Rivertown Hops Celebration this Saturday, August 6, noon-4pm

A craft brew extravaganza with food trucks and vendors! Taste a variety of brews and fare presented by brewers and food trucks lining Locust Street from Second to Fifth in downtown Columbia. Enjoy the music while you dine in the street, which is closed to traffic for this event. Tickets costing $40 per person can be purchase by clicking here. On the event day, bring your ticket and ID to receive your event bracelet which entitles you to sample the beers presented. Tickets for the sampling portion of this event may be available on event day, but will cost $45 each. For more information, call 717-684-5249. Remember, drink responsibly!

A list of our currently confirmed beer vendors is found in the table below. Keep scrolling down for information on slated entertainment, information on parking and the free shuttle, information on food vendors, and information for food vendors interested in participating.

Confirmed Beer Vendors as of 7/06/16...keep looking back as we expand our list!

Starr Hill Brewery	Mexitaly	Neshaminy Creek Brewing
Ithaca Beer Co	Wacker Brewing Co	Roy Pitz Brewing Co
Deschutes Brewery	Flying Fish Brewing Co	New Belgium Brewing
Sixpoint Brewery	Columbia Kettle Works	Liquid Hero Brewery
Iron Hill Brewery	Lancaster Brewing Co	South County Brewing Co
St Boniface Craft Brewing	Mad Chef Craft Brewing	Collusion Tap Works
Lagunitas	Weyerbacher Brewing	Rotunda Brewing Co
Aldus Brewing Co	Saucony Creek Brewing Co	Yards Brewing Co

Entertainment
We have live entertainment! Musicians who are sure to be a draw for this event have been confirmed courtesy of Create Columbia, a local nonprofit organization. Don't miss out on quality entertainment sure to add to your event experience. Internationally known Mississippi blues group Anthony “Big A” Sherrod & the Cornlickers will perform on our stage as well as the nationally known group Ton-Taun. A yet-to-be-announced group will round out the live entertainment.

Parking and Shuttle Service
Participants are encouraged to have a designated driver for transportation after the event. However, you may get an easy start to the day by parking at Glatfelter's Field (use 1201 Lancaster Ave, Columbia PA 17512 for your GPS). Parking here free of charge and take the shuttles to the event area. The shuttle is a free service, but donations will be accepted. The first shuttle run will leave Glatfelter Field by 11:30 am (remember, sampling does not begin until noon!) and will run continuous loops every 15 to 20 minutes. The last shuttle run will leave Glatfelter's at 4:15 to pick up the last groups of attendees on one final loop. Click here to view the shuttle map.

Confirmed Food Vendors
Watch as we continue to update this list of participating food vendors. Asof 07/06/2016 the following vendors will join us for this event.
Crave Catering
Gnawjaw Beef Jerky & Bacon
Rocky's BBQ
Rt. 30 Seafood
Sven's Cafe
Uncle Bone's Concessions

Potential Food Vendors
Yes, food vendors are still welcome to apply. Click here for the food vendor application, or call 717-684-5249 to request a copy via mail. We amy also be reached at svcc@parivertowns.com.

Bronze Sponsor:
Bin There Dump That

Entertainment Sponsor:

Becky and Ken's

Columbia Public Library Newsletter - August 2016

Columbia Public Library Calendar of Events - August 2016

Open Letter to Borough Council

(Columbia Spy received the following letter. The author's name is withheld by request.)

I have had the pleasure of getting to know some of the stand holders at the Columbia Market House over the past several months. They are great people who are doing their best to keep things going. I'm new to Columbia, so I don't have the history of the Market House and what has been tried (or not tried) to promote its well-being. I do know it's a beautiful old building right smack in the center of town and I fell in love with it at first sight. I also understand that it has been under the watchful eye of a Trust over the past several years (now dissolved). It sounds as if the Trust did not achieve what it had hoped for concerning the Market House.

There are probably a lot of reasons why. For one, Lancaster County is stock full of Farmers Markets on different days of the week. Not to mention a person can go straight to the farm itself and purchase the items they want. There would need to be a reason to drive in to downtown Columbia to purchase produce, I would think. Especially if that produce is limited in selection. There are some awesome food vendors at the Market and they seem to do the best. There are other types of vendors that have quality items for sale, but the foot traffic is not there to support them. When a person walks in to the building there is a sense of emptiness from all the vacant stands; and it leaves one with the impression that the Market is not doing so well. People most often like to visit and hang out at places where there is excitement in the air, and the hustle and bustle of commerce.

I don't think the answer to the Market's success is necessarily money, although money is needed for certain aspects for sure. I think the Market needs someone who has a vision for the space and who can think outside the box. It needs someone who is creative and is allowed to implement ideas that might be outside the norm. There are so many ways in which the Market could be used. My question is, why haven't major changes been implemented already in the face of the obvious need to do something to bring people in?

Here are some of the ideas I've had, and I'm sure there are many others who have had ideas, too…

Consolidate the stands as much as possible to avoid all the empty space. Create a little café where everyone can sit and enjoy their food. Plaster the town with posters (can actually be done very inexpensively). Make the building look festive from the outside. Flowers planted, balloons, banners. Special events that are well planned and advertised. Split the Market in half, with a restaurant (or group of food vendors) on one side, and other vendors on the other side (kind of like Cracker Barrel). Begin a campaign to overcome any negativity associated with the Market. Have indoor concerts with local musicians. Have dances. Have Square dances. Have sponsored contests, such as a BBQ Cook Off (there's a great BBQ stand in the Market now that could compete) or a Fall Chocolate Festival (there's a great chocolatier there, too). Contests and competitions will always bring people in.

So many things that could be done.

So, I'm hoping that whoever is hired for the new Market Manager has a love for the Market, an excitement for getting things done, and is given the green light to be as creative as possible.   Because to me it seems like that is what is needed the most; as Nike would say, just do it!

From a Columbia Borough Resident

Searching for understanding after a senseless act

We must be willing to invest in each other, to approach each other with respect, check our biases at the door and make a sincere effort toward understanding.

Suddenly, the world seems much smaller than it once was. But we need not focus on the world's problems right now. There is still much work to do in our own neighborhoods.

http://lancasteronline.com/opinion/searching-for-understanding-after-a-senseless-act/article_dc66f7fe-582b-11e6-8f6d-9f8b0804fc2f.html

Columbia comes together on National Night Out

Columbia Borough celebrated its 4th annual National Night Out on Tuesday, August 2, 2016. The community came together for some much-needed healing after recent events.

 Lots of free hot dogs!
(Unidentified personage in the background)

 Always a hit, Jack Hubley wowed the crowd with a variety of critters

 including this well-fed rat snake.

 Councilwoman Steph Weisser tried on a protective suit used by the Lancaster County Prison K-9 Unit.

 Lancaster County Prison K-9 Unit on the hunt for the bad guy.

Bad guy encountered

TAKEDOWN!

APPREHENDED!

 Bad guy being escorted

 Long line for the horse rides

 Off and running - or at least walking

 Union encampment equipped for a little git-fiddle music.

 Firefighters beating up a Camry in preparation for a rescue demo using the Jaws of Life

Cutting up

 Columbia resident Angel Rodriguez and Officer Brent Keyser

Mom of teen charged in shooting blames Black Lives Matter

The mother of a teen charged in Friday's shooting blames the organization Black Lives Matter for the actions of the teen and his accomplice.

"They are in jail for doing what Black Lives Matter wanted them to do: shoot at cops," Luz Rentas said in a statement to several media outlets, Associated Press reported. "The truth is that these are two punk kids following the orders of an irresponsible organization and now they're gonna pay for it."

BLM rejects the claim.