York educator Victoria Lyles achieved much, and one of her lasting legacies is her involvement in the founding of York Twinning. Background post: YLT + YSO + 75 years = A1 entertainment, Many national stars performed on YLT's stage and 'Weekly Reader's' founder Eleanor Johnson.

York Little Theatre's Julie Aiken is finishing up work on a book marking York Little Theatre's 75th annversary being celebrated this year.

She came across a woman who seemed to be making things happen across the community in the 1930s through 1950s - Victoria Lyles.

Among other things, Julie found that Victoria Lyles worked with Rabbi Alexander Goode on teaching tolerance in York City schools and was instrumental in desegregating York's schools.

"Do you have any further information about this amazing woman?" she wrote... .

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Northeastern Football Association president Joe Griffith is a prime reason why Northeastern Senior High School will field a football team this fall. 'We were the largest school in the commonwealth not to have a football program. That's not a title to be proud of,' he said. To view a four-day series on how Northeastern football came to be, see York Daily Record/Sunday News reporter Sean McLernon's Finally in the game. Background posts: Big Conewago separates Northeastern School District into two, Wolf Man, Wolfchester. No the village of Mount Wolf and New Weekly Records tell about community life.

Northeastern Senior High School will become the 22nd York Area Interscholatic Athletic Association team when the football is teed up on Friday, Aug. 29.

York Daily Record/Sunday News coverage of the addition of this costly sport in tight budgetary also showed that the YAIAA has more than doubled from its nine original teams in 1960.

The following YAIAA chronology, certain to be of interest, was part of that coverage:

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Camp Ganoga athletic director Don Roehm leads Boy Scouts in exercises in 1921. Scouts trooped about three miles into the isolated camp on the bank of the Big Conewago Creek near Strinestown after disembarking from the trolley in Manchester. This York County Heritage Trust photo was published in the book "On My Honor, 70 Years of Scouting in York & Adams Counties." The Big Conewago is the symbolic divide between northern York County and the other two-thirds of the county. Background posts: Monica Goodling proves that all roads lead to York, Part of Elm Beech still visible and Northern York area strawberry part of Neapolitan county.

Monica Goodling, in the news recently for her practices in hiring federal prosecutors, lived in a region where northern York County met southern York County.

In a forthcoming York Sunday News column, I tell about the Conewago Creek region where she lived and how at least intra-county cultures met on its banks.

The column follows:

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Concert organizer Chris Huber attributes the success of the 1960s northside teen hangout White Oak Park to The Del-Chords. The first night the band played at The Oaks the line never ended. The Del-Chords are associated with southside hangout Shady Dell as well, playing on the jukebox there, according to a new Web site specializing in The Dell. Background posts: Shady Dell was home away from home , Shady Dell: 'It was like family' and The Oaks: 'I would often look up there ...'

Tom Anderson is a native of York County and an avowed Shady Dell enthusiast.

The mention of that teen hangout in Violet Hill, located just south of York Hospital before it closed in the early 1990s, stokes memories, and Anderson has captured those years on his new Web site Shady Dell Music & Memories.

Tom views the site as part personal diary and part tribute, honoring the memory of its owners, the late John and Helen Ettline.

The site crosses paths with its counterpart in North York, White Oak Park and bands that played around York in the 1960s: The Emperors, Magnificent Men and Del-Chords.

The site nicely dovetails with an upcoming 1960s reunion set for Oct. 18 at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York.

Anderson comments on his site, where he writes as the Shady Del Knight:

I could produce a blog about the Dell that is nothing more than a repository for scholarly articles. However, that would be about as much fun to read as the Dead Sea scrolls. If I turned the site it into a weepy, sentimental eulogy, readers would only become depressed and log off. It's a no brainer. Going to the Dell was fun, and that made me want to go back to the place time and time again. I want everybody who visits my Shady Dell blog to have fun as well, and to check back in on a regular basis. Therefore, you will discover that my blog is laced with humor... .

Unlike some blogs that sit idle for months at a time growing weeds, Shady Dell Music & Memories will be vibrant and alive with fresh updated posts at least once a week. I have already collected enough ideas and topics to keep it going for a year!

We'll look forward to see how Mr. Knight's, er, Mr. Anderson's, site evolves.

He might have caught the leading edge of a popular wave that give an indicator of what it was like to grow up in York in the 1960s-early 1990s.

One last word from Tom Anderson, as he places The Dell in York's history, on his new site:

What began as a home-based restaurant and bakery in 1945 evolved over the next two decades into the hottest teen nightspot in York county - complete with indoor and outdoor dance floors. It went beyond that.

Shady Dell owner John Ettline and his wife Helen put out the welcome mat, offering hospitality, comfort, support and encouragement to generations of young people. During its impressive 45-year life span, the Dell became a home away from home for countless area youth from a variety of backgrounds.

At the height of its popularity in the early and mid '60s the Dell, located on the southern outskirts of the White Rose city, was as widely known as North York's White Oak Park ("the Oaks"), Harrisburg's Raven club, or any other youth-oriented venue in central Pennsylvania. The Dell attracted crowds from all over the region. It brought together under one roof kids from middle class families and kids from working class families - city kids, suburban kids, small town kids and farm kids.

The diverse cast of characters that constituted the Shady Dell family was a potentially volatile mix. Each of us had to find a way to fit in and get along (or risk being voted off the island.) In the end, in spite of our differences, most of us learned to dance together without stepping on each other's toes.

'Dell rats', as we were called, had at least two things in common: a love of the music that played on the Dell's jukebox, and a genuine respect for John and Helen Ettline, who graciously made their home our home.

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This World War II air raid siren sat atop the Yorktowne Hotel in York for years. York County Heritage Trust preservationists will soon begin work to restore it to working order. Background posts: Air raid siren discovered atop Yorktowne Hotel, York County stood firmly behind Allies on all fronts in World War II and Unusual valve gave steam whistle prominence in World War II.

Preservationists eyeing the rusty air raid siren that sat atop the Yorktowne Hotel for 65 years believe the air raid siren was never fired up for the real deal.

Indeed, no account exist of enemy flyovers above York County... .

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The Shady Dell was a south side hangout for decades before closing the early 1990s. The building is now privately owned on Starcross Road, south of York. Background posts: The Oaks: 'I often look up there ... and think about how nice it was', Stadium will be site of Oaks music reunion, The Four bloggers write.

The Shady Dell was Tom Anderson's home away from home when growing up in the York area in the 1960s.

The 1967 Dallastown Area High School grad now living in Lakeland, Fla., e-mailed some memories of that hangout.

Here are some excerpts from Tom's e-mail (shadell6667@msn.com):

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An Associated Press photographer captured Whitney Metzler of Dallastown during the women's 400 Individual Medley event at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials. Metzler went on to finish in eighth place at the Olympics. Metzler is now an attorney in York. (See photo below.) Background posts: Lineup full of stars with York County links, Olympic gold medalist Scott Strausbaugh another achiever with Dover links and Who were the most prominent York County athletes of the 20th century?.

York County has produced many star athletes, but not that many Olympians in recent years.

There were those decades that weightlifters from York Barbell were kings of that sport. About 40 lifters, coaches or trainers with ties to York Barbell went to the Olympics, and earned 11 gold medals.

And, according to the York Daily Record/Sunday News sports department, Hans Gerhard Boetzelen won a silver in 1932 in rowing (double sculls).

And Robert Sohl won a bronze in 1948 for the 200-meter breastsroke.

And Linda Myers picked up a fifth and seventh places in 1972 and 1976, respectively.

Recently, the county has produced two medalists.

Scott Strausbaugh picked up a gold in canoeing in the 1990s.

And the most recent participant, Whitney Metzler, finished eighth in swimming in 1996.

Now, Whitney Metzler is back in York... .

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'All in One Room,' a 100-page book on one-room schools in York County and beyond, is back from the printers. To order the $34.95 book, call 717-767-6397, stop by 1891 Loucks Road or York Borders or check on the Web at http://www.inyork.com/schoolhouses. Background posts: Can you name this mystery school?<, No church-state separation here and One-room schools fascinate readers.

York Weekly Record editor Joan Concilio noticed the stirring of intense interest when handling print and Web stories involving one-room schools.

She created a one-room school Web section that just served to generate even more interest.

Then she floated an idea: Why don't we do a one-room school book.

That concept became reality, and the York Daily Record/Sunday News' "All in One Room" returned from the printers today.

And it contained the following introduction by Joan Concilio with a poignant story about John O'Keefe, who was in a one-room school most of his long life:

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Linda Woodward is feted as William Penn High School's homecoming queen in 1967. She was the first black person crowned as homecoming queen at York High. Background posts: York's first Latino councilman temporarily state top Dem, Last dance. Spring Grove High School building filled with history and Tales of four schools tell about changes in York County education.

The graduation season just passed brings to mind the year 1967 and the firsts scored that school year.

The William Penn High School's senior class elected Linda Woodward as the school's first black homecoming queen.

She headed a parade caravan to Small Field for the homecoming game against Steel High... .

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Tom Trout, worker for the contractor that demolished the Ore Valley school in June 2007, grew up a half-mile away from the school, at the corner of Springwood and Camp Betty Washington roads. 'It's kind of sad to see it go, but you can't stand in the way of progress,' he said. The passing of the school is indicative of change taking place in York Township's Ore Valley. Background posts: One-room school memories flow from reader fingertips, One-room schools: 'That's when things were good.' and Where did Camp Betty Washington Road get its name?

York Township's Ore Valley is known to be one of the fastest-growing parts of York County.

And its growth has only just begun.

Bridgewater, a 537-unit mixed use development that could be phased in over 15 years, is moving along. It will be built on Springwood Golf Course land.

Ore Valley could someday be called Ore City.

But where did the "ore" come from in this bucolic former farming area? ...

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