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Narcoleptic

Author’s note: Due to the sensitive nature of this story, the author has chosen to be anonymous and has changed the names of the people in the story to protect their privacy. ¯¯¯ It was a normal October day. Rick was on the school bus heading home. It was the beginning of his 11th grade year and all he could think about was the day he did not have to attend anymore. The smell of manure flooded the school bus as they entered McClure, and the bus rang loud with the laughter and conversation of the kids. Terry, the bus driver, yelled at the kids to be quiet as usual. Rick sat ...

Stone Arch Players

LEWISTOWN — In 2017, Mifflin County’s community theater group, the Stone Arch Players, celebrated its 50th anniversary. At that time, the Players’ Board of Directors asked about the possibility of compiling a history of the group, and board member Bill Peightel offered to take on the ...

‘When the Doctor Rode in a Gig’

MIFFLINTOWN — Most anyone who has lived in Juniata County for long has probably been a patient of Dr. Banks. Or at least their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, and maybe even their great-great-grandparents, have. That’s because several generations of men in the Banks family ...

Who was Dr. William Hamlin Banks?

Excerpt from the 1947 obituary of Dr. William H. Banks, published in the Juniata Journal, and reprinted in “When the Doctor Rode in a Gig.” Dr. William Hamlin Banks passed away at his home, Main Street, Mifflintown, on Wednesday, December 24, 1947, at 12:30 p.m., aged 85 years. Dr. Banks was born on his father’s farm in Fermanagh Township, Juniata County, on November 16, 1862, and was the oldest son of William and Jane Hamlin Banks. He was educated at Happy Hollow and later taught at that school for several terms. He attended the Lewistown Academy, where he was graduated in ...

Dream catcher

MIFFLINTOWN — It’s often said that with some hard work and dedication, you can make your dreams come true. Some people may dream of traveling to far off places while others imagine attending an Ivy League university. For Juniata County native Jennifer Houtz, hard work made both of these ...

Goose Day — How it all began

Editor’s note: The following historical information was compiled by the late Jim Canfield for use in The Sentinel’s 1979 special Goose Day supplement. LEWISTOWN —About 20 years ago [c. 1959] a newspaper columnist named Jay James wrote that American life had abandoned all customs related to Michaelmas, the feast of St. Michael, and all angels. In noting that Michaelmas is often mentioned in novels of English rural life, James went on to say that “traditional for the day in England is the serving of roast goose for dinner. American life has abandoned any Michaelmas customs that ...