Sara Gutshall is devoted to veterans, and it shows. For the past year, the Maytown resident has been coordinating a fundraiser to replace the crumbling walkways in Maytown square with engraved bricks bearing the names of community members and businesses. The bricks will be dedicated at a ceremony on Monday, May 31, beginning at 1 p.m.
"We're going to have a very nice dedication," said Gutshall, who is president of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 809. "I'm going to have laying of wreaths to honor our veterans. This year is the 100th anniversary of the American Legion Auxiliary. I think this is the most appropriate time to have a dedication."
Holly Shaffner, a 24-year veteran of the Coast Guard who is originally from Maytown, will be flying in from California to serve as master of ceremonies, Gutshall said. Sandy Heisey will play a medley of armed forces theme songs on the keyboard, and members of the Marietta American Legion Riders Post 466 will serve as a special guard for the square. The Rhythm Singers from Donegal High School will sing the national anthem.
"We will have an antique, craft and collectibles show going from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the same day on the outer parts of the square," Gutshall noted.
Gutshall, who has lived in Maytown her whole life, said the square is an important part of the community. "When I was a little girl, we had to go down to the square to pump our water," she recalled, noting that over time, weather, use and tree roots destroyed most of the walkways around the square.
"I was worried about people walking in there," Gutshall said. "I really prayed about this." After a driver hit the square and caused a lot of damage, Gutshall decided to take action. "God spared the military monuments in the square honoring our veterans, so it seemed like a vision to me that something had to be done," she added.
Gutshall has taken orders for more than 350 engraved bricks over the past year or so. "It takes 1,873 bricks to cover the whole square, but I'm really happy with how many engraved bricks we've sold," she remarked. "Each engraved brick tells a story, a history of our town."
Bricks for the project were provided by Drohan Brick & Supply, and landscaping was donated by Tom Jones Landscape and Lawn Care. In addition to installing more engraved bricks, Gutshall hopes to erect iron archways on the square in the future.
Bricks are still available for engraving. To order a brick, call Gutshall at 717-426-2107.
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