Then and now | … “being a councilman in Columbia is not an easy position.” – excerpted from the Lancaster Newspapers’ archives which are available for Lancaster Newspapers subscribers. Click on the graphic to enlarge.

Bridge Bust thoughts | The weather for yesterday’s Bridge Bust was just perfect for walking The Bridge and people watching on The Bridge. We wonder why the six or so empty vendor spaces were empty. The lines at some of the food vendors were long as people munched on soft pretzels, sand tarts, cheese steaks, crab cakes, candy, popcorn and other “so good in their bellies” taste delights. Noticed fewer people smoking on The Bridge. Saw only one dog on The Bridge; it appeared to be an “emotional support dog.” Saw people carrying armloads of potted mums — It’s a long bridge to lug a mum. Saw more wagons being pulled than in previous years.

What are the differences? | Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage – MedicareRights.org

Long read | “They’re Retired. They’re Insured. The Government Pays for It. And Trump Loves It.” – ProPublica

Is there an advantage? | “Why Consumers Don’t Gain Much from Medicare Advantage.” – Wharton School of Business

Auction | Conestoga House is listed for auction at this exclusive property auction Website. “The 12-bedroom, 9,688-square-foot estate has been adored, not just by the friends, family, and guests who enter, but the entire community as well. The property is famous for its 7.8 acres of impeccably maintained grounds and gardens featuring over 3,300 annuals, about 400 tropical plants, over 160 varieties of perennials and over 160 rose bushes representing almost 20 different varieties of the flower.” Indicative of who the buyers might be is this: the proper narrative description is printed in English and Chinese.

“Conestoga House & Gardens | is the estate of the late James Hale and Louise McClure (Tinsley) Steinman of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.” 

Connection to Columbia | The Louise McClure (Tinsley) Steinman Foundation is registered as a not-for-profit entity with a Columbia address.

A second connection | “Wright’s Ferry Mansion has been restored and furnished by The von Hess Foundation with meticulous care to the time that Susanna Wright lived in the house, from 1738 till 1750, and is the only Pennsylvania English Quaker house that has been furnished exclusively to the first half of the eighteenth century.

Next up: starts on October 25 | The Crucible at Susquehanna Stage Company in Marietta. “The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693.”

Shorten the field | “Meet the Lebanon County kicker who’s just learning but already has a near-perfect record.” – The Lebanon Daily News