(11/2020) Election Day is November 3rd, and it is the last day for Adams County Boards of Elections to receive voted mail-in and civilian absentee ballots. They must be received by 8:00 pm. The Adams County Secure Ballot Drop Box is in the lobby of the Adams County Courthouse at 117 Baltimore Street, Gettysburg, PA. If you want to see a sample ballot so you are better prepared and for more information, go to adamscounty.us.

The Elections and Voters Registration telephone number is 717-337-9832. Carroll Valley’s polling place is located at the Borough building located at 5685 Fairfield Road. Your vote counts! The Fairfield Neighbors Helping Neighbors is having a winter clothing giveaway on November 7th for families in our community at Carroll Valley Borough Pavilion, 5685 Fairfield Road. You can drop off your clean, gently used winter clothing donations from 9 a.m. to noon and can shop (for free) from noon to 3 p.m. Clothing is for all sizes from infant to adults. Please no shoes.

The coming together of area veterans to remember our days in service to protect our country will not occur this year due to the COVID-19 and following the CDC guidelines. Sadly, the Fairfield Area School District will not be able to hold their Veterans Day Breakfast. However, on November 12th, the day after Veterans Day, a Veterans Appreciation Day is scheduled to be held at the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum & Visitor Center. Veterans will get free admission to the Film, Cyclorama & Museum experience.

Guests will have the opportunity to see the Gettysburg Cyclorama painting in a special "lights up" program which will feature a talk while in the full light of the painting. Those attending will start with an "A New Birth of Freedom" film presentation followed by the "Lights Up Cyclorama" program. U.S. military veterans should be prepared to show proof of veteran status to obtain tickets. Veterans Appreciation Day hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The last film and cyclorama show will begin at 3 p.m. Thanks go to the U. S. National Park Service and the Gettysburg Foundation for the invitation. For further information call 717-334-1114.

The Carroll Valley Branch of the Adams County Library has decided to have a Thanksgiving story walk around the Carroll Valley Commons in November. The Halloween story walk is forecasted to come down on November 4th and replaced with Nick Bruel’s "Bad Kitty – Does NOT Like THANKSGIVING!" story. These "Story Walks" are great for our community, especially for our children. They encourage our young to read, to enjoy our park, and help to distract them from the stress that we all are experiencing during this time of COVID-19. Kudos go to the Carroll Valley Library staff – Sherrie DeMartino and Crystal Durbin.

On October 17th, the E-Recycling event was held in the Fairfield Fire & EMS Department’s parking lot. As reported by Susan Wagle, Fairfield Borough Secretary, 58 vehicles brought materials to fill a 1½ 20-yard container. The municipality vehicle representation was Carroll Valley-32, Fairfield-5, Freedom-3, Hamiltonban-8, Highland-2, and Liberty-8. Appreciation goes to Susan Wagle, her daughter, and the four employees from the Fairfield Borough helped resident unload their electric equipment.

With the help of our Carroll Valley Police Chief Richard Hileman, Corporal Cliff Weikert, Police Officer Chris Roosen from Liberty Township, Beth Shipley, and Stephanie Black, approximately 152 pounds of unused, expired, and unwanted drugs were collected as part of DEA’s National Prescription Drug Take-Back-Initiative on October 25th in front of the Carroll Valley Borough Building. Thank you all for your participation in this initiative. As the DEA Administrator points out "With four out of five new heroin users starting with prescription medications" you have made a positive difference in your community.

If it is not COVID-19, then it is the flu. There are no set dates for the beginning and end of the flu season. However, according to the CDC data for the 2019-2020 flu season, cases began to rise in the middle of November and wind down in mid-March. You may want to consider getting the flu shot. In our area, call WellSpan Pharmacy in Fairfield at 717-642-8812 or your health care provider to ensure they have the appropriate flu shot for your age group. And while you are at it, consult with your health care provider about receiving the pneumonia vaccine. Keep well! Wishing you and your family a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Please watch out for those holiday drivers over the long Thanksgiving weekend.