Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Parent's Club announces event

The Columbia Elementary Parents Club will host a Quarter Auction on Sunday, March 28 at the Columbia No. 1 Fire Company.
Doors open at 1 p.m. and the auction starts at 2 p.m.
The cost is $3.

Columbia Public Library events for March

The Columbia Public Library has released its schedule of events for March.
Tuesday, March 2nd, at 1 PM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)

Wednesday, March 3rd, at 6 PM - Family Film Night - “The Rookie”
Saturday, March 6th, at 10 AM - Saturday Morning Storytime with Mrs. Dottie Johnson. “Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!”
Saturday, March 6th, at 10 AM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Tuesday, March 9th, at 1 PM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Wednesday, March 10th, at 6 PM - Family Film Night - “The Aristocats”
Thursday, March 11th, at 7 PM - Columbia Public Library Board of Directors Meeting. Public is welcome.
Saturday, March 13th, at 10 AM - Saturday Morning Storytime with Mrs. Dottie Johnson. “Are You Wearing Green?”
Saturday, March 13th, at 10 AM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Tuesday, March 16th, at 1 PM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Wednesday, March 17th, at 6 PM - Family Film Night - “Darby O'Gill and the Little People”
Saturday, March 20th, at 10 AM - Saturday Morning Storytime with Mrs. Dottie Johnson. “Welcome, Spring!”
Saturday, March 20th, at 10 AM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Tuesday, March 23rd, at 1 PM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Wednesday, March 24th, at 6 PM - Family Film Night - “Angels In the Outfield”
Saturday, March 27th, at 10 AM - Saturday Morning Storytime with Miss Lisa. “Hooray For Easter!”
Saturday, March 27th, at 10 AM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Tuesday, March 30th, at 1 PM - Census Testing - must have prior appointment (367-9306)
Wednesday, March 31st, at 6 PM - Family Film Night - “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Mystery of the Easter Chipmunk”
Friday, April 2nd and Saturday, April 3rd - Library Closed for Easter Break
Saturday, April 10th at 10 AM - Saturday Morning Storytime with special guest appearance by Peter Rabbit!
The Census Questionnaire Assistance Center will be open Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 1 PM beginning March 15. If you did not receive a Census form via the postal service for whatever reason (address unknown, temporary resident, no permanent address, etc.), please stop in between 10 AM and 1 PM Monday through Thursday beginning March 15. It is very important that all citizens be counted for the census!
Our webmaster Samuel Edmond is ready and willing to help you with your income taxes! An appointment must be made in advance - please call 684-2255 to set one up. We have most federal tax forms here at the library and can print out any specialized ones you may need from the IRS website. No charge for forms or assistantance.
Webmaster Samuel Edmond is also taking registrations for his one-on-one computer classes now! Please call 717-435-2039 to register throughout the month

District Three girls' picks

In each of the last two years, there have been two teams from District Three playoffs in the PIAA finals at the Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State. Two years ago, it was Central Dauphin and York Catholic. Last year, it was York Catholic and Lampeter-Strasburg.
So what teams will make the trip to the state finals out of District 3? There are a couple of candidates, but over the next month, it will take a lot of luck, lack of injuries and getting a win when a team doesn't play their best to move on.
So, with that in mind, here are my first round picks and teams that could meet in the finals at the Giant Center next week.
AAAA: Red Lion over Cumberland Valley; Central Dauphin over Solanco, only because the Mares/Mules might still be drained from an unbelieveable schedule from last week, but it could be a toss up; Cedar Crest over Hershey, but the Falcons must avoid a first round letdown after winning the L-L championship; Lebanon over Harrisburg; Township over Governor Mifflin; Mechanicsburg over New Oxford and Lower Dauphin over C.D. East.
Probable finalists: Red Lion over Lebanon.
AAA: West York over Eastern (if this were a boys' game, wow); Daniel Boone over New Oxford; Oley Valley over Susquenita; Shippensburg over Northern Lebanon;. Trinity over Elco. Manheim Central over Boiling Springs; Palmyra over Twin Valley and Lancaster Catholic over Muhlenberg.
Probable finalists: West York over Trinity.
AA: Holy Name over Upper Dauphin; Hanover over Wyomissing; Biglerville over Annville-Cleona and Tulpehocken over Brandywine.
Probable finalists: Lancaster Mennonite over York Catholic.
A: Steel-High over York Country Day; Reading Central Catholic over Millersburg; Lancaster Country Day over Living Word; Bible Baptist over Harrisburg Academy; Lebanon Catholic over Antietam; Camp Hill over Harrisburg Christian; Greenwood over Lititz Christian and Christian School of York over Conestoga Christian.
Probable finalists: Lebanon Catholic over Steel-High.

District Three boys' basketball

The District Three playoffs, otherwise known as the first step in the “Road to Happy Valley” and a trip to the state finals at Penn State and the PIAA finals begins tonight.


Games will be played in Boys Class AAA and A and Girls AAAA and AA tonight and the remaining classes tomorrow night.

So what teams will have the opportunity to play on the big floor at the Giant Center at the end of next week for a district title?

Well, after reading all of the previews, following all the scores for the season and the various league playoffs, I would be surprised in there is a team from the L-L League playing for a district title in boys’ basketball, but it is more likely in girls’ basketball.

Not wait, aren’t two teams from the L-L League top seeds in their respective classes – Hempfield and Lancaster Mennonite? Yes, but while I don’t see neither team making the finals, one of them could and it won’t be Hempfield.

Locally, there is a team that should play for a district title and one that should get into the second round. And the surprise, which I already mentioned is that Hempfield won’t be playing for gold despite their unbeaten record. But I do see the Black Knights playing in the PIAA playoffs because half of the field makes the state tournament in Class AAAA and Class AAA.

First the local team that should be playing for a district title and deep into March are the Golden Knights from Eastern. They have two of the best players in the Class AAA field in guard Austin Tillotson and big man Andrew Nicholas. They also have a solid nucleus of other players.

The Knights meet Wyomissing in their opener tonight and probably will see an athletic Susquehanna Township team on the big floor at the Giant Center on Friday. Their semi-final game should be a battle with YAIAA foe West York and a meeting with either second seed Hershey, the Mid-Penn champion or York Suburban in the finals.

It will be a different story in the state playoffs, because the Knights, if they are in the East will have to run the gauntlet of District 12 schools, which are among the top three ranked teams in the state.

Now let’s talk about the Class AA field and the first round rematch between Columbia and Annville-Cleona at 7:30 p.m., tomorrow night at Hershey High School. Saw both of them play and they are about equal and it depends which Columbia team shows upm who wins. The winner gets third seeded Hanover in the quarter-finals.

Here’s something to think about – with Hanover, the Tide and A-C in the bottom of the bracket, there will be a public school in the semi-finals. The other three teams in the semi-finals, barring any major upsets, which I don’t see will be Catholic or a private school.

So in this class, I’ll take defending champ Trinity.

Next for Boys AAAA, Hempfield is the top seed and unbeaten, but hasn’t had a lot of success in the playoffs recently and has to go through a land mine of a bracket to get to the finals. After tomorrow’s game with a pesky Central Dauphin, the Black Knights will have to face either Penn Manor or Harrisburg, then either YAIAA runner-up York or Mid-Penn runner-up Red Land.

That’s why I don’t see the Black Knights making the finals, but they will make the PIAA playoffs.

Take Reading and Red Land in the finals.

In Boys’ Class A, the Private and Catholic School Invitational, there’s no doubt Reading Central Catholic is the “cream of the crop,” but also watched this private school New Hope Academy from York, who played an independent schedule this year and it made up of castoffs from a number of York area teams.

Here are the first round predictions

Boys A: Antietam over Harrisburg Academy; Millersburg over Lancaster Christian; Greenwood over Day Spring Academy; Lancaster Country Day over Camp Hill; New Hope over Mount Calvary and Lebanon Catholic over the Christian School of York.

Boys AA: Holy Name over Upper Dauphin; McDevitt over Pequea Valley; York Catholic over Tulpehocken and Columbia over Annville-Cleona.

Boys AAA: Eastern over Wyomissing; Susquehanna Township over Boiling Springs; West York over Big Spring; Middletown over East Pennsboro; Hershey over Milton Hershey (that game was moved to Cedar Crest. It was originally scheduled for Milton Hershey); Catholic over Greencastle; Suburban over Muhlenberg and Steel-High over Oley Valley.

Boys AAAA: Hempfield over Central Dauphin; Penn Manor over Hempfield; York over L-S; Red Land over Red Lion; Wilson over McCaskey; Solanco over Warwick; Reading over Exeter and Daniel Boone over Central York.