Columbia High School fall sports schedules

Varsity Football

Friday, Sept. 3, Eastern  York
Friday, Sept. 10, at Northeastern
Friday, Sept. 17, Daniel Boone  (Hall of Fame Induction)
Friday, Sept. 24, at Boiling Springs
Friday, Oct. 1, ELCO (Homecoming)
Friday, Oct. 8, at Northern Lebanon
Friday, Oct. 15, at Annville-Cleona
Friday, Oct. 22, Lancaster Catholic
Friday, Oct. 29, Pequea Valley (Parent's Night)
Friday, Nov. 5, at Donegal (7:30 p.m.)
All games at 7 p.m., unless noted.
Junior Varsity Football
Saturday, Sept. 4, Eastern York (10 a.m.)
Monday, Sept.13, Northeastern
Monday, Sept. 27, at Boiling Springs (6 p.m.)
Monday, Oct. 4, ELCO
Monday, Oct. 11, at Northern Lebanon
Monday, Oct. 18, at Annville-Cleona
Monday, Oct. 25, Lancaster Catholic
Monday, Nov. 1, Pequea Valley
All games at 4 p.m., unless noted
Junior High Football

Thursday, Sept. 21, Pequea Valley
Thursday, Sept. 23, Donegal
Thursday, Oct. 7, ELCO
Thursday, Oct. 14, at Northern Lebanon
Thursday, Oct. 21, at Annville-Cleona
Thursday, Oct. 28, Lancaster Catholic
All games at 4 p.m.
Seventh-Eighth Grade Football
Tuesday, Sept. 14, at E-town
Tuesday, Sept. 21, Annville-Cleona
Tuesday, Sept. 28, Reading
Friday, Oct. 8, at Cocalico (3:45 p.m.)
Tuesday, Oct. 12, L-S
Tuesday, Oct. 19, Penn Manor
Wednesday, Oct. 27, at Wheatland
Tennis

Monday, Aug. 30, Solanco
Wednesday, Sept. 1, at Hanover (3:30 p.m.)
Thursday, Sept. 2, at Reading
Tuesday, Sept. 7, Annville-Cleona
Wednesday, Sept. 8, Cocalico
Thursday, Sept. 9, at Northern Lebanon
Monday, Sept. 13, at Lancaster Catholic
Wednesday, Sept. 15, Garden Spot
Thursday, Sept. 16, at Lancaster Mennonite
Monday, Sept. 20, Donegal
Tuesday, Sept. 21, at Ephrata
Wednesday, Sept. 22, ELCO
Thursday, Sept. 23, at L-S
Monday, Sept. 27, Penn Manor
Wednesday, Sept. 29, at Manheim Central
All matches at 4 p.m., unless noted
Cross Country (varsity and junior high)

Wednesday, Sept. 8, Columbia, Garden Spot, Solanco and Township at E-town
Tuesday, Sept. 14, Warwick and Annville-Cleona at Columbia
Tuesday, Sept. 21, Columbia, ELCO and Northern Lebanon at Manheim Central
Tuesday, Sept. 28, Columbia, Cedar Crest, Lancaster Mennonite and L-S at Donegal
Tuesday, Oct. 4, Columbia, Cocalico, Hempfield and Lancaster Catholic at Conestoga Valley
Tuesday, Oct. 12, Columbia, Lebanon, McCaskey and Penn Manor at Ephrata
All meets at 4:15 p.m.
Varsity Volleyball

Tuesday, Sept. 7, ELCO
Thursday, Sept. 9, at Lebanon Catholic
Tuesday, Sept. 14, at L-S
Thursday, Sept. 16, at Mount Calvary
Monday, Sept. 20, Reading
Tuesday, Sept. 21, Lancaster Mennonite
Thursday, Sept. 23, at Lebanon
Monday, Sept. 27, McCaskey
Tuesday, Sept. 28, at ELCO
Thursday, Sept. 30, Ephrata
Monday, Oct. 4, at York Catholic
Tuesday, Oct. 5, Lebanon Catholic
Thursday, Oct. 7, at Solanco
Monday, Oct. 11, York Tech
Tuesday, Oct. 12, L-S
Thursday, Oct. 14, at Lancaster Mennonite
Monday, Sept. 18, at Christian School of York
Tuesday, Oct. 19, Lebanon (Parent's Night)
Wednesday, Oct. 20, at McCaskey
All matches at 6 p.m., at PARK SCHOOL.
Junior High Volleyball
Tuesday, Sept. 7, Garden Spot
Thursday, Sept. 9, Cocalico
Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Ephrata
Thursday, Sept. 16, Solanco
Saturday, Sept. 18, at Kraybill Classic (8:30 a.m.)
Tuesday, Sept. 21, Lancaster Mennonite
Thursday, Sept. 23, at Lebanon
Tuesday, Sept. 28, at Cocalico
Thursday, Sept. 30, Ephrata
Tuesday, Oct. 5, at Garden Spot
Thursday, Oct. 7, at Solanco
Thursday, Oct. 11, Kraybill
Thursday, Oct. 14, at Lancaster Mennonite
Tuesday, Oct. 19, Lebanon
All matches at 4 p.m., at Park School.

"Filing" a report on the market committee meeting

Columbia Borough Council's market committee held its monthly meeting Thursday night and after some debate on my part of its "news" value, I decided to "file" this brief report on the first 90 minutes of the meeting.
Council members attending the meeting were chairman Kelly Murphy and Sandy Duncan, along with Norm Meiskey, borough manager; Brian Long (market manager) and John Hinkle and Ann Grubb (market house advisory committee members). There were about a half dozen stand holders and three citizens.
Most of the 90 minutes the discussion centered on parking around the market house and advertising the market.
After much discussion between the committee and stand holders, it was decided that "free parking" on market days in the municipal lot. Other parking issues were discussed, but for now the free parking in the municipal lot was deemed a start.
On advertising issues, the budget for that was discussed and at the beginning of the year there was $3,000 in the market budget for that, but there were some ads published, leaving about $800 in that line item. Long said he priced an advertisement for Engle Printing and Publishing that would be a one time cost of $1,000.
Again, after much discussion, it was decided to run a much smaller ad in the Engle Publications and increase the advertising budget for a bigger ad later in the year.
One stand holder said about the advertising, "we need to let them know we are here, if we don't, there's no future here."
Long said a recent attempt to advertise the market on place mats was "not a great idea" and doing a recent survey, Long said the top three answers were newspapers, electronically or having a user friendly website.
"That's what the customers tell you," Long said.
Long suggested the key to a successful advertising campaign would be a frequent ad along with something that stands out. The stand holders rejected a plan to assist with the cost of advertising, saying, "no one is making any money, so we shouldn't pay to advertise."
"Things are going to have to get better or we are out of here. The market isn't improving at all, " said a stand holder.
One of the things I do when I attend meetings, events or games, I like watching the people for their body language or facial expressions. Well, during the meeting and why I used the expression "filing" is that one council member seemed more interested in filing her nails than what was going on at the meeting.
Murphy also talked a little bit about recent events at the market, which led to Long's pending resignation.
Murphy said he was frustrated by the happenings at the market and wants to move forward with improvements to the market.

Penny, nickel and diming

The other day after the borough council meeting, COLUMBIA TALK posted about the pending changes in the costs of the parking meters.
Sometime in the next month, once the meters are adjusted, it will cost those visiting our downtown 25 cents for 30 minutes of parking, instead of 25 cents for an hour.
I've done some thinking on the issue, talked to a few business people and sat through the first 90 minutes or so of council's market committee meeting on Thursday night (a story will be "filed" on that meeting).
One comment I heard was people/businesses would probably agree to the increase in cost, if Columbia's downtown was thriving and we didn't need to attract visitors to our town to survive. Now, it's like "welcome to Columbia" and you're going to have to dig deep to visit and get a big thank you for visiting in terms of a ticket.
And speaking of that ticketing process, which the borough has stepped up in recent months, "tagging" people until 9 p.m.on Friday and six every other day but Sunday, I understand last night on the late shift (until 9 p.m.), 44 tickets were given out and some nasty words thrown in the direction of the parking enforcement official.  And some of those were probably attending a class reunion held downtown.
Again, nickel and diming.
Many of those downtown just are shaking their heads at the time change and some wonder if any business people were even consulted about the change? Any bets on that?
So as the nickel and diming continues, here is another suggestion. Since the borough employees are exempt from plugging meters, while they are working, for one month, change the exemption, where they have to stop what they are doing and walk out and slug the meters say every hour or every two hours. And like others in town, if their meter is on zero, they get a ticket and they have to pay them. Then see what happens.
Like I said last week, nickel and diming people isn't the financial answer. Consistent code enforcement and using the truck scales to its fullest potential is one way, the borough could be very well off financially.