(11/2019) It’s November! Where has the time gone? It seems the older I get the time passes by with greater speed. Before we move to November, let’s review some highlights from late September and October. On September 18th, an Open House was held by the Borough Council and the Planning Commission members to share with the community the proposed updates to the Carroll Valley Zoning Ordinance. Hope you had a chance to attend Fairfield’s Pippinfest celebration. The weather was perfect and there was a record number of people in attendance. On October 2nd a Carroll Valley Blood Drive was held at the Borough office. Thirteen 13 units of blood were collected which is projected to be able to save 36 local lives. The next Blood Drive will be held in December. The specific date has not yet been confirmed.

The last E-Waste Recycling event for 2019 was held on October 12th at Hamiltonban Township. Eighty-six vehicles dropped off televisions, computer systems, and/or electronic accessories. The following is a list of the municipalities followed by the number vehicles (in parenthesis) that visited the drop-off site: Carroll Valley (14), Fairfield Borough (20), Freedom Township (6), Hamiltonban Township (18), Highland Township (14), Liberty Township (12) and Franklin Township (2). The amount collected filled 1 ½ 20-yard containers. A big shout out of thanks goes to the wonderful support provided by the following volunteers: Charlie Cool, Fairfield Borough; Ed Wenschoff, Freedom Township; Vincent Gee and Jonathan Eichhold, Liberty Township; Hamiltonban Township Supervisors Douglas Woerner and David Martin as well as Roadmaster, Ray Herr. If you are trying to dispose of any electronics before the next E-Recycling event scheduled for 2020, you may want to check with the Washington Township Refuse Transfer Station on Route 16 in Waynesboro. Contact them at 717-762-4413. There is a charge based on weight.

On October 19th the Carroll Valley Recreation Committee with the help of many volunteers held a Mother and Son Glow Party at the Fairfield Fire Hall. It was a tremendous event! There were approximately 75 in attendance. See the pictures at ronspictures.net. Thanks go to the following volunteers: Robert Allen, Amanda Bell, Jayden Bell, Steve Bell, Todd Dilger, Crystal Durbin, Andrew Gray, David Hazlett, Josh Hazlett, Jeni Jarrell, Jesse Kraft, Jessica Kraft, Jacoby Kraft, Mary Kraft, Gayle Marthers, Jeremiah Ott, Charlee Paulus, Hunter Paulus, Allison Phillips, Sarah Skoczen, Tim Skoczen, Cheri Wojcik and the CVB Municipal Services Department.

As of November 1st, we are 23 days to the unofficial or official start of the holiday shopping season. I guess, if you want to make it seem like it is a longer period of time, you could always say you have 552 hours or 33,120 minutes left before you start shopping on Black Friday. This year Black Friday falls on November 29th, which is the day after Thanksgiving. If you are wondering why it is called Black Friday it is because it relates to businesses recording their losses in red ink and gains in black. I don’t think that helps. One good thing though is this time of the year we turn back the clocks and say goodbye to Daylight Saving Time in the early hours (2 a.m.) of Sunday, November 3rd. That means an extra hour of sleep, and at my age, I want all the sleep I can get. You could use that extra hour to go online and shop! It is also a good time to check all your smoke alarms. Election Day is November 5th (Tuesday). The polls will be open from 7:00 am to 8:00 pm. All voting will be held at the Carroll Valley Community & Education Complex (the borough building). If you have any questions regarding the election polls and voter ID, contact Angie Crouse, Adams County Director of Elections and Voter Registration at (717) 337-9832. To see a sample Carroll Valley ballot via computer, perform the following: Enter AdamsCounty.us in your web browser. Click Election Resources 2019 (under top clicks) on the Home Page. Click on Sample Ballot (under Municipal Election – right side of page). Scroll down to Carroll Valley. Please come out to vote. Your vote counts!

On November 10th, our nation celebrates the birth of the United States Marine Corps. Did you know that the Marine Corps was created during the Revolutionary War? They are celebrating their 244th birthday. Veterans day falls on Monday, November 11th. It is a day we honor all Armed Forces veterans who have served our country. As they do each year, Fairfield School is holding a "Veteran’s Day Breakfast" on Monday, November 11th from 8 to 10 a.m. in the Fairfield High School cafeteria. All veterans as well as their spouse or guest are invited to attend. For more information, you can call the office at 717-642-2045 or email fasdvets@fairfield.k12.pa.us. RSVP’s are necessary by November 5th. As a 20-year veteran, please accept my heartfelt appreciation for your service and for your family’s support.

We celebrate Thanksgiving this year on Thursday, November 28th. The November programs for the Adams County – Carroll Valley Library Branch is as follows: Teen Book Club (Nov 4th @ 6 p.m.); KPets – children who are just learning to read can practice by reading to a therapy dog (Nov 4th @ 6:30 p.m.); Essential Oils – Sleep, Stress & Emotions (Nov 11th @ 6:45 p.m.); Thanksgiving Bingo & Craft night (Nov 14th @ 6:30 p.m.); Book Club for Adults (Nov 18th @ 7:00 pm) and Cookbook Club (Nov 21st @ 6:30 p.m.).

Borough meetings to be held in November are: Planning Commission (Nov 4th), Office Closed - Elections (Nov 5th), Tree Board (Nov 7th), Office Closed – Veterans Day (Nov 11th). Council Borough (Nov 12th), Sewer/Water Authority (Nov 18th), Parks/Recreation (Nov 20th) and Public Safety (Nov 25th). Please reduce your driving speed when you are in the Valley. If you have any questions, contact me at 301-606-2021 or email at MayorRonHarris@comcast.net. I want to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving – Keep Safe!