog right then and there.

"We said, ‘No. They’re poisonous.’ So we bought him a little plastic one and that appeased him for a few years." Still, she recounted that her son had plenty of other pets, including bearded dragons, iguanas, geckos, sugar gliders and chinchillas.

"On our trips to Florida to visit his grandparents, he would smuggle back anoles," she said. "But I put my foot down on any snakes in the house."

When Justin was 8, he learned that poisonous frogs lose their toxicity in captivity. His parents finally relented and got him some, and he’s been raising the exotic amphibians ever since.

By: GARY P. KLINGER Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

A proposed new commercial development which would bring a Giant Foods grocery story to Ephrata Township along Route 322 cleared the next round of major hurdles at Tuesday night’s Ephrata Township Board of Supervisors meeting.

First up was approval of the final subdivision plan. The plan approved by supervisors Tuesday night included minor revisions to the preliminary plan approved late last year.

According to John Murphy, an engineer with Alpha Consulting Engineers representing the developer, minor tweaks had been made to the plan.

"We are willing to comply with all the issues listed by the township’s engineer, Ben Webber," Murphy told supervisors.

Webber, for his part, explained that the measures before the supervisors would clear the way for all the next steps on the project, from recording of new deeds, to establishing new tax parcels and more.

"This really needs to work like a domino effect," explained Webber. "Each step clears the way for the next step."

Webber added that the plan had been reviewed at the township planning commission meeting on April 24, and had garnered their recommendation for approval.

By: JACQUELINE WATSON Review Correspondent, Staff Writer

Residents of Wildflower Pond seem to have become regular attendees at the Clay Township board of supervisors meeting.

These residents’ concerns included their ongoing concerns and newer ones brought to the board by residents not usually attending.

Visitors’ comments were started off by Judy Echternach of Wildflower Pond. Judy expressed reservations about her responsibility to make repairs to a storm water pipe on her property. She feels she has no assurance that the pipe was installed correctly in the beginning. She noted that the pipe was cut off in the field and improper installation could have caused the current problems including the nearby sinkhole. Judy used the example of the sidewalks in the development not meeting standards as fodder to the possibility of the pipe not having been installed correctly.

Township Engineer Bob Lynn reassured Judy that the possibility of the pipe being inadequate has been researched with someone actually crawling inside the pipe and taking pictures. The result of this investigation was that the weakness of the pipe was caused from outside problems and not substandard quality in the pipe. Lynn agreed to investigate the situation further. Lynn also informed Judy that the pipe was purposely cut short to avoid discharge pouring into a known sinkhole.