Garden Spot Village Continuing Education MARCH FOCUS: New Holland Area Historical Society

Mitch Dissinger, co-founder and vice president of the New Holland Area Historical Society, says, “My love for local history started when I was a teenager. My first job was at Stauffer’s Drug Store. On Saturday afternoons, when it was slow, Mr. Stauffer would ask me to go up into the attic to get a box of old photos. He would start going through them and I would sit and ask questions. As it turns out, Mr. Stauffer was the first person in New Holland to have a camera. He took pictures of everything. Today those photos are a gold mine of local history.”

This early inspiration, plus his dad’s collection of historic New Holland memorabilia, inspired Mitch to start his own collection. He attended public auctions and garage sales. When he got word that someone was throwing out old items, he would go dumpster diving.

In 2003, Mitch and Steve Loewen, another New Holland businessman, started a committee to celebrate New Holland’s 275th birthday. When the celebration was over, they began to talk about how they could establish a historical society. They pulled together like-minded members of the community and started meeting. In 2007, an anonymous donation allowed the organization to acquire a 501(c)3. Today, the New Holland Area Historical Society works to collect, organize and preserve information and historical materials that provide insight into understanding the life and times of the New Holland area, and to share these finds with others through museum exhibits, lectures and educational outreach programs.

The Historical Society operates a museum located on the second floor of the historic Kauffman’s Hardware building located at 207 East Main Street in New Holland. Mitch coordinates educational programs, which are open to the public and hosted at Garden Spot Village on the third Thursday evening, February through May, September and October.

“I am always on the lookout for programs that I think are interesting or appealing. I try to get programs about local history—either Lancaster County or New Holland—if I can,” Mitch says. As the owner of Lickity Split, he visits with his customers and often connects with program ideas that way.

Upcoming programs include:

• Thursday, March 16, 7pm, Chapel: Brett Snyder, a local historian, will share the life story of H. Clifton Thorbahn. Brett says, “I’m working to revive interest in H. Clifton Thorbahn’s importance to Lancaster County, based on his own scrapbook - as a Jazz music pioneer, writer, historian, teacher, editor, publisher and tourism promoter.”

• Thursday, April 20, 7pm, Chapel: Matthew Christopher, creator of the Abandoned America website, podcast and book series, will take us on a journey through some of America’s most haunting ruins.

To learn more about New Holland Area Historical Society, visit nhhistorical.com

CHECK OUT MARCH THEATER EXPERIENCES!

FRIDAY FLICKS, 2PM & 7PM, THEATER

3/3 & 3/10: A Dog’s Purpose 2017 | PG

3/17 & 3/24: Guernsey Literary & Potato

Peel Pie Society 2018 | NR

CURIOSITY STREAMING, 7PM, THEATER

3/5: Secrets of the Brain: Phantom Limb

3/19: Secrets of the Brain: Seeing is Believing

TRAVEL SERIES, 3:30PM, THEATER

3/6: Wild Italy: Alps to Tuscany

3/20: Wild Italy: Sardinia to Abruzzo

TUESDAY MUSICALS, 2PM & 7PM, THEATER

3/21: The Quiet Man 1952 | PG | John Wayne

MOVIE OLDIES, 2PM & 7PM, THEATER

3/16: Casablanca 1942 | PG | Bogart & Bergman

THEATER RERUNS, 2 & 7PM, GSV-TV 957 ONLY

3/3 & 3/10: Thirteen Lives

3/17 & 3/24: Mrs Harris Goes to Paris

SPECIAL FEATURE, THEATER

THE CHOSEN, SEASON 3 3/4, 1:30pm: Episode 1

Episode 2

3/14, 2pm & 7pm

3/18, 1:30pm: Episode 3

Re-Run: 3/23, 2pm & 7pm

3/25, 1:30pm: Episode 4

Re-Run: 3/28, 2pm & 7pm

4/1, 1:30pm: Episode 5

Re-Run: 4/4, 2pm & 7pm

4/8, 1:30pm: Episode 6

Re-Run: 4/11, 2pm & 7pm

4/15, 1:30pm: Episode 7

Re-Run: 4/17, 2pm & 7pm

4/22, 1:30pm: Episode 8

Re-Run: 4/25, 3:30pm & 7pm

Movies are subject to change. See the Weekly Announcements or CATIE for updates.

Around Town

March 3: Lancaster First Friday www.visitlancastercity.com

March 4-12: Philadelphia Flower Show www.phsonline.org

March 10: Winter Blahs Dance, Lanc. Country Club

BBJBBlahsBall@gmail.com

March 13: Hooks & Needles Yarn Club

ELANCO Library

March 22: Family Bingo Night, ELANCO Library

March 23: Living Well with Diabetes Support WellSpan Center: www.wellspan.org/events

March 24: Mud Sale, Farmersville Fire Co.