If you are driving on Main Street in New Holland this summer in late afternoon or evening and you get behind a fire truck moving slowly in the area between Kinzer and Hoover avenues, maybe take a deep breath and ride along patiently behind them for a bit. The team is just doing its part to keep New Holland beautiful.

Almost two decades ago, the New Holland Business Association (NHBA) decided to add a little color to the town's sidewalks during the warmer months. Since that time, more than 60 planters filled with a variety of blooms and accents have lined Main Street during the warmer months.

Each year, sponsoring businesses and organizations purchase a membership for a fee that covers the placement of the planter, planting, and watering, as well as a nameplate with the name of the sponsor on the side. Sponsors need not be located in New Holland to order a planter, since NHBA members come from Earl Township, East Earl Township, and the borough of Terre Hill, as well as New Holland.

Setting out those planters following Mother's Day each spring and bringing them in around the time of the New Holland Fair is a responsibility that is handled by volunteer employees from 10-8 Emergency Vehicle Service and Keystone Quality Motors, sister companies located in New Holland. "We ask for volunteers from employees," explained Tanner Horst, general manager and co-owner of Keystone Quality Motors, who noted that he works with Ralph Hess of New Holland Radio Shack, who currently oversees the planter program. "We get two crews to help place and pick up (the planters)."

Volunteer employees also see that the flowers continue to bloom all summer long by handling watering duties. Those watering duties are made easier using a 1981 Mack Engine that was once a Garden Spot Fire Rescue truck and is now owned by 10-8 proprietor and former New Holland fire chief Larry Martin. "(In 2016), when (fellow members of) NHBA mentioned there was a need for someone to water the planters, we thought, 'Hey, we have this fire truck, and we could donate our time,'" reported Horst. "It's a way we can help." According to Horst, the engine was easily outfitted for the watering job. "We don't use any pumps," he explained. "The water is gravity fed from the tanks, and there's a hose connected to it." Two volunteer employees work together - a driver and a waterer. "We hop from pot to pot," said Horst, who noted that usually the watering is done in the evening, but sometimes it's earlier. "We have a banner for the back of the truck that says, 'Please be patient, we're watering,'" he added. Horst noted that the planters are watered on a varying schedule. "During the hot months, it's once a week, and during the beginning and end of the season, it's every other week."

The planters are made of rugged plastic, which makes them lightweight, although Horst noted during the fall removal when they are filled with dirt, they are a little more difficult to handle. Before placement, the planters are cleaned by a work crew from Lighthouse Vocational Services. Choice Flowers then fills the planters with a variety of blooms and greens, based on the sun and shade quotient where each planter is located.

Horst is impressed by the cooperative spirit among employees and other members of the community who are involved in the project. "(The employees) from both teams work together to see the watering gets done," he said. "It's neat to see how people come together to do that. It takes a group."

Horst also expressed how much he appreciates the team members who volunteer to take part. "It takes two guys two to three hours to water these planters," he pointed out. "They give up a portion of their evening after a day of work, and I so appreciate their willingness to do that and make the community a little more beautiful."

Readers who have questions about the planter program may contact Hess at 717-354-2200.