Letters: Community made Strawberry Festival a success; Standing with Addison Court residents
Community made Strawberry Festival a success
Lemont Strawberry Festival was very successful, in spite of rain in the middle of the event. Tents magically appeared and we stayed dry. Thanks to the Centre Daily Times, the Centre County Gazette and radio and social media, lots of people came, enjoyed, volunteered and loved the music and activities. So many people helped this year that it’s impossible to thank all by name.
The musicians, The Hot Mama’s — Sylvia Feldman & Rene Oakman — and Briggs & Strayer, Kevin Briggs & Bill Strayer, entertained and were facilitated by sound wizards Jim Thorn and Tom Hesketh.
Bellefonte Historic Railroad Society volunteers provided rides and excitement, Centre Point Church provided children’s activities, and Art Alliance volunteers painted children’s faces and did art with children. Families were also interested in learning from Terri Eagles about her burro rescue project, called Wild Once Burros, LLC.
There were 12 ice cream/strawberry/cake servers/cashiers; 25 berry hullers and six berry washers and haulers — over 100 volunteers in all! We served over 750 happy customers!
Phil Hawk and Co. were banner hangers and removers; College Township crew — road barricades; the Friends School accepted our compostables; Mark & Marla Kurtz — strawberry providers; Meyer Dairy — ice cream, 70 local cake providers, many with multiple cakes; Culligan — water; Hickey’s — ice; Weis at Hills Plaza and on Westerly Parkway, and Giant at Hills Plaza provided gift cards for supplies; sponsorship – Michael & Associates; and most of all, the neighbors of the Village green for their tolerance and friendliness.
Susan F. Smith, Lemont. The author is the board chair of the Lemont Village Association.
Standing with Addison Court residents
I thank the community for standing with the residents of Addison Court in the change of ownership of the property.
Mobilized by the reporters of the CDT, the Collegian and the Gazette, they showed the new owner their sense of the continuing need for affordable housing at the center of State College. As Mr. Kervandjian said as he announced his support, “my family has lived here for two generations too.”
We must all now stand together with him and the borough as we work to secure the state funding to implement our united vision.
John Harris, State College
Other Emancipation Days to note
A Juneteenth article about other Emancipation Days in the CDT missed several important ones.
When I was a civil rights activist in Mississippi from 1971 to 1993, African American communities around the state celebrated July 4 as Jubilee Day, the anniversary of Confederate Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton’s surrender of Vicksburg to Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant in 1863, freeing slaves throughout the lower Mississippi valley, thousands of whom enlisted in the federal armed forces. (Although July 4 also is Independence Day nationally, Mississippi white racists refused to join the rest of us for the holiday celebration.)
The last Confederate General to surrender was Cherokee Chief and Brigadier General Stand Watie at Doaksville, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) on June 23, 1865.
Border states Delaware and Kentucky did not legally abolish slavery until the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified and became effective Dec. 6, 1865.
Ken Lawrence, Spring Mills
False Claims Act could disrupt balance
In communities like State College, public policy decisions often intersect with education, research and economic development. Stable and predictable regulatory systems are essential for institutions, businesses and individuals alike.
House Bill 1697, to create a state False Claims Act, could disrupt that balance. As drafted, the proposal would allow private lawsuits over state and local tax matters currently addressed through audits and administrative review.
The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue administers tax law through structured processes designed to ensure consistency. That stability matters for organizations that rely on clear rules when planning budgets, managing compliance and supporting long‑term investment.
Consider a small accounting firm helping a regional hospital navigate complex Medicaid billing rules. A disgruntled former employee partners with a contingency-fee attorney to allege false claims based on a disputed billing interpretation. No fraud needs to be proven, yet the firm could face treble damages and penalties of up to $27,000 per claim. Litigation costs alone could force a settlement, while the attorney and former employee pocket up to 30 percent. The firm’s reputation suffers lasting damage despite no finding of wrongdoing.
The federal government and many states exclude tax matters from false claims laws. Pennsylvania should consider that approach to preserve clarity, consistency and confidence in its tax system.
Peter Calcara, Harrisburg. The author is the vice president of government relations with Pennsylvania Institute of Certified Public Accountants.