PHOTO PROVIDED Shown in this photo taken at his birthday party last December are Bill and his children, left to right: Roger Rogers, Evon Snook, Brenda Poorman, Viola Walters, Bill Rogers wearing his birthday banner, Wanda Kresovich, Lorraine Boone, Deb Weaver and Randy Rogers.

DANCE WITH A STAR

Centre Ballroom Dancing is pleased to announce a special visitor will be at the May 18 dance.

The public is invited to come meet Jean Michel from 2-5 p.m. at Lambert Hall in Bellefonte.

Jean Michel is a professional dancer and instructor, and has had the privilege of teaching and performing around the world. He placed first as the National Champion of Mambo and has been a finalist in all the major competitions in the USA. He had the opportunity to make a guest appearance on Dancing With the Stars in Season 11.

Jean Michel will be teaching a dance lesson at 2 p.m. with his dancing partner, Deborah Kincaid, and he also will perform a showcase dance. The cost is $10/person and we ask that you bring a snack to share.

HOWARD CIVIC CLUB

Howard Civic Club would like to get more members involved with their group. The Civic Club’s mission is to support the community through activity and fundraising for the benefit of the Howard community and nearby neighbors.

Civic Club meetings are held just four times a year at the Howard fire hall. The group meets on the first Monday of February, May, August and November at 6:15 p.m. Future meeting dates for 2025 will be on Aug. 4 and Nov. 3.

There is an optional meal preceding the meeting which is self-paid (currently $12). The meal is provided by Jane Bartley, owner of Country Elegance Catering Company. Dues are just $5 a year and are paid annually in January of each year.

Please consider joining the Howard Civic Club to continue to support this organization that Howard’s citizens formed 110 years ago.

Howard Civic Club is planning a hoagie sale in July. Anyone who would like to order hoagies can contact any Civic Club member or Linda Hanley at 814-280-3013 for more information.

SPAGHETTI SUPPER & AUCTION

Wingate Faith Church is inviting the public to a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to support a team of their congregation and others who are planning to travel down south this summer to provide assistance with projects to help the local folks living there.

About 30 people from three churches will be traveling to Hot Springs, N.C., and Newport, Tenn., for a week in July to help the people in that area that were affected by Hurricane Helene.

The group will make the trip in partnership through an international faith-based relief organization known as Experience Missions.

The trip is focused on rebuilding homes and businesses in the Newport area. It will cost approximately $500 for each volunteer for transportation, lodging and meals while they are there.

Wingate Faith Church is hosting a spaghetti supper while Watermarke Church is organizing a silent auction to help with the volunteer’s expenses.

The spaghetti supper will be held today from 5-7 p.m. at the church fellowship hall. The church is located at 111 Runville Road, Bellefonte, just behind the Sheetz store in Wingate. The meal will include spaghetti, meatballs, salad, bread, drinks and homemade desserts. The cost will be $12 per person for those ages five and older. Children younger than five can eat for free. Take-out meals will also be available. Call Janette at 814-883-0893 and have her reserve your tickets for this fundraiser.

Watermarke Church’s auction will be held at the church this evening from 5-8 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Watermarke Church is located at 1690 Zion Road, Bellefonte, with Tim Yates serving as the pastor there.

JACK’S HOAGIES

Jack Miller is once again making his famous hoagies as a fundraiser for the Yarnell Community Center. Jack is making the hoagies on May 15-17 at the Community Center in Yarnell. You can call in your pre-orders to him anytime now or get walk-ins while supplies last.

The varieties of hoagies and prices are as follows: regular hoagie – $9; ham or turkey – $11; roast beef – $12. A cheesesteak will be $14 and a Canadian bacon sub will be $14. There will be lettuce, tomatoes, onions and peppers to add and your choice of American, provolone or pepper jack cheese.

The hours to come for pick-up or walk-in orders will be today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Call in your pre-orders to Jack at 814-280-0524.

Jack already had more than 150 hoagies pre-ordered and he’s hoping the community supports the fundraiser like we’ve always done in the past. And, maybe if we’re lucky, Jack will agree to make them again in a few months.

BENEFIT BINGO

KBR Bingo and More will host a benefit Bingo for Dave Mader on June 8 at the Piper Museum Bingo hall. Dave was seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Good Friday and is now recovering at home. He’s unable to work and will have a long road ahead with physical therapy to recover. The Bingo will start at 1 p.m. and tickets are $25. Doors open at 11 a.m. and the kitchen will offer lots of goodies, too! There will also be a basket raffle and 50/50 drawing to help raise funds for Dave and his wife, Chris.

Many of you probably know Chris from her working at the Beech Creek bank. Chris has tickets with her there if you’d like to purchase them ahead of time. And, if you can donate a basket or gift card that can be used for the raffle that would be great, too! You can drop your donations for the raffle off to Chris during banking hours.

MILLER REUNION

The descendants of Wilson and Hazel Miller will gather on Saturday, May 31, at noon for their annual reunion. This year’s reunion will be held at Bill Rogers’ pavilion. Attendees should bring a hot and cold dish to share. Table settings and drinks will be provided. Bring a wrapped item for the auction and some money to enter the prize drawings. Games will be provided for the children.

Hazel “Dude” Mitchell and her family (Ray and Isabelle’s children) are in charge of this year’s reunion so if you have any questions you can reach Dude at 814-355-8567. Please pass the word along to others of the family so we’re sure everyone knows to come!

YARD SALES

It’s not looking like a very good weekend for yard sales with the expected rain, but some folks that have garages may still be having their yard/garage sales in the community.

Porter Township residents will be having community yard sales on May 16-17.

Woolrich Community Yard Sales will also be held today and tomorrow.

Milesburg town wide yard sales are this weekend, too. The Milesburg Museum is having a yard sale today and tomorrow as well.

Beech Creek-Blanchard community yard sales will be on June 13-14.

FIRE NEWS

Centre Hall Fire Company’s annual gun raffle will be held on Saturday, May 17, from 2-7 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Snow Shoe Fire Company will have a gun raffle on Aug. 2 at the Snow Shoe carnival grounds. Tickets are on sale now at $10 each or 3/$20.

Miles Township (Rebersburg) Fire Company will have a gun raffle on Saturday, Sept. 13. Tickets are on sale now for $10 each or 3/$20. There are 30 prizes to be given away on this raffle and one of them is a 2025 Honda Pioneer side by side.

MEMORIAL SERVICES

Pastor Dave Etters will be the speaker for the annual memorial service at Fairview Cemetery that will be held on Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m. The cemetery is located at the intersection of Fairview Road, Bullit Run Road and Curtin Hollow Road in Boggs Township, rural Howard.

Anyone having any questions or those interested in obtaining lots at the cemetery should contact Linda at 814-355-8820.

Memorial Day services at the Advent Church at 1303 Moose Run Road, Bellefonte, between Milesburg and Yarnell, will be held at 9 a.m. on May 26. Afterward, beginning at around 10 a.m., the Advent Historical Society will have the first of this summer’s Music at the Advent concert entitled Memorial Day Patriotic Hymn Sing.

The program will include traditional music, patriotic songs and hymns that you’re invited to sing along to. The museum and gallery will be open, with refreshments of coffee, pies and cookies provided by members and friends. This event is free and will be held rain or shine. The hymn sing will probably last until close to noon. For more information, please find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AdventHistoricalSociety or visit our website: www.adventhistoricalsociety.org.

Memorial Day services will be held at Schenck’s Cemetery on Monday, May 26, at 2 p.m. The speaker will be Norman Houser, who will be discussing the Army WWII airplane that crashed on the Thompson Farm in Howard Township in December 1947. The farm and crash site were about a mile from the current cemetery grounds near Lower Green’s Run on lands that were later taken to put Sayers Dam in.

LIONS NEWS

Milesburg Lions Club holds a weekly Bingo every Thursday night at the Milesburg Community Center. Doors open at 5 p.m. and Bingo starts at 6:45 p.m.

Howard Area Lions Bingo will be held on Thursday, May 22, at the Beech Creek Fire Company’s social hall. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and Bingo starts at 6:30 p.m. May 22 will be the last Bingo until September since the Lions take a break during the summer months.

Bring a $5 bag of candy (individually wrapped pieces, but no chocolate) for the Lions to throw to parade watchers at the Memorial Day parade in Beech Creek and get $5 off your Bingo tickets at the May 22 Bingo.

Howard Area Lions will have their food distribution on Monday, May 19, from noon to 3 p.m., at the former Beech Creek Elementary School. Bring a sturdy box (or boxes) with you as there is always a need for larger boxes for food distributions. Food distribution is for those residents who live in the Centre County areas of Blanchard, Howard, Hunter Run, Lamar, Marsh Creek, Monument, Mount Eagle and Orviston, and those living in the Clinton County area of Beech Creek Borough and Beech Creek Township.

There will be garden plants and seeds being given away, free of charge, on May 19. The Lions expect the Master Gardeners to have tomato, peppers, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and onions available for food bank patrons.

Howard Area Lions are planning to have their annual Memorial Ceremony at Sayers Dam on Friday, May 23, beginning at 6 p.m. This year the ceremony is being planned by the Clinton County Veterans Office with help from our local Lions. Guests will include commissioners from both Clinton and Centre County as well as state representatives, senators and congressmen representing the local area.

The public is invited to attend the Memorial Service at the Foster Sayers Memorial site near the spillway at Sayers Dam. Bring a lawn chair and dress for the evening temperatures. In case of rain, the service will be moved to the Beech Creek Wesleyan Church.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Susquehanna Valley Big Twins Motorcycle Club will be having a breakfast benefit at the club house on Saturday, May 17, from 7-11 a.m. The All-you-can-eat Breakfast will cost $10 for adults and $6 for ages 6-12. Those younger can eat for free. SVBT is using the breakfast this month to benefit their club to help recoup some of the expenses they’ve incurred over the last few months with hosting benefits for others. SVBT Club is located at 84 Harley Drive (Woolrich), Lock Haven. Call Perry at 570-295-2078 for info.

LTSA Liberty Township Sportsmen’s Association will have a membership meeting on May 17 at 9 a.m. in the clubhouse. All members are encouraged to attend. Call Dawn at 570-660-7901 or visit the LTSA website at www.libertysportsmen.com for additional info and their calendar of upcoming events.

College Township, in honor of its 150th anniversary, will be celebrating with a Barn Dance at Millbrook Marsh on Saturday, May 17. The public is invited to the free celebration being held from 6-9 p.m.

From 6-7 p.m., enjoy games, food, face painting for the kids and family fun at the historic barn. From 7-9 p.m. there will be a Contra Dance for everyone to participate in. Don’t worry if you’ve never danced before, experienced caller Bruce Young will guide dancers through each set. Contra dancing is like square dancing, but in lines! So, you can come solo or bring a dance partner to enjoy the evening with.

There will be food trucks on site — Doan’s Bones Barbecue and Super Duper Cafe — for you to purchase your favorite foods from.

Wear your best hoedown attire and come out to enjoy the 150th celebration of College Township.

Country Jam at the Yearick Center in Howard on Sunday, May 25, from 2-6 p.m. Bring a snack to share and a few dollars for a donation to the fire company. If you have an instrument and would like to play along with those jammin’ bring it along. Or, just sit back and enjoy the tunes. The Back Porch String Band invites those attending to sing along to the many familiar tunes that are played each week. Country Jam offers a free afternoon of fellowship and music.

St. John’s Lutheran Church will have a food distribution on Thursday, June 5, from 4-6 p.m. Residents of the area can come to the drive-up distribution at the church at 216 McAllister St., Bellefonte. The food distribution is usually held on the first Thursday of each month, unless otherwise noted. There aren’t any income restrictions but there are a few simple questions for those coming for the first time. For more info call Leilani (“Loni”) at 814-548-7835.

BILL: THE FAMILY MAN

Bill Rogers celebrated his 90th birthday on Dec. 1, 2024. Family and friends filled the Yearick Center in Howard to pay tribute to this remarkable guy and to celebrate the milestone with him.

The Lomison Family and Friends Band provided the music for the birthday celebration.

Bill lives on a farm along Fairview Road in Marsh Creek where he raises beef cattle and hogs.

He faithfully attends the Marsh Creek Brethren in Christ Church and enjoys the activities and fellowship with the other church members there.

On June 13, 1953, Bill married his forever sweetheart, Patricia Long, a daughter of Ray and Isabelle Miller. Bill and Pat shared nine children — six daughters and three sons — and more than 63 years of marriage together before her passing on May 13, 2017.

Bill has made his living in the trucking industry, being an owner and driver for William Rogers Trucking. Bill and Pat brought their three sons into the family trucking business, before their oldest son, Denny, passed away in 2006.

Bill enjoys attending both Miller and Rogers family reunions and eating out. He spends most weekday evenings with his children and their families for supper, where he’s able to learn all about his grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s activities and accomplishments.

In addition to his eight surviving children, Bill is blessed with 26 grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. There are 38 great-grandchildren; 11 step-great-grandchildren and one step-great-great-grandchild. I’m sure more babies will be joining the family in the years to come, and Bill will love and welcome them all.

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Howard Happenings is written and compiled by Tammy Coakley who can be reached by email at tammysue0115@gmail.com or by telephone at 814-625-2684.