Dauphin County Edition
December 2012
Vol. 14 No. 12
Memories in the Mail Local History Preserved in Vast Postcard Collection By Chelsea Shank Bob Sallade loves the thrill of the hunt. And as a deltiologist—that is, someone who collects postcards—he takes every opportunity that he can to hunt for postcards to add to his collection. Sallade, 63, has a collection of between 4,000 and 5,000 postcards. Collecting postcards is tied with coin collecting as the second most popular hobby, next to collecting stamps, said Sallade. He started his collection about six years ago. “I went to flea markets for other reasons and I picked up five old postcards … and that’s what started it,” Sallade said. As a native of Central Pennsylvania, he takes a personal interest in the history of the area and enjoys finding postcards featuring old buildings that are no longer around and others that are still standing. “My thrill is getting different scenes,” said Sallade. He has postcards of a former recreational facility called Playland, which had a roller skating rink and swimming pool where Sallade spent time as a teenager. There are others in his collection of an old judicial center, the Wrightsville Bridge, and hotels and motels that are no longer in operation. “That’s the interesting part—seeing what your town used to look like,” said Sallade. please see MEMORIES page 16 Postcard collector Bob Sallade preserves images of days gone by in dozens of binders stored at his home.
Inside:
Welcoming the New Year page 10
Vaccination Options for Seniors page 14
Beyond the Battlefield
His Postwar Mission: Taking Jewish Refugees to Palestine Alvin S. Goodman ene Alexander, 88, of Hummelstown, who served in both the Merchant Marine and U.S. Navy during World War II, volunteered for service transporting Jewish refugees from Europe to Palestine after the war. “When I was back in civilian life and at the beach, I met a girl who found out I was a marine engineer and I learned she was connected to the Haganah, the Jewish Palestinian secret service. “Next thing I knew, I was in contact with the local headquarters and on my way to pick up a ship. It turned out to be an old decommissioned U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the Ulua. We spent a month getting her ready for duty, then set sail on the Atlantic.” Alexander said they ran into a heavy storm but made it to the Azores. After refueling, they reached Marseilles, France, where they spent a month
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putting bunks and toilets in the hold. Africa. It took six hours to fix the Then they traveled up the coast of engine.” The next stop was Italy, where Europe to the southern coast of Sweden. they picked up 600 more passengers who “We docked there and picked up 700 had survived the Holocaust. young Jewish girls who had been rescued Before reaching Haifa, Palestine, from the Alexander’s ship concentration was intercepted camps by the by five British Swedes.” Before patrol boats. establishment “Our crew of the State of captured the Israel in 1948, first boarding Palestine was a party of British The Coast Guard ship Ulua British Marines. One prior to being decommissioned. protectorate, ship got in and Jewish refugees were denied front of us but we rammed her—luckily, admission to the Holy Land. we had an ice-breaker bow. The next “As we headed south to the British boarding party took over the ship. Mediterranean, we ran into the mother I was hit on the head with a club and of all storms. We made it through the they threw tear gas at us. I was knocked storm with seasick passengers. However, out and ended up with a deep cut on my the ship was leaking steam, so we had to head. pull into a cove on the coast of North “They rammed our rudder and we hit
a reef and ran aground in the Haifa Bay. I posed as one of the passengers. They put us on a prison ship to the Cypress detention camps. On the way, a British doctor stitched my scalp. After about a month in the camps, I escaped with the help of the Haganah. Two months in a kibbutz in Palestine and I was sent back to France. “As soon as I got there I was assigned to the Pan York, a ship the Haganah had bought from the United Fruit Co. We spent a month in Marseilles retrofitting her; then we sailed to Constanta, Romania, on the Black Sea.” There Alexander was transferred to the Pan Crescent, sister ship of the Pan York. They spent two months to retrofit both ships. “Then we got word that the Romanians would not let us take anyone from their country but they had no objection if Jews boarded the ships in
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Bulgaria, so they were taken by train to a Bulgarian port for transport. “I don’t know how we managed it, but we got 7,000 people aboard each ship!” In the Mediterranean, a British cruiser and several destroyers confronted them. The skippers made an agreement with the British to proceed directly to Cypress. “We unloaded the passengers, who were taken to detention camps. We anchored the ships in the bay and I and a small crew were allowed to stay aboard to keep the auxiliary equipment running.” After a month, Alexander was relieved of the ship and the Haganah sneaked him into Palestine. From there he made it to France and then the U.S. Although he did not achieve his objective to reach Palestine, Alexander was glad that he was able to save thousands of European refugees from the horrors of the Holocaust, and they eventually made it to the Promised Land.
When home he attended City College of New York, finished off his engineering credits, and forwarded them to the Merchant Marine Academy, where he received a B.S. in marine engineering. He then got a B.S. in psychology from CCNY. He spent a year in Detroit studying child psychology, received an M.S. in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut, and, six years later, a doctorate in psychology from the University of Michigan. During this time, Alexander spent two years as a hospital psychologist in Virginia and six years as a school psychologist in suburban Detroit. “After my doctorate, I taught two years at Indiana State University and then came to Harrisburg in 1964 to become director of a mental health center. I finally ended up teaching psychology at Shippensburg University for 27 years.” Alexander retired at age 70, but five years later worked part-time as a
geriatric psychologist, finally retiring in his early 80s. “Somehow I managed to marry five times!” He has four children and five grandchildren. “I enjoy my present wife Christie’s family. We spent two weeks teaching English in Spain. We rented an apartment in Paris and took a 60-foot houseboat up the canals from
Whitchurch, U.K., to Wales.” Alexander summed up his vast experiences by saying, “It has been an interesting life.” If you are a mature veteran and have interesting or unusual experiences in your military or civilian life, phone Al Goodman at (717) 541-9889 or email him at klezmer630@comcast.net.
In honor of World War II vets ... and in memory of the attack on Pearl Harbor
Resource Directory This Resource Directory recognizes advertisers who have made an extended commitment to your health and well-being. Cremation Auer Cremation Services of PA (800) 722-8200 Zimmerman Auer Funeral Home, Inc. (717) 545-4001 Emergency Central PA Poison Center (800) 521-6110 Dauphin County Office of Aging (717) 255-2790 Floor Coverings Gipe Floor & Wall Covering (717) 545-6103 Funeral Directors Zimmerman Auer Funeral Home, Inc. (717) 545-4001
PACE (800) 225-7223
Property Tax/Rent Rebate (888) 728-2937
Social Security Information (800) 772-1213
Insurance Apprise Insurance Counseling (800) 783-7067
Tri-County Association for the Blind (717) 238-2531 Healthcare Information PA Healthcare Cost Containment Council (717) 232-6787 Home Care Services CareMinders Home Care (717) 454-0159 Safe Haven Quality Care (717) 238-1111 Visiting Angels (717) 652-8899
Health & Medical Services Alzheimer’s Association (717) 651-5020
Home Improvement Dreammaker Bath & Kitchen (717) 367-9753
American Diabetes Association (800) 342-2383
Hospice Services Homeland Hospice (717) 221-7890
Arthritis Foundation – Central PA Chapter (717) 763-0900 CONTACT Helpline (717) 652-4400 The National Kidney Foundation (717) 757-0604 (800) 697-7007 www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Housing/Apartments B’Nai B’rith Apartments (717) 232-7516 Housing Assistance Dauphin County Housing Authority (717) 939-9301
Lincoln Heritage (484) 945-3213 Medical Equipment & Supplies GSH Home Med Care (717) 272-2057 Orthotics & Prosthetics Ability Prosthetics and Orthotics, Inc. (717) 458-8429
The Salvation Army Edgemont Temple Corps (717) 238-8678 Toll-Free Numbers American Lung Association (800) LUNG-USA Bureau of Consumer Protection (800) 441-2555 Meals on Wheels (800) 621-6325 National Council on Aging (800) 424-9046 Social Security Office (800) 772-1213
CVS/pharmacy www.cvs.com Rehabilitation Spring Creek Rehabilitation & Health Care Center (717) 565-7000 Retirement Communities Homeland Center (717) 221-7902
Veterans Affairs (717) 626-1171 (800) 827-1000 Transportation CAT Share-A-Ride (717) 232-6100 Veterans Services Lebanon VA Medical Center (717) 228-6000 (800) 409-8771
The Middletown Home (717) 941-3351 Services Dauphin County Area Agency on Aging (717) 255-2790
Not an all-inclusive list of advertisers in your area.
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The Search for Our Ancestry
‘Noble’ Ancestors
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Angelo Coniglio Q: I have begun developing my family genealogy, and in going online, I found someone with a common ancestor. This researcher, who is evidently related to me, has an extensive family tree for that ancestor, going back to a king of Persia in 1300 AD. How do I know whether this is accurate, and if I am descended from that king? – O.K., Illinois A: I’m generally wary of such claims. It is true that if anyone traces his lineage back 20 generations or so, the odds of finding a “noble” ancestor increase. This is because of the huge number of ancestors any person has in his 20th generation back, and the fact that if we go that far back in time, the total number of people living was much smaller than today. 1300 AD could be 25 generations or more ago. You (and I, and everyone) had about 30 million ancestors who lived 25 generations back, or about 10 percent of the world’s population! There probably was a noble or two in that group of ancestors, but the problem is proving it. Such claims are further lessened by the fact that in most countries 800 years ago, detailed records simply didn’t exist, and in fact many of the countries (or political boundaries) that existed in 1300 are no longer here. “Nobles” did keep better track of lineage than common folk (or someone kept it for them), and well-documented and reliable family trees may exist for some noble families. But in this instance, as well as in more mundane cases where someone claims to know the names of, and pertinent information about, your great-greatgrandparents and their ancestry, the key question to ask is, “What are the researcher’s sources?” Before I went to the trouble of adding voluminous information to my family tree from another tree, I
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would want to be sure that every relationship in someone else’s genealogy database had been confirmed to my satisfaction. Consider some types of sources, from the most reliable to the least: Primary Records: Your greatgrandmother’s birth record from her town of birth. Your aunt’s birth certificate, filed with a local governmental office. A church record of your parents’ marriage. These are all primary records, made at the time of the specific event they
document. Some, for example, a marriage record, may be primary records of one event and secondary records of another. See below. Secondary Records: Your greatgrandfather’s tombstone gives his birth date as Jan. 1, 1898. Your mother’s marriage certificate says she was born on June 12, 1950. Your father’s Army discharge papers report his birthday. These are all secondary records of the events I have noted. However, the information in question may be included in a primary record of another event. For example, a marriage certificate is a primary record of the marriage, but only a secondary record of the births of the bride and groom. Some
information on any sort of record may be hearsay. Hearsay: Your father says his father was born in 1921 in Belgium. A neighbor of your grandmother’s tells you that one of your uncles was married three times. Your mother says she was married on April 10, 1972. All of these are hearsay. The person conveying the message may be reliable or not, but the information they convey is not backed up by a document (not that you would ask your mother to prove that she had been married!). A good researcher not only records the names and dates associated with subjects of a study, but also documents the sources of the information, so that others can decide for themselves how reliable the information may be. Such documentation of sources may say “personal conversation with so-and-so,” which is hearsay; or “birth date given on death certificate No. 27168, Erie County, N.Y.” (primary for the death date, secondary for the birth date); or “1889 Serradifalco, Sicily, birth record Number 158 for Gaetano Coniglio,” a primary record of birth. Most genealogy software allows entry of source information, and I try to include a source for every important bit of information I record. If others doubt any information I have online, they can usually go to the same source I cite and check it out. In the case of the above letter writer, I would suggest he contact his “relative” and ask: “What are your sources?” Angelo Coniglio encourages readers to contact him by writing to 438 Maynard Drive, Amherst, N.Y. 14226; by email at Genealogytips@aol.com; or by visiting www.conigliofamily.com/ ConiglioGenealogyTips.htm. His new historical fiction novel, The Lady of the Wheel, is available through Amazon.com.
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Social Security News
Benefit Increase Announced, Office Hours Reduced Monthly Social Security and (taxable maximum) will increase to Supplemental Security Income (SSI) $113,700 from $110,100. benefits for nearly 62 million Americans Of the estimated 163 million workers will increase 1.7 percent in 2013, the who will pay Social Security taxes in Social Security Administration 2013, nearly 10 million will pay higher announced recently. taxes as a result of the increase in the The 1.7 taxable maximum. percent cost-ofInformation Increased payments to living adjustment about Medicare (COLA) will changes for 2013, more than 8 million SSI begin with when announced, beneficiaries will begin benefits that more will be available at than 56 million www.medicare.gov. on Dec. 31, 2012. Social Security For some beneficiaries beneficiaries, their receive in January 2013. Increased Social Security increase may be partially payments to more than 8 million SSI or completely offset by increases in beneficiaries will begin on Dec. 31, 2012. Medicare premiums. Some other changes that take effect in The Social Security Act provides for January of each year are based on the how the COLA is calculated. To read increase in average wages. Based on that more, please visit www.socialsecurity.gov/ increase, the maximum amount of cola. earnings subject to the Social Security tax
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overtime needed to handle service to the public as it has done in the past. Most Social Security services do not require a visit to a local office. Many services—including applying for retirement, disability, or Medicare benefits; signing up for direct deposit; replacing a Medicare card; obtaining a proof of income letter; or informing us of a change of address or telephone number—are conveniently available at www.socialsecurity.gov or by dialing the toll-free number, (800) 772-1213. People who are deaf or hard-ofhearing may call the TTY number, (800) 325-0778. Many online services also are available in Spanish at www.segurosocial.gov.
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Additional Comments
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Such Is Life
Broccoli and Happy Endings Saralee Perel y husband, Bob, attracts lunatics. One is a stand-alone screwball. Hey, I heard that! It’s not me. It’s our 6-year-old cat, Murphy. Of course we adore him, and he’s the happiest being we’ve ever known. Murphy’s not just dimwitted; he’s also a thief. But he swipes things that no cat with even half a brain would want. Well, I’m not being fair. Murphy doesn’t have half a brain. There should be a sign over his head that reads: “Vacancy.” He’s lightning fast. One night, in a flash, he jumped on the table, grabbed an entire crown of broccoli that was twice the size of his head, and raced away with it, all the while scarfing it down so that none of our other cats could have what every cat dreams of (sarcastic): broccoli. His favorite food group? Dust balls. Yes, we vacuum. They appear out of nowhere like Bob’s ex-brother-in-law who’s suddenly in our living room wanting to borrow more cash. Murphy has an incessant desire to rip tape off UPS boxes. When I extract the tape from his throat, he doesn’t notice. Can you imagine sticking your fingers 3 inches down your cat’s throat without him even caring you’re doing it? Murphy’s race to eat everything recently took a disastrous turn on a late Sunday night. Bob put a pill on the counter for our dog, Gracie. This pill is so bitter that no pet will take it unless owners disguise it in something tasteful. But Murphy made a beeline to it and ate it. We called a poison hotline. We were told he needed to get to a 24-hour emergency veterinary hospital immediately. I’m disabled and can’t move late at night. Bob rushed Murphy to the vet. We figured they’d pump his stomach and send him home. We were wrong. Bob called me from his cell after the vet saw Murphy. “He has to stay here three days. They made him vomit, but the toxin is still in his system.” He was sobbing. “He could lose all kidney function.” “Did the vet say he could die?” “Yes.”
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I felt as he asked for, filled our bedroom, I slowly turned over much but one he to see which of Bob’s brood was in the anguish for feels blessed protection of his arms. He was cradling Bob as I did to have. beautiful Murphy, who was sound asleep for Murphy. He takes on his back in the crook of Bob’s armpit. He went on, care of me Bob’s eyes were open but I didn’t say a “Murphy’s with my word. I knew he was preserving the so spinal cord precious moments for as long as he could innocent,” issues, our before Murphy would wake up. he said, old pet duck I watched as Murphy opened his eyes crying who’s then curled his paw under his chin. I harder. “I arthritic, our heard him purr when he closed his eyes hate myself young border again, preferring to remain in the safety for letting collie who of Bob’s arm for just a little while longer. this can never And so, snuggling next to Bob, I happen.” run again closed my eyes again too. Murphy “Oh, because of a Sweets, you didn’t mean for this to genetic spinal problem, and our very sick Saralee Perel is an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist. Her new book is happen. I wish I was sitting next to you.” cat, Josie, to whom Bob administers IV Cracked Nuts & Sentimental Journeys: Stories We cried without speaking. Then I said, fluids daily. From a Life Out of Balance. To find out more, “Don’t drive. Not when you’re like this.” “How could I be so lucky?” Bob says, visit www.saraleeperel.com or email Then I called the vet. I asked her for every single day of his life. sperel@saraleeperel.com. emotional guidance for Bob. Yesterday at dawn, as the light gently She said, “This happens all the time. It happened with me and my cat. He needs to forgive himself. It’s impossible to prevent these things 100 percent. Plus, I’ve never heard of a cat who’d want to eat a pill, especially one that tastes so awful.” “Bob’s in your parking lot. Would you please go to him and tell him what you told me?” And she did. Three days later, Murphy came home happy and healthy. When the vet called Send us your favorite smile—your children, and asked about him, I incorrectly grandchildren, friends, even your “smiling” assumed she knew about Murphy’s insane antics. pet!—and it could be 50plus Senior News’ next “He’s back to normal. He just Smile of the Month! presented me with a dust ball the size of You can submit your photos a Burger King Triple Whopper! Isn’t that (with captions) either digitally to great?” mjoyce@onlinepub.com or by mail to: “What?” “Don’t worry,” I said, and then 50plus Senior News cemented myself as a bonehead. Smile of the Month “Nobody’s getting near my broccoli 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 again!” She asked to speak to Bob. I said, Digital photos must be at least 4x6'' with a “He’s busy. UPS came. Bob’s racing like a resolution of 300 dpi. No professional photos, please. cyclone, ripping tape off the boxes before Please include a SASE if you would like to have your disaster hits. You know what he’s like photo returned. around UPS tape.” She sounded confused. “Bob?” I laughed, “Not Bob—” Before I could explain she interrupted, “Please have him call me.” Bob’s role as a caregiver is not a role
Have you photographed a smile that just begs to be shared?
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Older But Not Wiser
Who Do I Look Like? Sy Rosen uring the past year I have been told several times by people younger than me that I look like someone. No, not the same someone, many different someones. I’ve been told I look like Billy Graham, Billy Crystal, Hugh Hefner (even though I don’t wear pajamas in public), Bob Dylan, Tony Bennett, and Ed Koch (the former mayor of New York). In addition, just the other day I had an extremely weird conversation with a middle-aged guy at the checkout line at the supermarket. “You look like that actor,” he told me. “What actor?” I asked. “You know, that actor.” “Oh, him.” At this point I just wanted to get out of the supermarket and away from this guy. However, he was relentless.
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“He’s in a lot of comedies but he also does serious pictures, you know, with heart.” “So he has a lot of range,” I said. “Exactly. You look like the actor with a lot of range.” “OK, great,” I replied. “I’ll make sure I see the next picture he’s in.” “I’m pretty sure he’s dead.” “So I looked like him before he passed away?” I asked. “Yeah, he probably doesn’t look too good now.” At first this whole series of “lookalike” events was kind of amusing to me, and then I realized what might be happening. It’s not that I look like a celebrity, even though I’d love to go on tour as Bob Dylan. It’s that people younger than us think that we seniors all look alike. All they see is the gray hair and the wrinkles. They
probably also see the turkey neck, but let’s not dwell on that. Or maybe, and this is even worse, as we get older we do all start to look alike. We become kind of … a generic version of what we once were. I guess if this is true, there’s one semi-positive side effect—all the cool guys I envied in high school now look like me. Ironically, when I was a teenager I desperately wanted to look like everybody else. I just wanted to blend in. However, now I wanted to fight this anonymity. I started to think of ways to make myself stand out. I was thinking of wearing something all the time, like a scarf, that would become my trademark. But then I would be known as “the guy with the scarf ” and I don’t want to take second billing to an article of clothing. Then I thought of maybe getting a
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tattoo. I’ve seen guys with Chinese lettering tattooed on their arms or neck. I could have a have tattoo that says AARP. I have a feeling no one’s ever done that. And then, all of the sudden, the insanity stopped. I’d like to think that it was a sudden burst of maturity on my part, but actually it was the fear of the tattoo needle that brought me to my senses. I realized that if some younger people can’t tell us apart, that’s their problem. We seniors are definitely unique individuals with unique looks. I, for example, am just a regular guy who happens to look like Cary Grant. Hey, the guy at the supermarket couldn’t remember the actor’s name, so I get to fill in the blanks. Note: If you’re looking at my picture now and trying to figure out who I really look like—it was taken seven years ago and in the right light (semi-darkness).
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Book Review
Jackie O: On the Couch Inside the Mind and Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis By Alma H. Bond, Ph.D. fascinating psycho-biography, Jackie O: On the Couch takes readers into the mind of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis through a first-person, autobiographical narrative. The book delves into Jackie’s childhood and helps the reader understand how and why she became the person she was. It also explores JFK’s background and the ways it affected his marriage. Jackie’s deep love for Jack, the cat-andmouse game he played before their engagement, his early inattentiveness, the difficult years they spent together, along with details of his outrageous womanizing and their happier times at the White House late in the marriage—
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all are viewed through her eyes. A poignant description of Jack’s assassination and funeral is recounted. The book also looks into the widow Jackie’s need for Aristotle Onassis. She debunks the idea that she married Ari purely for his money. The joyful early years and the gradual collapse of the marriage are described, as is Ari’s death. Jackie’s successful entry into the publishing world, and how the work helped to define her, follows. A new
Jackie emerges, who is probably closer to the one she would have become had she not been first lady. Her new persona allows her to form the best relationship of her life, with the elderly, stout, and adoring Maurice Tempelsman, who gave her the love, devotion, and constancy she never received from her two husbands. The book also carefully follows the progress of the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma disease that led to Jackie’s death at age
63—from her fierce denial to the gradual acceptance that she would not survive. Jackie O: On the Couch is available from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and directly from Bancroft Press at www.bancroftpress.com. About the Author Alma H. Bond received her Ph.D. from Columbia University and became a highly successful psychoanalyst for 37 years in New York City. Jackie O: On the Couch, the first of her On the Couch series to be published, received a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award and Finalist International Book Award. She has also had 19 other books published. She lives in Carlisle, Pa.
Calling All Authors If you have written and published a book and would like 50plus Senior News to feature a Book Review, please submit a synopsis of the book (350 words or fewer) and a short autobiography (80 words or fewer). A copy of the book is required for review. Discretion is advised. Please send to: On-Line Publishers, Inc., Megan Joyce, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512. For more information, please email mjoyce@onlinepub.com.
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Happy Holidays! As On-Line Publishers, Inc. sees the conclusion of yet another year, we are grateful to our dedicated staff, loyal readers, and supportive advertisers who have all enabled us to continue to grow in our mission to serve the mind, heart, and spirit of the 50+ community. We wish to thank each of you for helping to make 50plus Senior News a fun, interesting, and unique source of information and entertainment for our readers in Central Pennsylvania. At this special time of giving thanks and reminiscing, the staff of On-Line Publishers wishes you, our friends, warmest holiday wishes.
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December 2012
9
Travel Appetizers: Stories that Whet the Appetite for Travel
Traveltizers
Welcoming the New Year with Double the Fun By Andrea Gross Photo courtesy of Savannah Riverboat Cruises
Traditional stern-wheel riverboats offer a unique party spot for New Year’s Eve revelers in Savannah.
The clock strikes midnight. Fireworks explode. Confetti fills the air. And I get a chance to make a whole new set of resolutions, some of which I may even keep. How can I not like New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day? What’s more, if celebrating once is nice, wouldn’t twice be even better? Squeezing two such festivities into one year takes planning, but it can be done. First, welcome the new year on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, the dates set by the internationally accepted Gregorian calendar. Then, several weeks later, partake in a traditional Chinese New Year’s celebration, the date of which is set according to the age-old Chinese calendar. (In 2013, Chinese New Year will fall on Feb. 10.) Here, two places that celebrate the new year in very different ways.
Photo courtesy of tybeevisit.com
More than 2,000 people partake in a New Year’s Day Polar Plunge near Savannah. Lion dancers provide entertainment during New Year’s Day festivities.
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Savannah, Ga. As midnight approaches, people make their way to the upper deck of the three-tiered riverboat. They’ve been partying for more than three hours— dancing to live music, feasting on hors d’oeuvres and a buffet of elegant offerings. Now, as fireworks from nearby Tybee Island color the sky, it’s time to welcome the new year. On shore, Savannah’s famed City Market, a four-block area of restored buildings, is filled with landlubbers who are enjoying the city’s biggest street party. Some are dining in one of the many restaurants; others are enjoying the free entertainment outside. Then the countdown begins, and a man lifts his son to his shoulders for a better view of the fireworks. Another man lifts his drink as the band strikes up “Auld Lang Syne.” The new year has officially begun. The next day, more than 2,000 people, presumably recovered from the previous night’s revelry, gather on Tybee
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Elaborate flower booths are set up in malls.
June 6, 2013 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Church Farm School 1001 East Lincoln Highway, Exton Young dancers prepare to entertain people who are shopping for holiday presents at a Richmond mall. Hot pot dinners are favorites throughout the year.
May 28, 2013 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Island for the Polar Plunge, an event that raises money for a local charity. In addition to swimming caps, which range from ordinary-plain to frivolously freaky, they are outfitted in glittery capes, feather boas, bathrobes, PJs, and, occasionally, regular old bikinis and briefs. At noon they race for the water, emerging a few minutes later, shivering and smiling. “I’ve washed off the sins of the past. Now I’m ready to enjoy the new year,” says one woman. She wraps her arms about herself, smiles, and disappears into the crowd of cold, but cleansed, folks. www.savannahvisit.com Richmond, British Columbia Three thousand miles away, people in Richmond, British Columbia, have just finished packing away the piney boughs and glass ornaments that represent the Western holiday season when they begin preparing for the traditional Chinese New Year’s celebration. In Richmond, this second welcoming of the new year is a very, very big deal. This isn’t surprising, given that the city boasts North America’s highest percentage of people of Chinese heritage outside of China. Walking the streets of the area known as the Golden Village—a four-squareblock enclave that is home to more than 400 Asian restaurants and three Asianthemed malls—it’s easy to believe you’re in China, except that there’s no smog, the water is safe to drink, and most people understand English. Festivities begin approximately two weeks before New Year’s Day, as malls set up special booths where vendors hawk elaborate flower arrangements and special holiday treats. At Landsdowne www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Mall, women make paper fish and lanterns; children perform dances and demonstrate their skill in martial arts; and expert calligraphers make banners that are used to decorate homes and public places. On New Year’s Eve, restaurants serve multicourse feasts where each food has a special meaning. Since pork symbolizes good luck, Shanghai River Restaurant prepares bamboo baskets filled with xiao long bao (steamed dumplings filled with minced pork and jellied broth). “These are packages of good fortune,” says the waiter. Seafood dishes are supposed to bring prosperity because in ancient times only the wealthy could afford such treats, while eating long, uncut noodles foretells a long life. Sweet, sticky rice is served as a reminder that families should “stick together” and support one another. After dinner, many folks go to the Aberdeen Mall, where the new year is welcomed with speeches, lion dancing, and lots and lots of confetti. Others go to the Kuan Yin Temple of the International Buddhist Society, which is modeled in part after the Forbidden City in Beijing. It is considered by many to be one of the most magnificent Buddhist temples in North America. There, they greet the new year with prayer, many even staying overnight in order to be among the first to receive blessings in the new year. By noon on New Year’s Day, thousands of folks have congregated at the temple for a prayer ceremony and vegetarian lunch. “Yes,” I say to myself as I munch on some bamboo shoots, “it’s definitely nice to celebrate twice.” www.tourismrichmond.com
Hershey Lodge
Date and location to be announced
West Chocolate Avenue & University Drive, Hershey
Limited Sponsorship Opportunities Available 717.285.1350 717.770.0140 610.675.6240
Photos © Irv Green; story by Andrea Gross (www.andreagross.com).
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Art and Antiques by Dr. Lori
Holiday Fruits in Home Décor Dr. Lori long with festive sights, a major part of the holidays is aromatic smells. From evergreens to the holiday meal, the holidays offer a feast for the eyes and for the nose. Some of the most popular scents derive from holiday decorations like fruit wreaths, citrus pomanders, and evergreen garlands. The models for these luscious holiday elements all have roots in art history.
A
Renaissance Wreaths The works of art by the Renaissance artisan and master Luca della Robbia served as the impetus for today’s version of the holiday fruit wreath. Aptly called the della Robbia wreath, fruit wreaths decorate homes and hearths all over the world. Della Robbia’s 15th-century architectural medallions were often
Photos courtesy of Staff of www.DrLoriV.com
A traditional della Robbia-style fruit wreath featuring symbolic holiday fruits.
highlighted with fruit wreaths and decorative garlands of green and red
Give someone you love the gift that entertains, informs, and inspires, month after month! Or renew an existing subscription! Get a 12-month subscription to 50plus Senior News for just $10. Mail form to: 50plus Senior News, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512 Please start a gift subscription for: Beginning (month) _________________________ Name ___________________________________ Street ___________________________________ Apt. ____________________________________ City/State ________________________________ Zip _____________________________________ Sign card from: Your name _______________________________ Street ___________________________________ Apt. ____________________________________ City/State ________________________________ Zip _____________________________________ Your phone number ________________________ Paper (or papers/$10 per edition): Expires 12/31/12 Chester Cumberland Dauphin
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Fruit wreath sculpture by Luca della Robbia, circa 15th century, from the collection of the Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.
apples, berries, pineapples, lemons, limes, and oranges. Based on these Renaissance
decorations, the della Robbia-style wreath was reintroduced during the late 1800s in a time period known as the Renaissance Revival. Traditionally, fruit wreaths were lovingly hung on the exterior doors of homes at holiday time. Fruit wreaths gave the winter greenery a bright, colorful contrast. Fruits often appear in the paintings, prints, architectural, and furniture designs of the 18th and 19th centuries based on Renaissance iconography. The type of fruit chosen for such living wreaths was symbolic. For instance, ornamental apples symbolized the family, and this fruit played a major role in holiday decorations. Apple ring wreaths were associated, at Christmastime, with the holy family and the nativity. Other related wreaths featured fruits
Thank You, Columnists! 50plus Senior News continues to bring important information as well as entertaining articles to the 50+ community. We at On-Line Publishers would like to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation to the editorial contributors of 50plus Senior News: Angelo Coniglio (The Search for Our Ancestry) Wendell Fowler (Preventive Measures) Al Goodman (Beyond the Battlefield ) Andrea Gross (Traveltizers) Dr. Lori (Art and Antiques) Gloria May (NurseNews) Clyde McMillan-Gamber (The Beauty in Nature) Jim Miller (The Savvy Senior) Candace O’Donnell (Balancing Act) Victor Parachin (Fragments of History) Saralee Perel (Such is Life) Dr. Leonard Perry (The Green Mountain Gardener) W.E. Reinka (Silver Threads) Ted Rickard (The Squint-Eyed Senior) Sy Rosen (Older But Not Wiser) Pat Sinclair (Recipes for Two) Walt Sonneville (My 22 Cents’ Worth) Robert Wilcox (Salute to a Veteran) Judith Zausner (Creativity Matters)
It is through the varied interests and considerable talents of our contributors and freelance writers that such a range of informative and entertaining content is available to read each month. The pages of 50plus Senior News are enriched by your contributions. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
such as lemons, pineapples, and oranges. Wreaths made of whole lemons symbolized friendship and were typically hung on doors at the back of homes (where close friends enter), rather than on front doors. For the holidays, fruitinspired decorations remind us of the bountiful harvest and the joy of sharing with family and friends. Also, pineapples were symbolic fruits associated with the holiday season. The pineapple represented the tradition of hospitality at holiday time and all year long. The hospitable pineapple form was typically carved into Chippendale and Federal furniture, including bedposts, mantles, dining room sideboards, etc. Today, pineapples are the fruit of choice for home décor items ranging from silver candelabras to front porch welcome mats. Fancy Fruit Like fruit wreaths, fruit pyramids and aromatic pomanders dating back to the Colonial period were among the delights of a holiday home. Scents of fresh fruit and spices lingered from the tabletop fruit pyramids suggesting architectural examples in miniature. In the 19th century, sweet-smelling fruit pomanders had yet to be relegated to the hall closet,
but instead they were prominently hung front and center in a Victorian home’s entry foyer. Orange, lime, or lemon pomanders, enhanced with whole cloves, were suspended over doorways and in stairwells to give busy areas of a home a lovely scent. Made by pushing cloves into whole oranges or other citrus fruits, a pomander was a welcomed and popular hostess gift. They were used in the 1700s and 1800s to ward off foul odors that were thought to bring illness into a home in wintertime. In Colonial America, fruit wreaths, pyramids, and pomanders were popular in holiday homes. These antique holiday handicrafts not only smelled delightful with the scents of apple, clove, and citrus, but they were also pretty, natural additions to the interior decor. The pleasing aroma of the fruit decoration allows the pomander to maintain a prominent place among holiday decorations. Happy holidays! Ph.D. antiques appraiser, author, and awardwinning TV personality, Dr. Lori presents antique appraisal events nationwide. Dr. Lori is the expert appraiser on the hit TV show Auction Kings on Discovery channel, which airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. Visit www.DrLoriV.com, www.Facebook.com/ DoctorLori, or call (888) 431-1010.
The Big Surprise of December 2012
Jingle All the Way to Some Holiday Fun! Saturday, December 1 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Holiday Crafts — need to do some lastminute shopping? Stop by and avoid the mall crowds! Thursday, December 6 6:45 p.m. Hershey Christmas Lights — take our van to visit the Hershey lights. Seating is limited. Call today!
Monday, December 17 2 p.m. Christmas Carols “Where Do They Come From” presented by Dr. Koones, followed by a sing along to “Mitch Miller.” Refreshments will be served.
Sunday, December 9 2 p.m. Chris Poje, PA State Senior Idol, will perform. He’s wonderful and handsome too, so please join us! Refreshments will be served. Saturday, December 15 2 p.m. Musically Yours Christmas Show — come celebrate the season with us and enjoy some hot chocolate too!
Saturday, December 22 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Christmas Open House — tour any time and take home some holiday goodies. Friday, December 28 3 to 5 p.m. Year-End Lock in Your Savings Happy Holidays Social. Join us for eggnog & hors d’oeuvres and some year-end fun!
RSVP to any event by calling 717-540-1895 today!
4500 Oakhurst Blvd. • Harrisburg, PA 17110 717-540-1895 • www.themanoratoakridge.com
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December 2012 will have something very new, No, not a special gift that Santa will bring for you, You can never again have this as long as you live, Everyone will receive it, and it’s nothing you can give. Take your calendar for this year and you will see, What this “once in a lifetime” surprise will really be, Count the number of Saturdays and Sundays there will be for you, Yes, you will find a total of five weekends—too good to be true! This is your surprise—five weekends to get everything done, They will be filled with Christmas and New Year’s with all of their fun, Enjoy it! It will never happen for you again for your happy cheers, As such a very special December happens only once every 823 years.
Media Division, Magazine Fall 2011 Article:
“Boomers on the job hunt spark the ‘re-’ generation” BY KIM KLUGH
Media Division Article:
Article:
“Inspired by Forgiveness”
“A Voice for Central PA’s Pets”
BY KATIE WEEBER
BY MEGAN JOYCE
Written and submitted by Erla Z. Stump
(717) 285-1350 • (717) 770-0140 • (610) 675-6240 • www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
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Savvy Senior
Vaccination Options for Seniors This Flu Season Jim Miller Dear Savvy Senior, Are there any new or different types of vaccines being recommended to seniors this flu season? – Health-Conscious Carol
Dear Carol, There are actually several different types of flu shots available to seniors this year, along with a new FDA-approved
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shot for pneumonia. Here are your options. Flu Shots Just as they do every year, the CDC strongly recommends a seasonal flu shot to almost everyone, but it’s especially important for seniors who are more vulnerable. The flu puts more than 200,000 people in the hospital each year and kills around 24,000—90 percent of whom are seniors. This year, all seniors 65 and older have two flu vaccine options from which to choose: a traditional flu shot or a shot of Fluzone High-Dose. The high-dose vaccine contains four times the amount of antigen (the part of the vaccine that prompts the body to make antibody) as a regular flu shot does, which creates a stronger immune response for better protection. And if you’re under age 65, your two options are a regular flu shot or a shot of Fluzone Intradermal. The intradermal vaccine uses a shorter, thinner needle to inject the vaccine just under the skin, rather than deeper in the muscle like standard flu shots. If you’re squeamish about needles, this is a nice option. You also need to be aware that if you’re allergic to chicken eggs or if you have had a severe reaction to a flu vaccine in the past, you should not get vaccinated without consulting your doctor first. To locate a vaccination site that offers regular, high-dose, and intradermal flu shots, ask your doctor or pharmacist or check the online flu-shot locator (www.flu.gov). Most chains like CVS, Walgreens, Safeway, Kmart, Walmart, Rite Aid, and Kroger offer all types of shots. You’ll also be happy to know that if you’re a Medicare beneficiary, Part B will
cover 100 percent of the costs of any flu shot. But if you’re not covered, you can expect to pay around $25 to $35 for a regular or intradermal flu shot or $50 to $60 for a shot of the high-dose. Pneumonia Vaccine The other important vaccination the CDC recommends to seniors—especially this time of year—is the pneumococcal vaccine for pneumonia and meningitis. Pneumococcal diseases hospitalize around 300,000 U.S. seniors each year and kill around 5,000. The CDC currently recommends all seniors 65 or older get a one-time-only shot of the vaccine Pneumovax, as well as those under 65 who smoke or have chronic health conditions like asthma, lung and heart disease, diabetes, or a weakened immune system. Pneumovax, which protects against 23 strains of the pneumococcal disease, is also covered 100 percent under Medicare Part B, and you can get it on the same day you get your flu shot. If you’re not covered by insurance, this vaccine costs around $45 to $85 at retail clinics. You also need to know that this year, there’s an alternative pneumococcal vaccine available to people age 50 and older called Prevnar 13. This vaccine, which has been available to children for several years, may provide seniors longerlasting and better protection against pneumonia than Pneumovax. Talk to your doctor to determine which pneumonia vaccine is best for you. Prevnar 13 is also covered by most insurers, including Medicare Part B, but if you aren’t covered, the shot runs between $100 and $150. Jim Miller is a regular contributor to the NBC Today show and author of The Savvy Senior Book. www.savvysenior.org.
www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
CROSSWORD
Solutions for all puzzles can be found on page 18
WORD SEARCH
Across
SUDOKU
1. Texas shrine 6. History 10. Punches 14. Famous prize 15. Folk singer Guthrie 16. Orem location 17. Dispensed, with “out” 18. Tidy 19. Showy flower 20. Sampras of tennis 21. Bonanza’s Blocker 22. Bites 23. Ocean 25. Little piggies Down
27. 31. 35. 36. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 48. 49. 51. 53.
Fragrances Rooms at the top Ripped Attributes Pecan, for one Swear Coffee holder Old hairstyle Nourished Go to a meeting Mexican money California city Worshipped British school
55. 56. 58. 60. 64. 65. 66. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73.
Altar words Ivy, for instance Possess Stumble Fireplace need Long story Fatigued Fem. suffix Plateau Make happy Forest denizen Consumes Thick
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 22. 24.
26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 32. 33. 34. 37. 38. 39. 43. 45. 46. 47.
Food grain Office workers Lid Wear away Modern Gather Jinx Remained upright Furrow “___ we there, yet?” Lodge Military address inits. Poker stake Also Parent
50. 52. 54. 55. 56. 57. 59. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 67.
Return to ___ Line type Slangy negatives Peruvian indians Cast a ballot Tiny amount Like an owl Agitate Persia, now Dogs and cats, e.g. Spider’s home Flightless bird A Summer Place star Sandra
Joiner Fastener Competent Encounter Most elderly Chinese zoo attraction Domain Bias Small child Magistrate Upon Freshwater fish Haggard novel Fishing aids NY summer hrs.
Your ad could be here! Sponsor the Puzzle Page! Please call (717) 285-1350 for more information.
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LIHEAP Now Open Eligible Pennsylvania residents are encouraged to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps low-income people pay their heating bills through home energy assistance grants and crisis grants. Cash grants are awarded based on household income, family size, type of heating fuel, and region. Crisis grants are provided in the event of a heating emergency, including broken heating equipment or leaking lines that must be fixed or replaced, lack of fuel, termination of utility service, or danger of being without fuel or of having utility service terminated. In most counties, assistance with home heating crisis situations is available 24 hours a day. The Department of Public Welfare is sending all LIHEAP clients who applied online last year a postcard notice
MEMORIES
encouraging them to reapply online. In the past, the department sent only paper applications to all prospective clients, even if those individuals applied online the previous year. Prior applicants who did not apply online last year will still be mailed paper applications. By way of the new postcard, clients will be provided with a preregistration number, giving them access to an online application that has already been filled out using last year’s data. Clients will simply have to ensure online information is correct and update anything that may have changed, such as an address. All online applications are sent straight to the county office to determine eligibility, thereby eliminating mail and hand processing time. For more information or to apply online, visit www.dpw.state.pa.us.
1 person – $16,755 2 people – $22,695 3 people – $28,635 4 people – $34,575 5 people – $40,515 6 people – $46,455 7 people – $52,395 8 people – $58,335 9 people – $64,275 10 people – $70,215 (For each additional person, add $5,940.)
from page 1
Many people he shows his collection to do not know that when Milton
Hershey first started manufacturing Hershey’s chocolate bars, he included
Time is a Priceless Gift Do you know a 50+ volunteer who gives selflessly to others? Tell us what makes him or her so special and we will consider them for 50plus Senior News’
Volunteer Spotlight! Submissions should be 200 words or fewer and photos are encouraged. Email preferred to mjoyce@onlinepub.com or mail nominations to 50plus Senior News, Volunteer Spotlight, 3912 Abel Drive, Columbia, PA 17512.
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Household sizes and maximum income limits for LIHEAP’s 2012-13 season:
December 2012
50plus SeniorNews e
postcards with them as a way to advertise, Sallade said. “There are a total of 78 different ones and I have 77,” he said. “I’m missing one but it is hard to locate.” Besides finding the last of the postcards from Hershey’s chocolate bars, Sallade said that he has no set goal or finish line in sight for his postcard collection. Selling postcards is a popular way to regroup collections and make room for more, or to simply make a profit, but for now his collection remains a hobby that he enjoys. Sallade has been retired for five years from his job as a florist. His grandfather started the business in 1898 and Sallade said he worked there since he could hold a broom in his hand. He majored in horticulture at Ohio State University before returning to the family business. Since retiring, Sallade and his wife, Caryn, have had more time to travel to places like Canada and Ireland, and he purchases postcards everywhere that he goes. He has paid as little as 10 cents for a postcard and as much as $250, he said. Looking for them at flea markets is more fun and the price is usually better as well, said Sallade. But sometimes postcards he finds for sale online are only a few dollars. “It is something that varies considerably,” Sallade said. While the bulk of his postcard
collection is from what Sallade calls “the golden age of postcards,” between 1900 and 1915, he certainly does not shy away from new postcards. “I buy new ones too, because some day they are going to be old,” he said. He stores the postcards in notebooks that have plastic liners to protect each card and has the chance to display the cards at his postcard club’s monthly meetings. Sallade is president of the club. He is also one of the youngest members, with the average age of the 45 club members being between 65 and 70 years. The club has been around for more than 30 years and meets monthly at a local church. “We welcome anybody to come to visit,” said Sallade. “We have a speaker every month or sometimes we do a display. This month everyone will be displaying their Thanksgiving or Christmas postcards.” Sometimes the club holds events where vendors come to purchase postcards from the club members. He said there are postcard clubs that meet in York, Lancaster, and Carlisle. And although so much of the world is switching to digital, postcard collectors like Sallade say that the postcard is something that will always be around. “I think there is always an interest in a postcard of some place where someone went to visit,” said Sallade. www.50plusSeniorNewsPA.com
Dauphin County
Calendar of Events AARP Driver Safety Programs
Senior Center Activities
For a Safe Driving Class near you, call toll-free (888) 227-7669 or visit www.aarp.org/findacourse.
Bistline Senior Center – (717) 564-5633
Nov. 3 and 10, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Mohler Senior Center, 25 Hope Drive, Hershey, (717) 533-2002 Nov. 7 and 8, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – West Hanover Rec. Center, 628 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 540-6076 Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. – Susquehanna Township Parks & Recreation Building, 1900 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, (717) 909-9228
Edgemont Senior Center – (717) 236-2221 Friendship Senior Center – (717) 657-1547 Heinz-Menaker Senior Center – (717) 238-7860
Dauphin County Department of Parks and Recreation
Highspire Area Senior Center – (717) 939-4580
Weekends through Dec. 16, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. – Festival of Trees, Fort Hunter Tavern House
Hoy/Latsha Senior Center – (717) 939-9833
Weekends through Dec. 16, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. – Toy Train Exhibit, Fort Hunter Centennial Barn
Hummelstown Senior Center – (717) 566-6855 Jewish Community Center – (717) 236-9555
Dauphin County Library Programs East Shore Area Library, 4501 Ethel St., Harrisburg, (717) 652-9380
Lick Towers Senior Center – (717) 233-0388
Elizabethville Area Library, 80 N. Market St., Elizabethville, (717) 362-9825 Dec. 27, 1 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 7 p.m. – Monthly Book Drop-Off Dec. 27, 6 p.m. – Friends of Elizabethville Area Library Meeting
Lykens Senior Center – (717) 453-7985
Harrisburg Downtown Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976
Mohler Senior Center – (717) 533-2002, www.hersheyseniorcenter.com
Johnson Memorial Library, 799 E. Center St., Millersburg, (717) 692-2658
Millersburg Senior Center – (717) 692-2657
Kline Branch, 530 S. 29th St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-3934
Royalton Senior Center – (717) 944-4831
Madeline L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, (717) 232-7286
Rutherford House – (717) 564-5682, www.rutherfordhouse.org Wednesdays, 12:15 p.m. – Free Aerobics
McCormick Riverfront Library, 101 Walnut St., Harrisburg, (717) 234-4976 Northern Dauphin Library, 683 Main St., Lykens, (717) 453-9315
Steelton Senior Center – (717) 939-0693 William H. & Marion C. Alexander Family Library, 200 W. Second St., Hummelstown, (717) 566-0949 Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. – Novel Thoughts Book Club Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m. – Friends of the Alexander Family Library Meeting Dec. 18, 1 p.m. – Novel Thoughts, Too! Book Club
Please call or visit the centers’ websites for additional activities.
Programs and Support Groups Free and open to the public. Dec. 8, 10 a.m. Teamster 776 Retirees Christmas Party Union Hall 2552 Jefferson St., Harrisburg (717) 233-8766
Dec. 19, 1:30 p.m. Parkinson’s Support Group on East Shore Jewish Home 4004 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg (717) 441-8627
Dec. 14, 6 to 8 p.m. Live Nativity Ecumenical Retirement Community 624 Wilhelm St., Harrisburg (717) 561-2590
Dec. 20, 1:30 p.m. Hershey Area AARP Meeting Spring Creek Church of the Brethren 335 E. Areba Ave., Hershey (717) 832-3282
Give Us the Scoop! Please send us your press releases so we can let our readers know about free events occurring in Dauphin County! Email preferred to: mjoyce@onlinepub.com
If you have an event you would like to include, please email information to mjoyce@onlinepub.com for consideration. (717) 770-0140 (717) 285-1350
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Fragments of History
The Christmas Tree: An American Tradition Victor M. Parachin n 1851, Mark Carr, a logger from New York’s Catskill Mountains, created the first Christmas tree lot. In order to make a little extra money over the holiday, he rented sidewalk space in New York City. His rental expense for the season was a mere $1. Day after day, he sold his cut trees to city dwellers. Over the years, Carr’s concept of placing a holiday tree inside the home would expand across the country, making the Christmas tree an American tradition. One poll reveals that nearly 85 percent of all American homes contain a decorated tree at Christmastime, totaling between 80 and 90 million decorated trees. Although the Christmas tree is associated with a major Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Christ, the origin of placing a festive tree in the home goes back to the Vikings. In Scandinavian countries, winter was cold and bleak, and days were short. In some areas, the sun disappeared for weeks at a time, creating a perpetual night. Every community experienced the death of several villagers and many animals. Yet, the Vikings found a point of hope and comfort in the evergreen tree. They noted that the evergreen not only survived one harsh winter after another, but also continued to grow and thrive in spite of the season. Consequently, the Vikings began to cut down evergreens and place them in their homes. There, the tree would be a daily symbol of hope. Along with the Vikings, other Europeans were intrigued by the mystery
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to his mind. He quickly cut down a small tree and brought it home for his family. Luther covered it with lit candles and then used the tree as an object lesson to explain the faith. He taught his family that the tree, whose evergreen color never faded, was like God’s love, which would never fade away no matter what life’s circumstances were. The lit candles were representative of Jesus Christ, who was the “light of the world.” For Luther, the tree was symbolical of the entire Christian faith and not just Christmas. It is in Germany where the earliest historical reference to a Christmas tree first appears. In 1561 at Alsace a law was passed limiting each “burgher” or resident to only one Christmas tree. The law further stipulated the tree could be no more than “eight shoes” in height. Evidently, the custom of bringing a live tree into the home was so popular that deforestation was becoming an issue. From Germany the custom of a Christmas tree spread all over western Europe. By 1837, a Christmas tree was being used in France. In 1840 England’s Queen Victoria and her German-born husband-to-be, Prince Albert, celebrated Christmas with a decorated tree.
In the United States, the first Christmas trees were introduced during the American Revolution by German mercenaries fighting for the Colonial army. The concept of using a live tree at Christmas did not catch on with the early Americans, and the tree returned to Germany with the mercenaries at the conclusion of the Revolutionary War. Around 1820, German immigrants to Pennsylvania brought the tree back, and this time it caught on. By the 1840s, the Christmas tree was widely known in the United States. An 1845 children’s book, Kriss Kringle’s Christmas Tree, helped further propel popularity of the tree. The earliest American trees were short and small, often displayed on tables. Americans gradually switched to larger trees placed in stands on the floor because they had an ever-increasing variety of ornaments to place on them. Those early trees were decorated with gingerbread, pretzels, cookies, apples, lemons, oranges, figs, strings of cranberries or popcorn, candy, dolls, paper roses, glass balls, and ornaments made of eggshells or cotton. As the Christmas tree made its way into American homes and hearts, some clergy voiced opposition to what they declared was originally a pagan custom. However, the Christmas tree began to appear in churches during the holiday season. From its humble beginnings as a symbol of hope and strength for the ancient Vikings, the Christmas tree has evolved to become the central symbol of the world’s most celebrated holiday.
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of the tree that stayed green throughout the winter. Many of them included the evergreen as part of their pagan religious practices. It is through those pagan customs that the evergreen made its way into Christianity. There are various legends that offer explanations for the origins of the “Christmas tree,” as it came to be called. One of those legends involved St. Boniface (675754), a British monk who traveled across Europe as a missionary. One Christmas Eve he came across some German-speaking people who were preparing a human sacrifice before an oak tree. According to legend, he struck the oak a single blow with his axe and felled the tree. Impressed by his miraculous powers, the people abandoned human sacrifice and embraced Christianity. Boniface pointed to a small evergreen fir tree, instructing them to make that tree a symbol of their new faith and to use it when celebrating the birth of Christ. Another legend about the Christmas tree is tied to Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther (1483-1546). On Christmas Eve, he was walking through the woods when the beauty of the stars shining through the branches of the fir trees moved him deeply. An idea came
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Holiday Program Helps Struggling Seniors From left, Jen Robertson, Members 1st Federal Credit Union; Connie Kay, BASTAS coordinator; Kendra Koser, community liaison; and Lynne Kay, marketing manager, at the Members 1st Federal Credit Union on Carlisle Pike in Mechanicsburg.
With so many older adults living alone and in poverty, some Cumberland and Perry County seniors will undoubtedly be struggling to make ends meet this holiday season. That’s why the area Home Instead Senior Care office has partnered with retailers and community organizations to make sure isolated seniors receive gifts and companionship through the Be a Santa to a Senior program. With the support of the Cumberland and Perry County offices of aging, the Super Secret Santa Squad of the Dauphin County Courthouse, local nursing homes with residents
who are financially challenged, and area retailers, volunteers, and members of the community, the local Home Instead Senior Care office is collecting gifts to seniors who might otherwise spend the holiday alone. Community members are asked to take an ornament off one of the Be a Santa to a Senior trees in Cumberland County locations of Kmart, Members 1st Federal Credit Union, and Drayer Physical Therapy, as well as Bethany Village and Odyssey Hospice. After purchasing the gift, return it to the tree with the ornament attached. Volunteers are also needed to help wrap the gifts received. Wrapping event dates, times, and locations can be found at http://homeinstead.com/242. The Home Instead Senior Care office will then enlist the volunteer help of its staff, senior-care business associates, and others to distribute the gifts.
Essex House Hosts Halloween Bash
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Middletown’s Essex House residents council sponsored a Halloween party on Oct. 31, with music by Scott Fagan and The MAAC Island Band. The event was coordinated by June Turns with Martha Hernandez, Margaret Tippitt, Betty Miller, and Sandy Warner. If you have local news you’d like considered for Around Town, please email mjoyce@onlinepub.com
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An active, pain-free future is waiting for you. Spine, Bone & Joint Institutes: for a quicker response to your orthopedic and spine needs Designed by patients and caregivers, our new Spine and Orthopedic unit at Harrisburg Hospital offers the most advanced, sophisticated technology in a comfortable, patient-focused, family-oriented environment. Everything, from the spacious rooms with flat-screen TVs to an innovative call button system, was created to get you back on your feet as quickly as possible.
Experience and Skill Çľ Č¤É€ÉƒČś ČžČ˛ČťÉ€Éƒ ȝɀȺȿɅ ÉƒČśÉ Č˝Č˛Č´ČśČžČśČżÉ…É„ ɅȚȲȿ ȲȿɊ É€É…ČšČśÉƒ Pennsylvania hospital Çľ ČŤÉƒČśČ˛É…É„ É€ÉƒÉ…ČšÉ€É ČśČľČşČ´ É Č˛É…ČşČśČżÉ…É„ ȲȿȿɆȲȽȽɊ Çľ Č§ČśÉƒČˇÉ€ÉƒČžÉ„ ɅɀɅȲȽ ȝɀȺȿɅ É ÉƒÉ€Č´ČśČľÉ†ÉƒČśÉ„ ȲȿȿɆȲȽȽɊ Çľ ȌȿȜ ɀȡ ɅȚȜ É…É€É ČšÉ€É„É ČşÉ…Č˛Č˝É„ Ⱥȿ ȧȜȿȿɄɊȽɇȲȿȺȲ ČˇÉ€Éƒ É„É ČşČżČś surgery Çľ ȌȿȜ ɀȡ ɅɈɀ ČšÉ€É„É ČşÉ…Č˛Č˝É„ Ⱥȿ ȧȜȿȿɄɊȽɇȲȿȺȲ É…É€ ÉƒČśČ´ČśČşÉ‡Čś certification in Spine Surgery from the Joint Commission
Know us before you need us.
pinnaclehealth.org/vision2017
The NEW Spine and Bone & Joint Institute floor at Harrisburg Hospital features the latest in patient care and comfort, including a special area for family members, inpatient rehabilitation right on the unit, and spacious rooms to include everything you need for a quicker recovery. 20
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