World Café
Travel the World Café at Elizabethtown Public Library
Elizabethtown Coffee Company is the heart of the World Café program at Elizabethtown Public Library and helps to advance our mission. The vision of the World Café is to increase awareness of authors, cultures and realities from around the globe. We want everyone to be able to discover new places and different ideas that expand our thinking and our minds.
Each month the Library selects a different location. Sometimes its a region within the United States. It might be a coffee or tea growing country and it may even be a body of water that houses sea creatures and mythical beings. You can sign up to participate in this year-long program and complete your World Café passport for a year of exploration and a chance to win fun prizes.
October highlights Elizabethtown!
In counting down to our 99 years of continual service in the Greater Elizabethtown Area, our World Café focus for this month is our own backyard, Elizabethtown, PA! Elizabethtown was incorporated as a borough on April 13, 1827, and is now home to over 11,500 residents. Situated in the Heart of Central Pennsylvania, Elizabethtown is conveniently located between Harrisburg, Lancaster, Hershey, and York. The train station located to the west of town makes travel to these nearby and other locations convenient so that you can relax or accomplish some work while traveling.
Businesses & Downtown
Currently Elizabethtown has a nice mix of large business and small, independently operated businesses. Masonic Villages opened their campus in 1910, and it now spans 1,400 acres and cares for almost 2,000 residents. A prominent corporation in the area is MARS. They are currently working on expanding their facility, demonstrating a commitment to stay in the area. Located southeast of the town proper is Elizabethtown College which is starting to celebrate its 125 year anniversary. There are also retail distributors nearby, including Amazon and Nordstrom, which demonstrates Elizabethtown as a convenient hub to travel to the nearby cities and beyond.
One would be remiss not to talk about the local businesses and small town quality which Elizabethtown is thankful to possess. There are multiple art studios, both focused on teaching and others on selling art. There are hubs of smaller businesses which are located together in larger buildings which showcase locally made items and unique gifts. And there are a number of specialty stores to check out. Recently, a farmers market opened on the square and operates on Wednesdays, bringing local produce and similar items into town. The downtown also bustles with activity on the 2nd Friday of each month with different themes, to encourage people to visit, have a fun night out, and support local businesses.
Get Out & Explore!
This month we encourage you to get out and explore Elizabethtown. Try some new places and discover all that our town has to offer. For a list of upcoming events, check out the Discover Elizabethtown website to keep you informed. If getting out into nature is more your style, there are also nearby parks and walking trails to check out, some in the borough and others in the surrounding area. Local parks and trails include Community Park and Hickory Lane Park in the borough, Conoy East Park, Conoy West Park, and Governor Stable Park in Conoy Township, Old Trolley Line Park and Wolgemuth Park in Mount Joy Township, Newville Park and West Donegal Township Civic Park in West Donegal Township, and the Bellair Woods hiking trail and Conewago Recreation Trail.
Home Cooking & Dining Out
This month’s recipe is most definitely a comfort food to many Elizabethtown residents and beyond: Chicken Corn Soup! Warming up with a steaming bowl of chicken corn soup is a great way to welcome the chilly fall weather which is imminent. If you don’t feel like cooking at home, there are some great restaurants to try in Elizabethtown. There is something for everyone, from a quick bit to eat, to grabbing a pizza, to having classic home cooking, to trying flavors from around the world, and to a nice night out with friends. For a small town, there are no shortage of places to enjoy breakfast, lunch, or a night out. And don’t forget this year’s Taste of Western Lancaster County winners: Fuego Latino, McCleary’s Public House, Pine Creek Spirits (formerly Funk Brewing), and Spence Candies!
My Home Masterpiece: Now
This month’s craft kicks off our first two part craft. This month features Elizabethtown today, whereas in November we will celebrate Elizabethtown in the past, particularly in the 1920s. The craft features your artistic masterpiece of your home today and how your home may have appeared in the 1920s or, depending how recently it was built, what may have stood at the location of your home 100 years ago. The Library is the featured location in our example masterpiece.