NEWTOWN - The spirit of the season broke through the gloominess of the day as this year’s McCaffrey’s Food Markets Newtown Holiday Parade marched through town with a holiday sparkle in its eye. From the instrumentalists playing holiday tunes to the jolly “Ho! Ho! Ho’s” coming from Santa Claus, even the Grinch, riding aboard the First National Bank float felt the spirit as he waved to the crowd. Despite the occasional drizzle and overcast and foggy skies, hundreds lined the parade as temperatures reached into the 50s.

Newtown Borough >> Rain and wind forced the annual Newtown Borough Halloween Parade inside, but it couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Several hundred kids and their parents packed the comfortable and dry historic Newtown Theatre Saturday morning to show off an eclectic collection of costumes, from a giant blinking eyeball to Gritty, the Philadelphia Flyers’ new mascot. “Thank you for coming out today to enjoy a rainy Halloween,” said Mayor Charles Swartz in welcoming everyone to the event. “Sorry the weather is not cooperating, but here we are inside the movie theatre with a hall filled with some great costumes.” The historic hall bustled with excitement as a panel of judges, including Police Chief James Sabbath, Paul Salvatore, Heather Lewis and Liz Warren, inspected the various categories from TV and movies to family themes, scariest and homemade costumes.

LOWER MAKEFIELD >> The township beamed with pride on Sunday as it marked the unofficial end of summer by celebrating community. From the time the event opened to the time it closed with a dazzling display of fireworks by the Zambelli Brothers, hundreds enjoyed Lower Makefield’s Community Pride Day as the final weekend of summer breezed by. And there were smiles everywhere you looked at Community Park, from the kids taking a whirlwind ride on the popular Gyro, to the young people competing in the 3v3 basketball tournament to the adults and kids testing their putting skills at an activity offered by the Makefield Highlands Golf Club.

The 2018 Middletown Grange Fair is located at 576 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown 18940.

even as occasional rumbles of thunder rolled and lightning flashed across the sky, hearty car enthusiasts with umbrellas in hand made their way down the street checking out this year’s amazing collection of vehicles numbering well north of 100. While there were some car owners who turned on the wipers early and headed for home, many of the car owners stuck it out, hoping the rain would be short lived. They sought refuge from the raindrops under nearby overhangs and inside their vehicles - any place to keep dry. “The owners have been very patient,” said show director Rich Napoli., expressing his appreciation to them for sticking it out. “We have some beautiful Cadillacs here and a stunning Bentley. They’re all here and they’re all staying,” he said of the 150 or so vehicles lining the street. The show’s Logistics director Paul Salvatore said they lost a few cars due to the rain, “but a lot showed up, too,” he said. “The cars are here and we’re judging them. We’re not leaving,” he said.

The Council Rock High School North Class of 2018, numbering more than 400, listened as student speakers Amanda Abrohms, Rachel Stillman and Duke Wu imparted the final words of wisdom and pieces of advice to the graduating class. Abrohms, in her address entitled “Only (in Twelve Moments),” noted that 12 years of school has boiled down to one moment “when we finally say goodbye to the place where we grew up. “Whatever choice you make after leaving this stadium make sure you do something that doesn’t leave you thinking, ‘If only.’ If only I had laughed more. If only I had taken that risk. If only I had told that person how much they meant to me. “Time will fly by. They told us the first day of freshman year that this would be the fastest four years of our lives,” she said. “If only I would have believed them.”

Addressing the 823 graduates were student government president Courtney Fegley, graduating senior Sonali Deliwala, Superintendent William Gretzula, Pennsbury High School Principal Reggie Meadows and Pennsbury School Board President Jacqueline Redner. Ninety-one percent of the class will be attending post-secondary education, two percent will enter the military and four percent will join the workforce.

Rarely do you see perfection in the sporting world. There ae just too many obstacles blocking any team’s ultimate Dream Season. The Council Rock North volleyball team defied those odds and produced a perfect 19-0 mark on their way to a PIAA District One league championship. Going into the 2018 campaign Ed Mancinelli, senior libero, sensed the Indians were headed for a stellar season. “We knew we had a similar team to last year. The whole last season was almost all juniors so we all came back with a big chip on our shoulders that said basically District Title or bust.” As the season unfolded, the initial goal seemed more reachable. “We’ve been clicking really well. I know we’ve been getting better and better every practice and we learn more and more about each other. If one person makes a bad play the other guys are there to pick him up.” Part of the Indians success is the complete athleticism they bring to the court. “I think we’re very well balanced. The guys up front, Harry (Wyatt), Jack (Gunshenan), Justin (Burns), Kevin (D,Arcy), and Will (Hewitt) all have huge vertical leaps. Those guys can jump out of the building.”

PENNDEL >> The community gathered at the Penndel Ball Fields on Memorial Day weekend to send a message of sacrifice, remembrance and gratitude to the future. During a ceremony following the annual Penndel-Hulmeville Memorial Day Parade on Saturday, leaders of the committee that brought the Traveling Vietnam Wall here in 2017 lowered a time capsule into the ground as a solemn reminder of what took place during the Wall’s visit to Penndel. The ceremony followed the annual Penndel-Hulmeville Memorial Day Parade which stepped off Saturday morning beneath partly sunny skies. Applause filled the air along Bellevue Avenue as members of the Penndel American Legion led the march from Hulmeville to the ball fields in Penndel Borough. More applause greeted a caravan of cars carrying veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. A U.S. Marine Corps Color Guard proudly marched down the street carrying the flag of the nation followed by the All Division Detachment of the Marine Corps League and the Tri-County Band. Politicians from Penndel and Hulmeville boroughs waved to the crowds from a lineup of vehicles as U.S. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick walked the route shaking hands along the way. Also riding by were State Senator Tomlinson, State Rep. Tina Davis and District Judge the Hon. Daniel Baranoski. The Uptown String Band strutted the route performing patriotic favorites including “This Land Is Your Land.” The band Big Whiskey rode by belting out the song, “We’re An American Band.” Teams of Wildcats joined the parade. So did Scouts from Penndel and Levittown. Members of the Redeemer Lutheran Church rode by singing patriotic hymns. Also joining the parade were the Daisy Jug Band, the Andalusia Jug Band, the Nashville Cats, the Penndel Rescue Squad and Fire companies from Penndel, William Penn, Parkland, Langhorne-Middletown and Eddington.

“The Stations of the Cross” recounts Christ’s last hours, from his sentencing by Pontius Pilot to bearing the cross to Calvary, his crucifixion and finally his glorious resurrection on Easter Sunday morning. In a slow possession across the gym floor, the students portrayed Jesus’s pain-filled walk to Calvary. With a crown of thorns on his head and bearing a heavy cross, Jesus is met along the way by his mother, Mary; a woman named Veronica who wipes his face; Simon, who helps him carry the cross; and a group of weeping women.