Hanover's End of Summer Calendar is Full

Hi neighbor,

Thanks for opening Heart of Hanover today. September in Hanover feels like fresh starts and full calendars.

This week we’re talking about recovery, local art, and ways to show up for small businesses.

Glad you’re here. See you around town.

XoXo,
Megan

P.S. As always, thank you to today’s sponsors: Long Angle and Morning Brew. Interacting with their links at the top and bottom of the email is the easiest way to help us keep growing.

Heart of Hanover will always be free for readers, but that doesn’t mean it is free to create. If you would like to help me keep it going, I am opening optional supporter tiers.

Nothing is expected. Everything is appreciated.

You can expect a special email next Tuesday with full details. If you already know you want in, you can jump in now.

🔗 Become a Founding Supporter

September is National Recovery Month, and it always makes me reflect on what recovery means in Hanover.

When I was growing up, substance use was on the fringe. It was not cool, and it was not common. Then, a few years after I graduated, everything shifted. Suddenly the people everyone looked up to were using. Our small town was not prepared, and it hit hard.

Part of it was geography. We feel tucked away, but we are close enough to Baltimore for the ripple effects to reach us. Part of it was culture. Kids were bored, and substances slipped into that gap.

Back then, we lacked awareness and resources. Treatment options were limited and families felt blindsided. Today looks different. We have inpatient and outpatient care, recovery homes, halfway houses, faith-based paths, medication-assisted treatment, and support groups for every stage. Even the courts have changed, with drug court and ARD recognizing recovery as healing, not punishment.

Recovery here is not perfect. It is ongoing, messy, and deeply personal. But I have seen what happens when Hanover shows up. I have seen resilience. I have seen kindness. I have seen neighbors remind one another that no one is beyond hope.

So this month, remember: recovery is a community project. When one neighbor recovers, the whole town grows stronger.

If you are in recovery, if you support someone who is, or if you work in this field, your story matters. I would love to hear it. Just hit reply.

Quick note from Megan: This week’s story is personal. It is about my husband, Greg.

Greg has been in long-term recovery for over a decade. His path includes chaotic use, incarceration, and rebuilding. It is also a story of self-reflection, fatherhood, and healing.

Greg grew up in Hanover. Today he works full time as a CNC operator at Kaydon Ring & Seal (formerly SKF) and spends his time off with family. His greatest joy is raising our 9-year-old son, Emerson. His definition of recovery is simple and powerful:
“Living life in a way that’s more beneficial than harmful. Choosing yourself, over and over again.”

It took years, and real loss, to get there. He started using at 17 to fit in. It quieted his self-doubt and made him feel like he belonged, but it came at a cost: broken relationships, legal trouble, daily chaos.
“At first it was just social. Then it became something I had to do just to not be sick.”

Like many, he believed some kinds of use were “safer,” which kept him stuck. What began as fitting in became dependence. He did things he never imagined—breaking into cars, ripping people off, driving to Baltimore, switching to more harmful routes—until he was sentenced to prison.

Prison was not the answer to addiction, but it gave him space to change.
“Prison didn’t fix me. But it gave me the opportunity to fix myself. It broke the physical dependence and gave me time to learn how to think differently.”

After his release, he moved out of state, got steady work, and began rebuilding. We reconnected, started a family, and moved back to Hanover in 2016. Family support and a sense of purpose have been key.

Being back brings mixed emotions. The risk is real, and so is the recovery community.
“This area’s been hit so hard. But the pushback, the strength of the recovery and harm reduction community, is growing stronger every day.”

Greg has lost many people—his sister, friends, people he once looked up to. That grief anchors his commitment.
“No amount of euphoria or numbing is worth what I’ve rebuilt.”

His message to anyone still struggling:
“Find community. Share your story. Ask for help. You’re the only one who can change you. I get why people use. The world’s a mess. But it makes things worse. Life can be beautiful on the other side, and you can get there faster than you think.”

🗓️ Saturday, September 6 | 🕘 9 AM – 12 PM
📍 West Manheim Elementary School, 2000 Baltimore Pike, Hanover

Help the Exchange Club of Hanover place 500 U.S. flags in remembrance of the 24th anniversary of 9/11. Family friendly, simple set up, meaningful impact. To volunteer, arrive by 9 AM or call Billy Wineholt at 717-640-1146.

🕘 9 AM – 3 PM | 📍 160 Ram Drive, Hanover

There’s something about the first big fall festival of the season that makes Hanover feel extra cozy. On Saturday, September 6, J.A. Myers Homes will once again turn 160 Ram Drive into a playground for all ages, and the whole town is invited.

This isn’t just about pumpkins and apple cider (though there will be plenty of those). The Kid Zone will be buzzing with fairy hair, face painting, a bounce slide, and YMCA-led activities. SAVES is rolling in a fire truck for kids to explore, and there will be hands-on fun like rock painting, coloring stations, a scavenger hunt, and free games scattered throughout the day.

And because no Hanover gathering is complete without food, a lineup of local vendors will be serving up everything from festival snacks to hearty fall favorites.

It’s the kind of event where you come for the kids, stay for the neighbors, and leave with the feeling that you’ve officially kicked off autumn in Snacktown.

📆 Sunday, September 7 | 🕛 12 PM – 6 PM
📍 9 Carlisle Street, Hanover

New shops only thrive when neighbors show up. This Sunday, let’s put our money where our mouth is and welcome Seventh Shelf to the block. Stop in. Buy something. Ask the staff what they love most in the shop. Snap a photo and tag them. Leave a quick review so the next person finds them more easily.

If you cannot stay long, that is okay. Five minutes of support still matters. Bring a friend, spread the word, and help a new local business feel at home from day one.

📆 Saturday, September 13 | 🕚 11 AM – 3 PM
📍 Downtown Hanover
🎟 Buy tickets online

Hanover’s German roots come to life downtown at this tasty stroll. Your $30 ticket includes German-inspired bites at local stops, nonalcoholic sips, and a beer voucher redeemable at Aldus, Fat Bat, or Lydian Stone.

Menu highlights: buttery pretzel bites with pumpkin sauce at Little Fox, German Chocolate Cupcakes at Lydian Stone, and mini Black Forest Cake Cups at The Cake Bar.

It is a family friendly walk through Hanover’s story. Bring your appetite, raise a stein, and say cheers to community.

Here are this week’s featured events in and around Hanover. If you’d like to have your event spotlighted here, reach out to [email protected].

🎨 First Friday Art Walk
🕔 5 PM – 8 PM | 📍 Downtown Hanover

Downtown turns into an open-air gallery with featured exhibits at Little Fox Coffee & Books, Hanover Area Arts Guild, The Gallery at the Old Post Office, The Serpent’s Key, Wicked Gems, and Warehouse Gourmet. Free to attend, full of creativity.

🎨 K-Pop Demon Hunters Paint Night
🕕 6 PM – 7:30 PM | 📍 COB51 Art Studio, 48 Carlisle St, Hanover
💵 $25-$35 | 🎟 Buy tickets online

Paint your choice of a usable glazed plate ($35) or a canvas ($25), stenciled with a K-pop Demon Hunters design. No experience required. Kids and adults welcome.

🎶 Final Lyric Band Concert
🕡 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM | 📍 The Bandshell, Codorus State Park

The final concert of the 2025 Summer Concert Series, conducted by Jason Cebulski.

✏️ Arts & Crafts Drawing Night
🕟 4:30 PM – 6 PM | 📍 FourCorners Comics, 34 Frederick St, Hanover

A weekly drawing hangout hosted by Art (yes, that’s his name). Bring your sketchbook, iPad, or any creative project. No pressure, no class, just time to make art with others.

🔮 Create Your Own Tarot Card: The Fool
🕕 6 PM – 8 PM | 📍 The Serpent’s Key, 28 Carlisle St, Hanover
💵 $15 | 🎟 Buy tickets online

Join the Creative Coven for a lecture in art history and an evening of artistic expression. $15 includes supplies.

🍕 Trivia Night at Divino’s
🕕 6 PM – 9 PM | 📍 Divino Pizzeria, 612 Frederick St, Hanover

General trivia rounds, an all-request DJ between games, prizes for top teams, and a laid-back atmosphere. And just so you know, this is a weekly event.

📚 Silent Book Club
🕕 6 PM – 8 PM | 📍 Little Fox Coffee & Books, 125 Broadway, Hanover
💵 $5 | 🎟 Buy tickets online

Bring your own book (or buy one on-site) and read together in quiet camaraderie. $5 ticket reserves your seat and can be used toward a purchase.

This week’s newsletter only highlights a few picks, but there’s plenty more happening in and around Hanover. Visit the Heart of Hanover Google Calendar to see the full list of events this week.

Sometimes the biggest reminders of love come in the smallest moments.

Hanover neighbor Vashti Brown recently shared a story about shopping for fall decorations with her daughter, Sienna. Like so many of us, she was trying to stretch her dollars while still making space for a little seasonal joy. As they stood in line at the Eisenhower Drive Dollar Tree, Vashti told Sienna to pick her favorite piece of décor, because they couldn’t afford everything in the cart that day.

That’s when kindness stepped in.

After the woman ahead of them checked out, the cashier quietly handed Vashti $15 in fives. “She told me to give this to you to put toward your decorations,” the cashier explained. The woman had already left the store, choosing to stay anonymous.

Sienna’s face lit up, realizing they could take everything home after all. For Vashti, the gift meant more than just decorations. It was a reminder that she is seen, loved, and deserving of kindness — even when life has felt heavy.

“Trauma and betrayal can really make you feel like you are undeserving of love and support,” Vashti shared. “But today confirmed it all for me… that I am deserving.”

We may never know who that Dollar Tree angel was, but their generosity rippled far beyond one shopping trip. It reminded a mother and daughter of their worth, and reminded the rest of us what community looks like when we care for one another.

Thank you to our sponsors Long Angle and Morning Brew for helping bring these stories to your inbox, and thank you for clicking those links. Every click helps cover tools, captions, and the community calendar. Because of you, our neighborly crew is now 459 subscribers strong.

A gentle reminder: Heart of Hanover will always be free. If you would like to chip in, paid supporter tiers are now open and full details arrive Tuesday. Founding Supporters, the first 25 at any tier, will be recognized in a future issue.

🔗 Become a Founding Supporter

See you around town, Megan