Whether it’s a grilled cheese sandwich or plain white slices stuffed with egg salad, The St. Thomas Restaurant in Linglestown offers more than good food and quick, friendly service. The view visible from a table tucked in a corner by a front window is one well worth admiring, as is the unmistakable enthusiasm in Bill Minsker’s voice.
Minsker, a teacher and firefighter with the Linglestown Fire Co. since 1967, graciously gives up “the best seat in the house,” allowing a lunch guest the opportunity to appreciate the visible charm of the third oldest town in Dauphin County. Before there’s time to get too comfortable taking in the sights of old buildings with original gingerbread trim enveloping the windows, Minsker noted the traffic outside steadily flowing through the roundabout. The roundabout (don’t call it a circle) is one of two recently completed and is known as the Linglestown renovation project. Its purpose to provide safe access through the village while keeping traffic moving slowly and steadily. Minkser said that discussions for the based upon the town’s own modified bicentennial theme of, “So your children can show their children.”
Now that the project, which began in late 2009 and finished in mid-2011, is finally done and its success is apparent, Minsker said, “We lost a lot of battles, but we won the war.” Those who objected to the project, he said, didn’t understand the significance of having a roundabout as opposed to a traffic light, which, he argued, would stop the flow and take away an higstorical element.
Although there isn’t a notion of negativity to be found among village poroprietors today, the “war,” as Tina Robenolt of First Impressions Boutique explained was the double hit: an economy that plummeted and a road that wasn’t.
But, by following the red brick sidewalk as the aroma of brewing coffee wafts through the air, you discover a spirit of unity among the town’s impressive array of shops and eateries.
When construction began on the road running through the heart of the village, owners banded together and formed a merchants association. The purpose, Robenolt said, was to “work together to bring people to Linglestown to establish and support a network.” The main focus, she said: “Buy local, support local.”
The efforts of the merchants association yielded not only The Historical Walking Tour of Linglestown, a Fall Festival and a Chocolate Walk–complete with maps guiding guests to alternative routes and available parking–but what Geof Smith, owner of St. Thomas Roasters, called a synergy of positive energy throughout the community. Without hesitation, he said there is much to look forward to in 2012, including a fresh start for a prosperous year.
With the project complete, the merchants association continues to oversee community activities. In addition to events like the Chocolate Walk on Feb. 10-11, Robenolt’s First Impressions is open to host fundraisers and St.Thomas Roasters provides live music on Friday evenings.
Jim Murphy, owner of Murphy’s Automotive said, “When experience counts, you can count on us.”
As he finished the last bite of his egg salad sandwich, Bill Minkser proudly pointed out: “Our village has always remained just a village.”
