(3/2018) It is March and with any luck we will be over this nasty winter weather. A year ago, on March 1st the Adams County Library at Carroll Valley along with the Carroll Valley Borough office opened for service in our new building. Time flies. Don’t forget that March 2nd is Employee Appreciation Day. It is a day to celebrate and recognize employees. Remember to turn your clock forward one hour to mark the beginning of Daylight Saving Time on March 11th at 2 a.m.. On March 12th, we celebrate the creation of the Girl Scouts. The "Ides of March" is March 15th. It is the day back in 44 B.C. that Julius Caesar was stabbed by Marcus Brutus and other members of the Roman Senate. We celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17th. Watch out for that green beer. If you get a green glow about you, do not drive. The NCAA March Madness begins on March 13th and ends on Monday, April 2. The Vernal Equinox is Tuesday, March 20th at 12:15 p.m.. Spring starts. Equinox means "equal night". The day and night are approximately equal (12 hours each).

On February 10th I had the opportunity to attend Fairfield Boy Scout Troop 76 Court of Honor Ceremony held to award the Eagle Badge to Bradford Glen Shughart. Brad is the son of Bruce and Dee Shughart of Fairfield and a 2017 graduate from Fairfield High School. Brad is attending Shippensburg University majoring in Public Administration with a minor in music. He is a member of the Red Raider Marching Band and concert band. He is a volunteer firefighter at the Fairfield Fire and EMS Company 6, Vigilant Hose Company 6, Emmitsburg, and Cumberland Valley Hose Company 53 Shippensburg. For this Eagle project, he refurbished the shed at the Fairfield Union Cemetery. With the help of his volunteers, they removed the old paint, power washed, repainted and replaced 2 broken windows. To see the pictures of the ceremony, go to ronspictures.net. Congratulations Eagle Scout Bradford G. Shughart on your achievement.

Congratulations to Gayle Marthers, Jeni Jarrell, Amanda Bell and the Carroll Valley Recreation Committee for planning and hosting such a wonderful and successful event – the 4th Annual Daddy Daughter Dance. The theme was "Love You to the Moon and Back". There were over 235 people in attendance. Everyone had a blast! The young ladies were overjoyed to have their Dad to themselves on the dance floor. The Dads had a great time "cutting a rug" alongside their daughters. An event of this size could not have been accomplished without people who were willing to give up their time for others. The volunteers involved were: Amanda Bell, Lori Borden, Kathy Beard, Kylee Borden, Deana Duvall, Pat Feeser, C.J. Jarrell, Jeni Jarrell, Jim Jarrell, Morgan Jarrell, Jamie Kidd, Camden Kidd, Caroline Kraft, Jacoby Kraft, Jesse Kraft, Jessica Kraft, Councilor Dave Lillard, Gayle Marthers, Charlie Marthers, Kate Nagy, Hunter Paulus, Kelci Roath, Councilor Sara Skoczen, Tim Skoczen, Diane Stevens, Randy Stevens, Angie Wallace, Ben Wallace, Emily Weller, Cheri Wojcik, and Holly Wolfgang. The event donors were Jarrell Studios, Charlee Marthers, Charlie Lambert, Councilor Dave Lillard, and Nick Kalathas. A special shout-out goes to Commissioner Marty Qually who was the only cook in the kitchen. Thanks, Comish! To see the pictures, go to ronspictures.net and click on the appropriate gallery. I would like to personally thank everyone involved.

On Friday, March 16th, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the Harrisburg Community College (HACC) is holding a Community Education Day at the Gettysburg Campus. The Education Day events features coffee and donuts, a bagged lunch and three class selections. The class offerings are: (1) Retirement; (2) Introduction to Creative Writing; (3) Identity Theft: What You Need to Know; (4) The History of First Ladies Teas; (5) When Character and Integrity Count: Lessons from George Marshall; (6) History Behind Adams County Road Names; (7) Eugenics: How to Build a "Better" Race; and the (8) 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. If interest, visit hacc.edu/GettysburgCommunity for details. I will be offering a 1½ hour, hands-on tutorial on Microsoft Word software application on Wednesday, March 21st starting at 1 p.m. in the Borough Conference Room. To register contact the Library at 642-6009.

As a reminder, do you have proper house number lettering on their mailboxes, so the fire company, ambulance, and/or the police department can find you. In an emergency, seconds count. It is so important that it is addressed in the Borough of Carroll Valley Ordinance §27-706. The ordinance states all improved property within the borough is required to post the official street address in three (3) inch numbers which are luminous (reflective). The number shall be easily read from 20 feet day or night. If there is no mail box at a residence or if it does not clearly identify the house, the reflective street address numbers shall be placed on the front of the house. If the residence sits back off the road or is not visible due to trees or bushes, a sign shall be erected displaying the proper address. Does your house meet code? If not, you can buy a reflective mailbox sign for just $8.00 from the Police Department. These signs are 6" x 18" aluminum and covered in green reflective vinyl with white reflective vinyl numbers attached on both sides. They have the same highly visible qualities of PennDot directional signs. If you are interested in one of these signs, visit the Borough Police Department and ask about ordering one. You can also contact the Police Department Administrative Assistant at pdadmin@carrollvalley.org.

The Borough will be holding the following meetings in March: Planning Commission (Monday – Mar 5th), Borough Council (Tuesday – Mar 13th), Sewer/Water Authority (Mar 19th), Finance Committee (Monday – Mar 26th) and Parks/Recreation Committee (Wednesday – Mar 28th). If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me by email at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net or by cell at 301-606-2021. Watch the speed while driving on the trails.