Archives and Photo Gallery

You can find photos and articles that were previously featured on the front page of our website below:

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Veterans Day 11/11/11

Post 1463 VFW and its Ladies Auxiliary commemorated Veterans Day with a social at the Post on Sunday November 6, 2011. All veterans were invited to attend and approximately 100 veterans from WWII, Korean and Gulf Wars and peacetime attended the occasion. Special guest speaker Sgt. Neil Gussman of the PA National Guard spoke about the citizen soldiers who fight the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. . . . (more on this and other Veterans Day events)


General Assembly Gathering

All members of the PA General Assembly were invited to attend an informal gathering on October 24 in Harrisburg to learn about the charitable gaming industry in PA and how it helps our communities. Post Commander Joel Ellis and Past Post Commander Richard Getz were invited to attend the reception showcasing Post 1463’s good deeds resulting from Small Games of Chance in PA . . . (more)


Ladies Auxiliary Cancer Walkathon

On Saturday, October 22, the Ladies Auxiliary Cancer Walkathon, coordinated by Chris Caruthers, took place in Lititz Springs Park.

The Warwick High School Brass Ensemble started the day off by playing the National Anthem while Tom Tedrow, Joel Ellis and Robert Aikens displayed the colors. Local Girl Scouts of America joined us in setting up, walking and cleanup. Several vendors set up shop. The sale of an array of gifts at the raffle table added to our total profit for CA Aid & Research. More details and piuctures can be found here.


Ambulance Service Check

As part of the VFW Safety Program, the Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 presented a check to Warwick Community Ambulance Service on September 29. A larger version of this picture can be found here.
 


Under the Tent at Stauffers

Stauffers of Kissel Hill graciously allowed our VFW members to greet their customers on August 5, 6 and 7 and hand out Buddy Poppies, Post pins and flags. Membership applications and VFW information was also available. Our 2010-2011 Community Service Record books were on display. (More...)


Fourth of July Parade 2011

Marching in the Fourth of July parade is always fun! VFW Post 1463 was well represented by the VFW color guard and Ladies Auxiliary. Marching along with us were Pam Dochter's therapy dogs sporting their Ladies Auxiliary patches; the pups were a big hit with the crowd. Thanks to Steve Dochter and Mike Adams for their assistance to the Ladies Auxiliary in this year's parade . . .more


Picnic Video!

Thanks to Michael Labiak for making this video of the Post Picnic:


Luther Acres Visit

VFW and Ladies Auxiliary members visited veterans and other residents at Luther Acres Independent Living Center on July 5 in honor of Independence Day. Commander Ellis greeted the audience. LA Patriotic Instructor Anne Loechner read inspirational poems and we all enjoyed her reading of "Ragged Old Flag" by Johnny Cash. The Spirit in Song Ensemble provided entertainment . . .more


Care Packages for the Troops

On July 7, 2011, the Ladies Auxiliary to Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 presented a $465 check to the organizers of the Lititz, PA Care Packages for the Troops to help defray costs of shipping the packages to Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa. The money was donated by area residents . . .more


Small Games of Chance Hearing

On May 5, 2011, the State House of Representatives Gaming Oversight Committee held a hearing on some of the small games of chance bills. Numerous groups including the VFW and American Legion were invited by the Gaming Committee to testify in favor of HB 169.

You can read more about the bill here.


Donation to Police Department

Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 presented this year's donation of $500 for the Lititz Police Department to Chief William Seace. A larger version of this picture is available here
 


Hand Carved Plaque Presented

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011, Tom Mannon, a Lititz resident, presented a unique handcarved plaque to VFW Post 1463 in appreciation of Lititz veterans.

Tom and his wife Kim met VFW members at the Post to present this beautiful plaque which is crafted from three pieces of flawlessly joined mahogany . . .more


Memorial Day 2011

From May 26 at Clipper Stadium to June 1 at Audobon Villa, members of VFW Post 1463 and the Ladies Auxiliary commemorated Memorial Day with various celebrations, ceremonies and visits to veterans in two local retirement communities.

More pictures can be seen here.


Memorial Day Buddy Poppy Event

On May 17, we gathered for an evening of good food and sisterhood. After dinner, we worked together to create items for the Buddy Poppy event at Stauffer's of Kissel Hill on Sunday, May 29th.

On Memorial Day weekend, we greeted Stauffer's customers and invited them to support a veteran with a classic Buddy Poppy, a bookmark and . . . more


Fire Department Check

Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 continues to support community safety programs. On May 24, 2011, the Post presented annual donations to local fire companies. Although all donations are diminished due to the outdated small games of chance laws, Post 1463 still supports the area's police, fire and ambulance companies. Read more here.


Camporee in the Park

The sixth annual Boy Scouts Camporee in the Park was held April 9 – 11, 2011, at AMBUCS field. More than 120 scouts and adult leaders participated in the weekend-long event. The Lititz/Warwick area scouts have been cleaning Lititz Spring for the last six years, and this is the sixth year for their Camporee as well. Photos of the encampment and flag-retiring ceremonies can be found here.


Izaak Walton League Donation

Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 presented a donation to VFW member, Tom Tedrow, for this season's Izaak Walton League fishing events for VA patients, special needs children (IU 13), Boy and Girl Scouts. Tom is the local representative of the Red Rose Chapter, Izaak Walton League who prepares the fishing site and manages the events. (More...)


Ladies Auxiliary Luggage Drive a Great Success

The Ladies Auxiliary to Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 is pleased to report the luggage drive at the AMBUCS Business Expo at the Lititz Rec on March 11 was a great success. The community donated 59 pieces of luggage for patients being discharged from Coatesville VA Medical Center. Many more photos are available here


Donations to Scouts

Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 honored its commitment to Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America by presenting their annual donations totaling $4,350. The money will be distributed among the various scout units in the Lititz/Warwick area. This is the 18th consecutive year of this program. Photos and more details can be found here.


Loyalty Day Art Contest Awards

Recently, students from kindergarten through sixth grades in four local elementary schools submitted artwork depicting this year's Loyalty Day Art Contest theme of "An American Soldier". Ladies Auxiliary members judged the entries and selected the 28 winners. Details some photos can be found here.


Bike Rodeo at John Beck Elementary

Commander Joel Ellis represented Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 at a Bike Rodeo held April 27th at John Beck Elementary School. The VFW is proud to contribute to community and youth events such as the bike rodeo.

The rodeo gave kids a chance to develop their bike riding skills. At this event, sixth graders guided the younger students through the various bike handling stations . . . (more)


USO Valentine's Day Dance

Southeastern Veterans Center in Spring City held a USO-style party for Valentine's Day on February 11. District 9 President Getz and Commander Getz, Post 1463 Commander Joel Ellis, Trish Breneman and Sue Ellis attended the party. More details and photos can be found here.


Valentine's Day Visits to Local Veterans

On February 10, 2011, Commander Joel Ellis joined members of the Ladies Auxiliary making a Valentine's Day visit to veterans at two area nursing and retirement homes. In the morning we spoke to vets and other patients at coffee hour at Audobon Villa where we handed out Buddy Poppies and Valentine Day cards which had been made and contributed by Daisy Girl Scout Troop 144. . More details and photos can be found here.


 

Voice of Democracy Winners

VFW Post 1463 presented checks to three Manheim Township High School students for their winning entries in the Voice of Democracy essay contest. The theme this year was "Does My Generation Have A Role in America's Future?"

Details on the winners can be found here.


Pledge to Lititz Recreation Center Complete!

On November 9, 2010, the Lititz Springs VFW Post 1463 presented a check to the Lititz Recreation Center. This completes the five-year plan for our $25,000 pledge . . . (more)


The Holidays at the Post 2010

The holidays were a very busy time at Post 1463! Activities included a Thanksgiving shut-in dinner, holiday cards for the troops and vets, the annual children's Christmas party, visits to veterans in nursing homes and the assembling of care packages for our troops stationed around the globe. Tons of pictures can be seen here.


Karl Spidel Receives a Quilt of Valor

On December 11, 2010, patriotic instructor Anne Loechner surprised Karl Spidel with a Quilt of Valor. This Quilt of Valor was awarded to Karl for his service in Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he was wounded twice. Many of his fellow veterans attended the ceremony at VFW Post 1463. . . (more)


Post Activities for Veterans Day 2010

The post observed Veterans Day with many community functions. Pictures can be found here.


Statue of Liberty Trip

On October 28, 2010, members of the VFW and Ladies Auxiliary attended the 124th Anniversary of the Inauguration of the State of Liberty Monument, sponsored annually by the Ladies Auxiliary to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Many pictures can be found here.


Thank You Korean War Veterans Day

For several weeks in August and September, a request for a count of Korean War veterans in the Lancaster County area was placed in local newspapers. Patriotic instructor Anne Loechner and Commander Joel Ellis received over 150 responses from Korean War veterans . . . (more)


Welcome Home Tyler Harris

On Saturday, September 18, 2010, VFW Post 1463 was honored to host a luncheon for Lcpl Tyler Harris, a young, heroic Lititz marine. Many pictures and more details can be found here.


Coatesville VA Hospital Labor Day Picnic

On September 6, Labor Day 2010, Dick and Janet Getz, Sue and Joel Ellis joined members of the district and state VFW and Ladies Auxiliary at Coatesville VA Hospital for a Labor Day picnic and bingo. The patients enjoyed 'burgers and 'dogs on the grill, bingo, ice cream sundaes and having visitors all day. We were thanked so many times, we lost count. The picnic was about the vets, not us, but it gave us a good feeling to spend the day with them and give a little something back. Pictures are available here.


Coatesville VA Hospital Delivery

Several times this summer, Post members and social members have volunteered their time and vehicles to travel to Coatesville to deliver clothes and luggage to Coatesville VA Hospital. This is an ongoing program for Post 1463. If you donate items, thank you; if you donate your time and vehicle, thank you for that. Ask Commander Ellis for details on how to join us in this program. Pictures are available here.


Memorial Day 2010 Pictures

Sue Ellis has created a nice scrapbook of pictures from this year's Memorial Day activities. It is available for download as a Word .doc document here.


Ladies Auxiliary Journal Discovered

Kathy Wiker, Susan Ellis and Janet Getz discovered a journal full of details about the Ladies Auxiliary in the 1940s in a closet in April 2010. The journal was carefully transcribed and is now available for viewing as a downloadable PDF file. More details about the journal can be found here.


Loyalty Day Art Contest

Our patriotic instructor, Anne Loechner, once again provided information and guidance to local elementary schools for this year’s Loyalty Day Art Contest. The theme was A NATION UNITED. Students from kindergarten to sixth grade in the three local elementary schools rendered their concept of the theme. More details and photos can be found here.


Welcome Viet Nam Veterans Day

The event, sponsored by the Ladies Auxiliary, was held at the post Sunday, March 28th. Pictures from the day are available here.


Spring Fling 2010

The Dutch Country Cowboys provided the entertainment for our Spring Fling, held at the post on Sunday, April 11th. Photos from the event can be found here.


Thanks to Girl Scout Troop 264


The text of a letter that was sent to the Lititz Record Express on November 9th, 2009 thanking Junior Girl Scout Troop 264 for cleaning the grounds of the East Main Street Memorials is available here.


Books for Lititz Public Library

Patriotic books were donated on behalf of the Post to the Lititz Public Library in October of 2009. Details are here.
 


D.A.R.E Program Donation

Post 1463 donated a check to the Lititz Police Department's D.A.R.E. program in the fall of 2009. Details can be found here.


Yard Sale 2009

Pictures from the September 2009 Yard Sale can be found here.


 


National Convention 2009

Members of Post 1463 attended the 2009 National VFW Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. Pictures can be seen here.


 


Alzheimers Walk 2009

Post members raised $2,900 as part of the Alzheimers Walk in September 2009. A larger picture can be seen here.
 


Operation Helmet

Post 1463 presented a check for $1,000 to Operation Helmet in the summer of 2009 to purchase replacement kits to make helmets more comfortable for our troops. Details can be found here.


The Passing of the Baton

Outgoing Post Commander Dick Getz passes the baton to his successor, Joel Ellis in 2009. You can read Dick's parting thoughts here.


Post Donations

The Post in June 2009 made some donations to the Lititz Park and the Robert "Sketch" Mearig Memorial. Details are available here.


 


Memorial Day Parade 2009

A few pictures from the 2009 Lititz Memorial Day Parade are available here.


Viet Nam Dessert Social 2009

Pictures of the Ladies Auxiliary of Post 1463 2009 dessert social to honor veterans of the Viet Nam War are available here.


Cumberland Gulf War Memorial Dedication

Pictures of the Cumberland Maryland Gulf War Memorial dedication in April 2009 are available here.