BENNER’S

CHAPEL

The Benner family will be hosting a Fall Thanksgiving service at Benner’s Christ Chapel on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 4 p.m. The public is invited to worship with the family and give thanks for the many blessings we have.

The outdoor chapel service will feature story telling, music and a service by Pastor Doug Conway.

The chapel is just a 15 minute walk from the Benner homestead at 323 Nilson Road, Bellefonte. Arrive at the house early and transportation will be provided for those who cannot make the trek. Be sure to dress for the outdoor temperatures and bring an umbrella if necessary. For more info., call Darlene at 814-380-3932.

PUMPKIN PATCH

Pathway to Christ Church is having a Pumpkin Patch at the church on Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 2 p.m. The Pumpkin Patch consists of pumpkin decorating kits, while supplies last! There will also be a fall hayride and free popcorn for everyone!

The event is free and everyone is invited to come have fun at Pathway to Christ Church, 502 McElhattan Drive, McElhattan.

LIONS NEWS

Howard Area Lions will have their food distribution on Monday, Oct. 20, 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.

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, Oct. 23, at the Beech Creek Fire Company social hall. Doors and the kitchen open at 5:30 p.m. and Bingo starts at 6:30 p.m.

YOUNG

PATRONS

Centre County Grange Young Patrons of Husbandry, “Y P of H,” will be having a Fall Banquet on Sunday, Nov. 16, beginning at 2 p.m., at Union Grange #325, 200 Chestnut St., in Unionville, Pa. The meal will consist of Roast Beef and many sides, including mashed potatoes and noodles. The cost is $15. The banquet is open to any Grange member in Centre County. Reservations must be made by calling Suzanne at 814-383-2502 by Oct. 31.

HOWARD CIVIC CLUB

Howard Civic Club would like to get more members involved with their group. Please consider attending the 6:15 p.m. meeting at the Howard fire hall on Monday, 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. Call Linda at 814-280-3013 for more info or come to the meeting and see for yourself how the Civic Club benefits the community.

APPLE FEST

Bring the whole family and celebrate fall at the Eagle Iron Works and Curtin Village Apple Festival on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 251 Curtin Road, Howard. Free parking available.

During the Apple Festival you can enjoy fresh-pressed apple cider, homemade apple butter, caramel apples, apple cider donuts, hard cider (for guests over 21), BBQ chicken, live music, crafts, vendor shopping and free historic tours of the Curtin Mansion and Iron Furnace. Admission is $5 (kids 10 and under are free).

Kids can decorate pumpkins and gourds, climb straw bales, shell corn, make cornhusk dolls and meet animals from the McHugh Family Farm.

Don’t miss the arrival of the Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society’s sold-out excursion train around 11:30 a.m. as passengers disembark to join the festivities.

Proceeds support the nonprofit Roland Curtin Foundation’s preservation of Eagle Iron Works, the Curtin family home, and the historic Workers’ Village.

Community partners include The Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Centre County Board of Commissioners, Bellefonte Historical Railroad Society, The Old Corner Grill and Bottle Shop, Walnut Lane Farm, the Bathgate Family, Howard Scout Troop and Pack 353 and Centre County Master Gardeners.

COUNTRY JAM

The Back Porch String Band will host their County Jam at the Howard fire hall on Sunday, Oct. 26, from 2-6 p.m. The public is invited to attend the free afternoon of music. Bring a snack to share with those gathered there and a few dollars to drop into the collection hat that will benefit the fire company.

If you play an instrument bring it along, sing along to the songs or just sit back and listen to the music! Country Jam is held the fourth Sunday of each month (except in December, because of Christmastime) at the Yearick Center in Howard.

BREAKFAST

BENEFIT

Susquehanna Valley Big Twins Motorcycle Club is having a breakfast benefit from 7-11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18, to benefit fellow biker and friend, Bill Boyer. Bill suffered a stroke which has left him bed/wheelchair bound and in need of 24/7 care.

The breakfast meals are $10 for adults and $6 for ages 6-12. Younger kiddos get to eat free!

In addition to the breakfast benefit that morning there will also be a basket raffle.

Let’s rally together to show our love and support to Bill and his family.

SVBTMC is located at 84 Harley Dr., (Woolrich area), Lock Haven. The club has a mission to help the youth and those in need in our area and they do that by hosting a breakfast each month at their club house.

Visit their website or call the clubhouse for info on how to join the club, to volunteer at club events or to donate a prize or basket for the benefits each month!

SOUP SALES

Fall is the perfect time for comfort foods — and soup sales are being held this week that you can take advantage of. Most of the soup is sold in freezable containers so you can stock up and always have some available when you want it.

Bald Eagle United Presbyterian Church in Mill Hall is having a vegetable soup sale on Saturday morning, Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. until noon, at the church. Just drive down the alley and call out your order to those attending and you’ll be served quickly. You don’t even have to get out of your car! The soup is $9 for each quart. Proceeds from the soup sale will help with the heating fuel costs at the church.

Logan Grange #109 is having a drive-through soup sale on Saturday, too. The soup flavors are chicken corn noodle and stuffed pepper and the cost is $9 per quart. The soup sale runs from 10 a.m. until noon, or until all sold out. To pre-order so you’re sure you will get, call 814-360-5756, send a private message on their Facebook page or send an email to logangrange109@gmail.com. Walk-in sales will also be filled until all sold out!

The Logan Grange hall is located at 122 N. Main St., Pleasant Gap.

NEW HOPE’S GIVEWAY

New Hope Lutheran Church in Spring Mills will be having their fall clothing giveaway and Christmas Room open on Saturday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The church will be accepting donations of clean, gently used and undamaged goods now through Oct. 31. The church will be unlocked and you can set your donations right inside the door. Volunteers can come to help sort and organize items each day from Oct. 27-Oct. 31. Come anytime to help between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Shopping is done on Saturday, Nov. 1, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., when there will be lots of clothing, including winter coats, shoes and boots, books, games, household and kitchen items and Christmas decor. Everything will be free!

For more details, call Brittany at 814-470-1510 or the church office at 814-422-8417. New Hope Lutheran Church is located along Rt. 45, at 119 Cobblestone Court, Spring Mills.

UPCOMING EVENTS

— The Howard VFW Auxiliary will be hosting a Cash Bingo on Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Yearick Center (the Howard fire hall). Doors will open at 11:30 a.m. and Bingo starts at 1 p.m. In addition to Bingo there will be a Chinese auction and small games of chance. Food will also be available. Tickets are $25 and are available from an auxiliary member or at the VFW Post on Walnut Street in Howard. Donations for the Chinese auction would be appreciated.

— Food distribution will be on Thursday, Nov. 6, from 4-6 p.m., at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 216 McAllister St., Bellefonte. There aren’t any income guidelines but a few questions are asked for those attending for the first time. For more info call Leilani “Loni” at 814-548-7835.

— Howard VFW’s Auxiliary will be holding an All You Can Eat Breakfast Buffet at the club on Sunday, Nov. 9, from 10 a.m. until noon. The cost is $12 for adults. Another breakfast buffet will be held on Dec. 14.

— Centre Ballroom will have a dance on Sunday, Nov. 9, from 2-5 p.m., at Lambert Hall, Bellefonte. Cost is $10/person and you should bring a snack to share.

— The Monument Festival Committee is having a Cash Bingo at KBR Bingo at the Piper Museum in Lock Haven on Nov. 15. The tickets are $20. In addition to the Bingo there will be a basket raffle, rip tickets and food available. The doors open at 11 a.m. and Bingo starts at 1 p.m. Basket and gift card donations are needed to make this benefit a success! The proceeds from this benefit will go to the Monument Church of Christ. To get tickets or to donate a prize, please call Bill at 570-660-5452 or Brenda at 570-660-6871.

FIRE NEWS

Sugar Valley Fire Company is having an All you can eat Breakfast Buffet at the station on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 6:30-10 a.m. The breakfast will feature pancakes with sausage, bacon and eggs, scrapple, sausage gravy and biscuits, hash browns, doughnuts, coffee and juice. The cost for adults is $14; children ages 6-12 $7 and kiddos five and younger are free.

Fire company members will be grilling the sausage on a pellet smoker for added flavor!

Howard Fire Company’s Annual Punkin Chunkin will be held on Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the beach area of Bald Eagle State Park. There will be lots of arts and craft vendors, food vendors and fun throughout the day. Watch the pumpkins get launched into Sayers Lake. If you’d like to be an arts and crafts vendor, visit the fire company’s website, www.howardfire.com, and get an application there. Or, email Kathi or Cindy at chunkincrafts@gmail.com for more info.

Walker Township Fire Company is having a gun raffle on Saturday, Oct. 18, from 5-11 p.m., at the fire station in Hublersburg. Tickets are $10 each and will be available at the door until sold out. There are 25 gun and cash prizes on the ticket stub. Lots of food and a DJ will be there handling the music.

Walker Township Fire Company is having an Open House at the fire station in Hublersburg on Saturday, Oct. 25, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Food and games will be provided. Tor Michaels will be there broadcasting live. Come see the brand new Rescue truck that has recently been put into service and also the brand new tanker truck. The fire company took delivery of the new pieces over the summer, but only the rescue is in service at this time. The Open House is for everyone to see the fire units, to ask questions and to get an application if you’d like to volunteer with the fire company. For more info about the WTFC, call Jim at 814-280-6302.

Howard Fire Company’s annual Gun Raffle will be held on Nov. 8 from noon to 5 p.m. Tickets are $10. There are 10 cash and 10 gun prizes this year along with a special Bingo game ball prize of a gun cabinet with three mystery guns.

Centre Hall Fire Company offers a first Friday of each month Bingo at the fire station. The next Bingo will be held on Nov. 7. Get your tickets at the fire station for Centre Hall Fire Company’s Gun Raffle that will be held May 16, 2026.

BARGAINS & BLESSINGS

Bargains and Blessings Community Closet will have their final sale of the fall on Oct. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Faith Chapel Church, 551 Hunter Run Road, Howard.

Gently used, good quality clothing, shoes and accessories for the entire family are available. Sizes range from infants to 3X and are priced at $5 per bag full.

Bargains & Blessings Community Closet is an outreach of Faith Chapel United Methodist Church that serves Beech Creek, Blanchard, Howard and the surrounding areas.

Faith Chapel’s members invite you to worship with the congregation on Sunday mornings at 9 a.m. Check their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/faithchapelumc, for more info.

BABY BENEFIT

A basket benefit is planned for Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Beech Creek-Blanchard Fire Company social hall. The benefit is for baby Coy Shade and his family and will run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Coy was born six weeks early and weighed just over two pounds. He spent several weeks in the NICU at UPMC in Harrisburg before being life-flighted to the Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh where he had open heart surgery.

Coy’s parents, Seth and Vanessa, were finally able to bring him home to join his big brother, Cooper. Vanessa has been off work with minimal income to provide constant care for Coy and Seth is juggling his HVAC business to go to doctor appointments and help at home when needed. Cooper is in kindergarten and trying to adjust to school and all that goes with having a new baby brother in the house!

Brenda (Shade) Frazier (Seth’s aunt) and Kim (Hanley) Holzer (a close family friend) are organizing this benefit to help ease the financial burden for the Shade family as they focus on Coy’s recovery and having their two little boys continue to grow strong and healthy.

The community has been rallying by providing donations for the raffle and the support has been AMAZING! If everyone who has called and said they’d bring a prize for the raffle brings something then there should be more than 180 baskets that are going to be given away on Saturday afternoon. Some of those prizes are high ticket items, and there’s gift cards from many different vendors — like gas cards, restaurants, stores and more that you’ll want to try to win!

Donations (whether basket raffle prizes or food needed for the kitchen) can be brought to the social hall on Friday from 3-7 p.m. when Kim (570-449-2890) and Brenda (570-660-5283) along with others will be there to set up early and organize things for Saturday’s benefit event. Venmo donations can also be sent to Seth’s sister, Emily, at Emily-Shade-5.

Come hungry on Saturday since there will be food platters selling for $8 that will include your choice of BBQ or Texas-style hotdog, macaroni or pasta salad, baked beans and a drink.

Let’s continue to rally around this baby and his family and show our love and community support to all of them by coming out to the benefit on Saturday.

The family is so appreciative of the community’s many acts of kindness already shown to them and for all of the many prayers, and they want to thank everyone.

Baby Coy had a hospital check-up earlier this week and we hope that good news continues as he recovers from the surgery and grows stronger each day. Please continue to keep baby Coy and his family in your prayers.

LINGER INN BENEFIT

The Linger Inn in Beech Creek will be hosting a pool tournament benefit to help baby Coy and the Shade family! The benefit will be held on Saturday, Oct. 25. Doors open at 12 p.m. and registration for the Scottish Doubles tournament begins at 1 p.m. The cost is $20 for each team and winners receive a 50% payout. After the doubles tournament there’s a singles tournament at $10 per person.

The Linger Inn will also be doing a 50/50 for the Shade family and will be collecting monetary donations for them throughout the day from those who want to stop by and contribute to help the family.

There will be a DJ at the Linger Inn on Saturday evening at 9 p.m. as well.

— — — —

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.