Progress-Juniata County

20 YEARS AND GROWING

Lions Den excels as a resource for community with its support

BY BRIAN CARSON Sentinel correspondent news@lewistownsentinel.com

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MCALISTERVILLE

The Fayette Area Lions Den cele brates its 20th year of operation this year, serving the community through various fitness, well-be ing and activities programs.

The Lions Den is a charitable, non-profit organization founded and operated by the Fayette Area Lions Club. The Lions Den is a community resource funded by membership, participation fees and donations.

Executive Director Karen Leister credits the community support for the success and stay ing power of the Lions Den.

“Community support through

donations and volunteers is ev erything. The indoor soccer and field hockey, as well as summer camps, have always been a con stant here. However, the backing of the community is by far the No. 1 reason we are still here,” she said. “We could not do what we do without the continued sup port of local individuals, fam ilies, and businesses that have provided financial support for us over the years.”

Leister began working at the Lions Den five years ago and rose quickly through the organiza tion.

“I started working at the Lions Den in 2017 as a part-time front desk employee. In 2019, I became the assistant to the director. In August 2020, I was asked to step

into the role and was officially promoted to executive director in August 2021,” Leister said.

“I did not grow up in this area, but the Lions Den has become an essential part of my life over the last several years. I take the successes and failures personally and do my best to help the Den continue to thrive and succeed,” she said. “I very much appreciate all the community members and businesses, as well as the Board of Directors, for supporting me in my role as the Executive Di rector of the Den.”

The Lions Den provides nu merous benefits to the commu nity, one of the main ones being the long history and stability of the club itself.

“It’s a great place to stay or get

active and healthy for both the young and old alike. Because we have been able to remain in the community for so long, the mem bers feel assured that they will have a place to come to partici pate in healthy exercises, class es, weightlifting, indoor sports, etc.,” Leister said.

The Den is always creating new offerings and classes rang ing from weight training to yoga and everything in between. There are programs for every age and fitness level.

“Last year in 2021, we received a donation of updated equip ment (treadmills, ellipticals, re cumbent bikes, Stairmasters) ... thank you to Paul Meshyock and Club LaMaison for their generos ity,” Leister said. “The Den now

offers personal training packag es to help you begin or continue your fitness journey. Most of our aerobics classes have returned since COVID, including the re cent addition of a yoga class, several Zumba classes through out each week, and currently, a Tai Chi class is being held here for the seniors through the Miff lin-Juniata Area Agency on Ag ing. We will upgrade and repair the ceiling/insulation in the are na; this project is slated for July 2023.”

Running a business is not without difficulties. For Leister, the Lions Den is no different, especially now with the current economic conditions.

Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS

The Fayette Area Lions Den has served the fitness and recreation needs of the area for 20 years, and continues to grow.

WEDDING BELLS

venue for nuptials,

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@ lewistownsentinel.com

MIFFLINTOWN —

When it comes to planning a wedding, Billie McNemar of Mifflin starts by draw ing from her own expe riences of walking down the aisle. Then, the Mifflin woman thinks BIG.

“When I got married, you’d go to the church, find a hall and just have a simple wedding and recep tion,” McNemar said. “We got a caterer and did the ba sics. There was not a lot of extra added stuff like there is today.

“They’ve got food trucks now, barbecue guys with full spreads of food and photo booths,” she add ed. “There are coffee bars, mini donut trailers and cute little cars that come in.” McNemar and her hus band, Curt, didn’t have any bells and whistles for their wedding ceremony in 2001. At times, she’s been a wed ding planner in-training while she’s gained more knowledge about the busi ness.

“There has been a learn ing curve,” explained Mc Nemar, who was a stay-athome mom for 20 years. “We’ve been trying to dive in and figure it out. It’s been encouraging and enlightening, and also eye-opening that the wed ding industry has changed so much since we got mar ried 21 years ago.”

While she might be lack ing a bit in experience, one definite advantage Mc Nemar has is her venue.

In April, the McNemars bought the Laurel Rock Farm wedding venue in Mifflintown. Surrounded by 20 acres of beautifully manicured meadows, the farm has an outside wed ding alter, numerous flow er gardens, babbling brook and two beautiful build ings.

She could never have imagined being married at such a venue.

Since the buying the Ju niata County property, the McNemars have been try

ing to restore its grandeur since Laurel Rock Farm has been closed for the bet ter part of four years.

“We have been cutting down dead trees, stump grinding and cleaning property up,” McNemar explained. “There was a lot of water damage, which was work in itself.

“The barn needed reno vating and the restrooms, bringing them up to code,” she added. “It also wasn’t up to our standards. As far as renting a building for a wedding, the air condition ers were broken. When you go into a wedding venue and the air conditioning is not working, you really don’t feel comfortable.”

McNemar certainly wants a day filled with bliss for her wedding parties; she works to make sure that unexpected issues ar en’t part of the ceremony.

“There have been some surprises with the weath er,” she said. “It is slowly coming together the way we expected.”

Their calendar for 2023 weddings is filling up quickly.

“We’re doing well,” Mc Nemar said. “It’s fun see ing the couples come in and see what they have in them (wedding plans). They’ve wowed at the space. I don’t remember doing that.”

‘One-stop’ planner

With her business acu men, McNemar under stands the financial strain that a wedding can put on

couples. Dream weddings come with a hefty price tag.

Combine that with school loans, buying a house or car and “it’s dis heartening for them, espe cially young couples,” Mc Nemar said. “They want to have their wedding, and they’re also trying to buy a house and start planning a family. It’s hard enough for new couples to come up with down payment for a house. I can’t fathom that.”

Brides and their grooms want lavish weddings but not the big bills that go with them.

“We understand couples are having trouble in to day’s economy, so we have payment plans,” she said. “It’s a tremendous amount of money for a down pay ment, so people can save the date. It doesn’t have to be that hard to have that wonderful day.”

McNemar said working with wedding parties is the most rewarding part of her job.

“On the grander scale, they put a lot of time and effort into a wedding,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun watching that.”

Sentimental sale

Even though Curt’s grandparents and parents had previously owned the property, the McNemars had no idea that it was on the market.

They had contacted a Realtor about looking for a house for their stepson in the area. The farm being for sale came up during those conversations. The land was part of a bigger property that Curt’s family owned, and it was sold and subdivided in the 1970s.

“His grandfather had partnered with somebody and when the partnership dissolved, the (Laurel Rock Farm) part was given to this gentleman. It was al ways the desire of my hus band to get it back to his

mother’s property now,” she said.

Buying the farm became a no-brainer. “Absolutely,” McNemar said of the op portunity to become own ers. “I think because of the sentimental value that my husband has for his fam ily’s property. He used to ride his bike up and down that road, delivering the Grit newspaper as a kid. He grew up on the adjoin ing farm. Because it was part of his family’s farm, he used to run around the farm and play at the milk house.

“He still knows a lot of people in the area,” she added. “His brother still lives in the area, so does his nephew and his mom lives on the adjacent farm.

Laurel Rock Farm in Mifflintown, owned by the McNemar family, serves as a wedding venue and can host other events as well. Billie McNemar also offers wedding planning services.

Sentinel

Oriental covered bridge soon to reopen

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams

@lewistownsentinel.com

ORIENTAL — A historic covered bridge that carries traffic over Mahantango Creek at the border of Juni ata and Snyder counties will back in the service soon.

In May 2021, the North Oriental Covered Bridge was damaged when a truck crashed into it. Penn sylvania Department of Transportation officials confirmed repairs are con tinuing for the 1908-built landmark, also known as Beaver Covered Bridge or Curry’s Corner Bridge. The project work is expected to be completed in late Novem ber.

Accounts reported the truck went almost the whole way through the bridge and broke most of the upper beams on the bridge, which has a multiple King Post Truss design.

Located on Turkey Valley Road near Oriental, Susque hanna Township in Juniata County and Perry Township near Meiserville in Snyder County, the 65-foot bridge carries an average of 874 ve hicles daily.

The bridge is part of the state highway system, and is one of two bridges that span the Mahantango Creek, the border between Juniata and Snyder counties.

It is one of three remain ing covered bridges left in Juniata County. Local of ficials, including the Juni

ata River Valley Visitors Bureau, were optimistic PennDOT would be able to return the bridge to its for mer glory.

“The Visitors Bureau hopes that any historic de tails of the Oriental Bridge that were damaged in the latest accident will be re paired and that the bridge retains its important place along with the other three covered bridges in Juni ata County,” said Jenny Barron Landis, executive director of the Juniata Riv er Valley Visitors Bureau.

“Bridge fanatics travel far and wide to visit covered bridges, and Juniata Coun ty is a destination for them if only taking into account the Pomeroy/Academia Bridge — the longest re maining covered bridge in Pennsylvania.”

PennDOT initially an nounced a July 18, 2022, start date for the project, but supply chain issues impacted the delivery of materials need for timber repairs and resulted in a lengthy delay. Work final ly began on the project on Aug. 1.

Repairs to the bridge include timber repairs, removal and resetting of stone masonry facing and miscellaneous construc tion, according to Timothy Nebgen, safety press officer for PennDOT. The cost of the repairs is $359,000.

With the bridge closed, drivers must detour using Covered Bridge Road, Pine Swamp Road, Route 104 and Oriental Road.

This historic covered bridge, damaged by a truck, is expected to re open next month.

The bridge is one of sev eral historic wooden bridg es the county is tasked with preserving. While the bridge is publicly owned, the land around it is all marked as private proper ty.

The bridge also was closed in 1988 for rehabili tation work.

“Our historical build ings and bridges may bring visitors, but the real value of keeping and maintain ing these treasures is to help our communities re tain a connection to its past and the people that built them,” Landis added.

In 1979, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS

Sentinel photo by MIKE GOSS Sheetz in Mifflintown is expected to open in November after a complete remodeling. A photo of the interior appears on the cover.

BY GREG WILLIAMS Sentinel reporter gwilliams@ lewistownsentinel.com

RICHFIELD — Normal ly, it’s a doctor’s bedside manner that is memorable to a patient.

In this case, the warm welcome that the medical staff at Turnpaugh Health and Wellness Center re ceived during an appear ance at Richfield Life Min istries in April eventually led to them expanding to an old Juniata County feed mill.

“Two of our doctors, Dr. Chris Turnpaugh and Dr. Shannon Smith, went up there for a health talk to a church community and it was really well received,” said Heather Turnpaugh, chief operating officer of the Mechanicsburg-based organization. “The people who attended said they wished we would open an office up there because they have nothing like us in the area.”

Their fourth location, formerly the Richfield Feed Mill, is expected to open in January 2023.

Dr. Chris Turnpaugh, one of the medical staff who spoke in Richfield, founded the practice in 1999 after deciding that the Mechanicsburg communi ty deserved a place where patients could go to feel heard and receive the best care possible.

Turnpaugh Health’s goal is to provide compas sionate, empathetic care to their patients. They pro vide their patients with the most comprehensive and individualized care avail able, so they can experi ence healing and optimal well-being. Their staff has years of expertise, knowl edge of the inter-workings of the human body and real results.

Currently, Turnpaugh operates wellness centers in Mechanicsburg and two locations in Lancast er County, Manheim and Strasburg.

They employee about 30 to 35 employees in Me chanicburg, 15 employees in Manheim and a smaller

number in Strasburg.

The Richfield location, which will be housed in a 2,000-square foot space, could have as many as 10 employees.

If it hadn’t been for 15 to 20 patients who travel to other Turnpaugh loca tions, reaching out on be half of their families and the community, she admits Richfield wouldn’t have been on their radar.

“We had no plans to open another office and no thoughts about this area,” Turnpaugh explained. “Af ter the talk, people were sending us messages that they’d love to have us come and have a presence in that area.

“It was a natural, organ ic reason to go up there,” she added.

Turnpaugh heard that the space at the old feed mill was available and thought it was a “really cool space and would be a really great location,” she said.

Turnpaugh said the owners who bought the

property polled Richfield residents and nearly onethird stated they wanted a coffee shop. Others wanted an ice cream parlor, bakery, winery and brewery. Near ly a quarter of those polled answered, “other.”

That could include a wellness center.

“That’s why they are renovating the right side for us,” Turnpaugh said.

The other side of the building will house the Old Mill Coffeehouse.

According to the busi nesses’ Facebook page, the coffeehouse will be arriv ing “early this fall” and offer a full line of expres so drinks, fruit smoothies, café-style eats and more. An Aug. 11 Facebook post advertised for help.

Prior to renovations starting, “You walk in and it was old and dilapidat ed,” Turnpaugh said. “It had a really neat hallway that connects the coffee shop to our office and our IV therapy suite. You can

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look out on the road and see the mountains in the background.”

The social media re sponse to the announce ment of their expansion was also overwhelming.

“Our social media an nouncement about Rich field got the most traction of any of our posts have even gotten,” Turnpaugh said. “That’s why we’re so excited to get up there.”

Turnpaugh Health and Wellness Center specializ es in functional and inte grative family medicine. Functional medicine ad dresses the root cause of the disease and doesn’t simply address the symp toms.

Den

“Operating any business has its struggles, even more so I believe for a non-prof it, but with good financial management and a consci entious staff and board of directors, and … the ongo ing support of the commu nity, we have been able to overcome adversities,” she said.

Leister looks forward to the future and what will unfold for the Lions Den af ter two decades of serving the community. She knows none of it will be possible without local community involvement.

“With continued commu nity support from individ uals and local businesses, as well as grants, we hope to continue to maintain throughout the recent and ongoing struggles that ev eryone faces, which is the inflation costs for utilities and other goods and ser vices,” Leister said. “We are always trying to develop new ways to bring activi ties in that will attract more memberships and guests to our facility.”

Memberships are avail able for individuals and families with special rates for students, seniors, vet erans and first responders. Memberships are available by the month, quarterly, semiannually and annually.

Also offered are day pass es, 10-visit passes, individu al classes for nonmembers and access to the indoor

Functional medicine is a systems approach to medicine with advanced diagnostic tools. Their goals for your health are to improve how you feel and to improve your lab results as well. Turnpaugh said staff works to help patients achieve their healthiest lives.

“Because of the pandem ic, we have a lot of people who come in to maximize their health,” Turnpaugh explained. “They may have underlying conditions they didn’t know they have. We do a full functional medi cine evaluation.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve seen more patients come in for overall well ness, anti-aging care, long COVID and ongoing chronic conditions,” she added. “Most of the people we found had an underly

ing, undetected condition they had prior to getting COVID.”

Turnpaugh’s services also include chiropractic and massage services, IV nutrition therapy, integra tive family medicine, nu trition and health coach ing, naturopathic medicine and functional psychother apy.

They’ve already hired familiar faces including Jodi Jordan PA-C, who worked at the former Rich field Family Practice, and IV therapy nurse Tammy Leitzel. Turnpaugh also has Mechanicsburg provid ers who will travel to Juni ata County to see patients a couple of days each month.

“Our business has al ways been very busy,” Turnpaugh added. “We cannot wait to join the Richfield community.”

Venue

It tugged at his heart when he found out it was for sale. That was the biggest decid ing factor for us.”

Getting the business back up and running is their immediate goal.

“It was not really open per se,” McNemar said. “It wasn’t being advertised. If somebody knew about it being open, that’s really who used it. Not being used for four years is a long time, especially for a barn.”

The barn was previous ly used to house farm ani mals.

“This was an actual barn,” she said. “When things aren’t used, nature tends to creep in.”

Ceremony space and more

Equipped with romantic ceremony spaces, Laurel Rock Farm makes it easy to gain the captivating wed ding day photos brides and grooms always imagined.

“We just want to let the community know we are here again and open again,” McNemar said.

The Barn provides a tra ditional rustic space for those seeking a large area that requires little decorat ing. Large decks offer an indoor and outdoor feel as well as endless options for a wedding day.

The Laurelton offers a barn-style setting with ex posed beams and modern amenities. With five sets of double doors that open onto a large deck, guests can enjoy the outside while taking in a view of the property. The building is available for year-round events.

“They want to have fun at their reception,” McNe mar said. “There are lots of fun things now that they can do now that we just didn’t do back then.”

track only.

The center also hosts in door soccer and field hockey leagues. Soccer leagues are offered for a wide variety of age groups, beginning for children as young as age 5 all the way through adult leagues. Field hock ey leagues begin with kin dergarten and early grade school and again advance to adult competition.

League play for fall be gins Nov. 6. Sessions run six weeks plus playoffs.

The Lions Den is open Monday through Thursday from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sat urday, and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The McAlisterville Se nior Center at the Lions Den for those 60 and older meets from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mon day through Friday.

For more information, call (717) 436-3300 or visit the Lions Den website at www. fayettelionsden.org.

There’s an outdoor altar for outside weddings.

Opening the venue has made McNemar contem plate renewing her own vows.

“It does make you think about it with all the fun things out there for brides and grooms,” she admits. “They talk to me about

playing cornhole on the property or bringing in photo booths.”

The venue can be used for more than weddings, she said.

Laurel Rock Farm host ed a vendor event in Sep tember where prospective wedding parties consulted with the McNemars and ex plore the venue. The event featured professionals from every aspect of wedding planning, including pho tographers, DJs, limousine service, catering, bar ser vice, event planners and coordinators, décor rental and more.

While planning a wed ding can be scary, Mc Nemar hopes it pales in comparison to their “It’s a Monster Mash” Hallow een Party slated for Friday, Oct. 28. The event features food, games, prizes, com

plementary adult brew and spooky spirits, and features DJ Calvin from Extreme Sound Entertainment.

They’re hoping to sell Christmas trees for the hol idays at the farm as well.

“People can come up and sit around the fire, toasting marshmallows, get a cup of hot cocoa and meet Santa Claus,” McNemar said.

A church collective also is planned. Churches in the Mifflin and Juniata coun ties area have scheduled events geared toward en couraging young adults to join their fellowship.

“The hope is that they can make a connection with a like-minded Chris tian adult,” she said. “They find a safe place for people to get together. They find healthy relationships in the church and in each oth er.”

Sentinel photos by MIKE GOSS

The Lions Den offers indoor sports on its artificial turf field, top, and has a full selection of exercise equipment.