Agnes Runk, daughter of Adam and Emilee Runk of Lewistown, frequently visits grandparents Rick and Lisa Geedey, who live less than a half-mile from the site where a data center could be built. As signs opposing the project began appearing around the community, Agnes started asking questions.

“There are many no data center signs in our neighborhood,” recalled Lisa of walking with her granddaughter as she rode her bike in early June. “She noticed and asked what the no data center signs meant.

“I explained it to her,” Lisa added. “We discussed the light, noise, water, air, heat, appearance and how it would affect the animals.”

After hearing this, Agnes quipped, “Why would anybody want to scare the animals away? Ruin our garden? Or make a lot of noise?”

Submitted photo
The sign has been turned into a pin, which is being sold by Agnes Runk as a fundraiser.

Lisa thought to herself. “The only reason I could think of was money,” she added.

Agnes decided to express her feelings through art and asked if she could make her own sign. She felt it should be a big green monster with bright yellow eyes to scare the data center people away.

Lisa’s response was, “Here’s the paper, paint, markers, etc. I’ll cut out the letters, while you draw and paint.” Agnes then proudly placed the poster in her grandparents’ front yard. Lisa said the monster represented the massive development she feared could change the landscape around her grandparents’ home.

The drawing quickly caught the attention of neighbors and family members.

Lisa was immediately charmed by the artwork. “If a 5-year-old sees that it’s not a good idea, why would others?” she asked me. It’s a money thing. They can sell the land for a lot of money. To us, the land is more important.”

With Agnes’ permission, Jenny Barron Landis, of Lewistown, turned the drawing into collectible pins and helped to get them donated to the grassroots organization No Data Centers in Mifflin County, a group formed to oppose the proposed project.

The pins have become both a fundraising tool and a symbol of local resistance. The effort began with an order of 50 pins. About 30 sold quickly, with supporters asked to make a minimum $5 donation for each one. The money is being raised to help the group secure legal representation, if necessary, as discussions surrounding the project continue. So far, the pins have brought in $384.

“She keeps a ledger,” Lisa said of Agnes’ efforts.

They can be purchased at the Crooked Shelf Bookstore, located at 23 N. Main St., Lewistown. Organizers say that if legal services are not needed, the funds will be donated to local causes.

Meanwhile, Agnes has enthusiastically helped promote the effort, even driving her Barbie Jeep around the neighborhood at what she describes as “fast speed” to deliver her pins.

While Agnes might be one of the youngest people involved in the debate, the issues at the center of the discussion are significant.

For Agnes, those concerns are personal. She worries that a data center would scare away wildlife she enjoys seeing near her grandparents’ home. “We see deer and a lot of animals,” she said.

Family members say she is also concerned about noise and potential effects on nearby gardens and farmland. The area surrounding the proposed site remains largely agricultural, with fields, crops and open spaces creating a landscape that many residents say defines Mifflin County’s identity.

“It’s peaceful and quiet now,” Agnes said.

When adults explained that some landowners might support the project because of the money involved, Lisa offered a simple observation. From her perspective, the land itself holds greater value. “It’s hard to imagine, but that’s where we are,” Lisa added.

That sentiment has resonated with many residents who have purchased the pins or shared photos of Agnes’ artwork online. What began as a child’s drawing in a front yard has evolved into one of the most recognizable images associated with the local movement against the proposed development.

What is certain is that Agnes’ green monster has already made an impact. In a debate often dominated by discussions of technology, economics and land-use planning, the 5-year-old’s artwork provides a reminder of what many residents say is at stake: the farms, wildlife, open fields and quiet rural lifestyle that have long defined the community.

For Agnes, that message was simple enough to fit on a handmade sign. A big green monster, she decided, simply doesn’t belong in her grandparents’ backyard.