By: STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

Photo by Stephen Seeber
Joe Wiegand, as President Teddy Roosevelt, shares stories from the Spanish-American War while walking along East Main Street.

Lititz was the scene of a rare presidential sighting last week.

No, Barack Obama was not sweet talking the crowd at Wilbur Chocolate like he did on his 2008 campaign, but the Record Express did bump into our exuberant Bull Moose president as he headed into the Bulls Head pub for a Scotch egg.

Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, the nation’s 26th president (1901-1909), was in town for an address at Linden Hall May 3 … sort of. It was actually Joe Wiegand, acclaimed reprisor who has toured the 50 states with T.R. stories of safaris and assassination attempts, who was strolling along East Main Street with a small lunchtime entourage.

"We were very fortunate that Joe was already in the area for other engagements and able to come to Linden Hall," said George Scouten, academic dean at Linden Hall. "He went to college with Don and Katie Pearson, the parents of one of our day students from Lititz, so that’s how we made the connection. Joe has performed as Teddy Roosevelt all over the country, including at the White House."

The Lititz American Legion and VFW Post 1463 have amassed a group of local pastors and musical talent that will be responsible for carrying out local Memorial Day observances on May 28.

The day begins in Rothsville, where a parade will form at 8:45 a.m. at Salem United Methodist Church on Old Rothsville Road.

The parade proceeds to Jerusalem Lutheran Church cemetery where a 9:15 a.m. service will be held. Children will place flowers on the graves of veterans, marked by American flags.

An invocation by Pastor David Unangst of Salem UMC will follow, along with a musical rendition of "America," and a reading of the Gettysburg Address.

Senator Mike Brubaker will be the guest speaker. Brubaker is currently serving his second four-year term representing Lancaster and Chester County residents in the PA Senate.

VFW Post 1463, American Legion Post 56 and the Rothsville Fire Company will lay wreaths in honor of those who served, following which William Stauffer will lead those in attendance in the singing of our National Anthem.

"Taps" will be played to salute the dead and Pastor Unangst will give the benediction to conclude the service in Rothsville.

This is part two in a three-part series that continues the journal entries of a hand-written notebook that was found inside a wooden time capsule behind the date stone in the 1872 Aaron Wissler house in Brunnerville. As more and more pages were transcribed, it became clear that a third installment of this series could be added, which is scheduled for next month.

As was the case with last month’s article, the entries here are duplicated exactly how they were originally written. When in doubt of a letter or word, a question mark inside a parenthesis is used. Occasionally, some words simply could not be deciphered due to the poor condition of the original pages.

The contents of the time capsule, along with various Brunnerville Foundry iron products and Aaron Wissler related items will go on display for all to enjoy as a special exhibit at the Lititz Historical Foundation beginning May 11 until the end of the year. The exhibit is entitled "Of Iron and Invention: The Life of Aaron Wissler and the Brunnerville Iron Foundry."

Continuing on with the notebook entries:

Page 12:

Inside Take mom out for an early Mother’s Day treat this Friday. Details on page A3. Lititz postal workers will be collecting food this Saturday to help those in need. Find out how you can help. Turn to page A4. Our Italian correspondent Chloe Eberly checks in with her latest column on page A14 Follow Mike Resh’s experiences as a Lititz firefighter in his weekly "Rookie Diary." Page B5.

The Lititz Record Express would like to give veterans or families of veterans an opportunity to sit in the Steinman skybox at the Lancaster Barnstormers game at 7 p.m. on Memorial Day, May 28 against the Somerset Patriots.

From those submitting photos for our "It’s All About You" Memorial Day preview tribute to veterans (May 24 issue), we will randomly select five families who can claim up to four seats to the May 28 game.

So, continue sending in those photos (see ads in this week’s edition) and earn a chance to spend Memorial Day enjoying hometown baseball in the comfort of the Steinman skybox at Clipper Magazine Stadium.

Please indicate on your submission, if you are interested in being entered into the Barnstormer skybox drawing. Those who have already submitted will be contacted.

What is "It’s All About You?"

For more than 134 years, the Lititz Record Express has focused its attention on you the reader. The content of the hometown weekly newspaper is uniquely local and is what we mean when we say "It’s All About You."

By: ROCHELLE A. SHENK Record Express Correspondent, Staff Writer

Bob Moore

Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center in Warwick Township and Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Lancaster, are again sharing leadership.

Bob Moore, chief executive officer of Lancaster Regional, has been promoted to market CEO overseeing both hospitals. At Heart of Lancaster, he replaces former CEO Karen Metz, who has accepted a position within the facility’s parent company, Health Management Associates, as CEO of a hospital in Knoxville, Tenn.

Moore, who has 30 years of senior leadership in the health care industry, began his tenure at Lancaster Regional in April 2010. Prior to taking up the reins there, he served at the 115-bed Northeast Regional Medical Center in Kirksville, Mo.

Heart of Lancaster and Lancaster Regional Medical Center had previously shared leadership beginning in 2007, but separate leaders were again appointed in 2009.

"The last couple of years, the two hospitals operated as two companies with one system. We now have the opportunity to share leadership and operate as one," Moore said.

Polo season returns to Rothsville next month.

The Lancaster Polo Club, which plays its home matches at Forney Field, off of Church Road, returns for its 71st season June 12.

Bring a tailgate picnic and settle in under the maple trees along the sidelines on Sundays to enjoy the exhilarating sport and beautiful thoroughbreds. Gates open at 1 p.m. and matches start at 2:30.

Home matches are held throughout the summer and into the fall, and the team also hosts the Taste of Britain MG Cup Aug. 28 which features a classic English car show.

For more information about this unique Rothsville feature and match schedules, visit lancasterpolo.org.

And look for polo coverage in upcoming editions of the Lititz Record Express. More POLO, page A14

By: BRUCE MORGAN AND STEPHEN SEEBER Record Express Staff, Staff Writer

Ephrata wrestlers square off on the mat in preparation for their season-opening Ephrata Tournament, which is slated for next Saturday, Dec. 10. (Photo by Preston Whitcraft)Ephrata wrestlers square off on the mat in preparation for their season-opening Ephrata Tournament, which is slated for next Saturday, Dec. 10. (Photo by Preston Whitcraft)

As an avid cyclist, Lititz’s Dave Minney and his family stood near the intersection of Main and Cedar streets soaking up the atmosphere as racers breezed through a tight turn at the Lititz Post Office.

At the other end of the block, Greg Zittle, also of Lititz, polished off a plate of pub nachos and a beer while marveling at the speed of the riders.

With a mix of casual spectators and dedicated fans lining both sides of the street, and local shops doing a bustling business, the inaugural Rock Lititz Tour bike race electrified the downtown district Sunday afternoon.

"Most of all, I just hope it’s a great party," said Soren West, president of Atomic Design in Lititz, one of the event’s sponsors, during the morning set-up. "People should come out and enjoy all the shops and the restaurants, and the band, and the sunshine … and there’s a bike race. It’s very exciting."

By: JOHN CRAWFORD Record Express Correspondent, Staff Writer

Amanda Rogers and Joshua Henry RuhlAmanda Rogers and Joshua Henry Ruhl

The first annual Pretzel Fest last Saturday left organizer Alice Bracken sore and exhilarated … and looking forward to more.

"My feet hurt and my hip feels like I walked (ran sometimes) 70 miles instead of seven," she said. "Oh well, what a fabulous day we had. My mind is already planning for next year for bigger, better and more fun, if that’s possible."

The event was sponsored by the Lititz Area Kiwanis Club and local retailers. The financial totals, which will be donated to the Community Chest food bank, are not finalized yet, but the club met its goal of selling 500 tickets to compete in pretzel-centric games and the chance to win prize baskets.

A good portion of those ticket sales happened at the last minute.

"We are hoping to sell 500 tickets," Bracken said Saturday morning. "Up to date, we probably sold close to three hundred. We would love for it to match the Chocolate Walk, which sells out every year. The Chocolate Walk does 2,000 tickets."