The annual WellSpan Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) Auxiliary Street Fair, which ran for 70 years until 2018, will be replaced this year with a new type of fundraiser.

The new event, dubbed the “Festival of Theme Baskets,” will be held from July 20-27 at the Lebanon Area Fair, 80 Rocherty Road. Attendees can win a variety of raffle baskets, including household items and useful equipment supplied by local businesses and the WellSpan GSH departments.

As in previous fair events, the proceeds go toward funding new equipment and upgrades at the GSH. Some of the most impressive accomplishments of the group include the New Beginning Birth Suites for new mothers and families, mammography equipment, and many more technology upgrades.

A picture taken at the 2017 Auxiliary Street Fair, which also included baskets of goods as raffle prizes.

The Street Fair, by far the Auxiliary’s biggest event, was first held in 1949 and became a staple of the Lebanon community. Following last year’s 70th anniversary of the event, the volunteer group is looking to shift its operations.

In a WellSpan press release, Auxiliary President Gina Boehler noted, “We cherish the many friendships and the happy memories we made at the Street Fair.”

If you would like to support the Auxiliary’s cause beyond attending the festival, consider joining. Normal memberships are $5 annually and lifetime memberships are $50. The volunteer group has a long history of having fun while doing great work, having raised $2.7 million dollars over the course of 98 years while serving a secondary function as a community-oriented social group.

For more information on the GSH Auxiliary, visit their page on the WellSpan site.

Josh Groh is a Cornwall native and writer who began reporting for LebTown in 2019. He continued to regularly contribute to LebTown while earning a degree in environmental science at Lebanon Valley College, graduating in 2021. Since then, he has lead conservation crews in Colorado and taken on additional...

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