Rural Youth Hold 60th Annlversa
WILLOW STREET (Lancaster
Co.) —Last Saturday was just like
old times for 111 people attending
the 60th anniversary reunion of
Rural Youth of Lancaster County
(RYLC).
Former members reminisced
about the fun times and the people
they met while mingling at the
Ed and Jane Dlffendall from Montrose attend the Rural
Youth of Lancaster County reunion.
anniversary banquet held at the
Mount Joy Country Table.
From 1936 through 1952,
RYLC provided vocational,
social spiritual, and recreational
activities for youth. Many mem
bers were former 4-H and FFA
members. During some of this era,
gas rationing was in effect and
jse are some of the members who found spouses through participation in
between 1936-1952.
members carpooled for the month
ly meeting. Drama, photography,
music, crafts, leadership, and roll
er skating were a few of the activi
ties in which members
participated.
According to Roy Brubaker, a
former president of the organiza
tion, 68 members of the group met
spouses through RYLC activities.
Despite many members moving
to other states, close friendships
Lancaster Famine, Saturday, November 1, 1997-815
have been maintained, and 60
years later, members get together
every few years for a reunion.
Washington countian Maxwell
Smith came to the county as a Penn
State Agriculture Extension agent
in 1936, about the same time
RYLC was formed. Max, as he is
called, was supportive of reunions
and was asked to speak at this
year’s gathering about “Sixty
Years and More.”
Reunion
Some members such as Dick
and Elizabeth Conway, who
traveled from their North Carolina
home just to “hear Smitty again.”
They were not disappointed.
Smith captured the audience’s
attention as he recalled his orienta
tion to Lancaster County and the
changes he has observed in the past
60 years.
According to him,
population has
increased from 212,000
to 417,000. To serve the
larger population and
tourist trade, there an
now 589 churches,' 378
food stores, and 190
motels. The Farm and
Home Center serves
55,000 people each
year. The Manheim
Auto Auction has grown
into the largest auto auc
tion in the world with
1,400 employees selling
more than 8,000 cars per
week.
Not everything has
grown. The number of
farms has decreased
from 8,000 to 4,800.
The Lancaster Stock
Yards, which had been
the largest east of Mis
souri. has vastly deter
iorated but a grand
daughter of Walter Dun
lap is now committed -to
rebuilding it
The percentage of
farmers working at off
the-farm jobs has
increased from one per
cent to 45 percent
The value of agricul
tural products.
$844,000,000 is still
believed to be the high
est of any non-inigated
county in the U.S.
Dairy cow mumbers
more than doubled from
43.000 to 95,000. Annu
al milk production per
cow has tripled, from
6.000 pounds to 18,000
pounds. Poultry egg
layo'numbers increased
from 1,300,000 to
9.800.000. Eggs per lay
ing hen per year have
jumped from 105 to
264. Hog numbers (with
leaner carcasses)
vaulted from 24,000 to
235.000.
Com acres increased
from 95,000 to 160,000
acres with much higher
yields. Tobacco acres
decreased from 31,000
to 7,000.
LC
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