Chants of “Smucker’s a chicken” and “Where’s Lloyd?” echoed from downtown Lancaster’s Penn Square on Saturday morning as more than 150 people staged a mock town hall for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who did not attend the event.
Organizer Dan Reynolds accepted written questions for Smucker from the crowd and asked them to fellow organizer Sam McNally, who wore an inflatable chicken suit and stood behind a mock podium reading “WELCOME REPRESENTATIVE SMUCKER.”
The roughly 10 questions centered largely on criticizing Smucker’s support of President Donald Trump’s recent flurry of executive orders — especially his attempt to freeze funding of federal grants and loans — and his top adviser Elon Musk’s efforts to reshape the federal government.
Dubbed “Mr. Clucker” throughout the event, McNally responded to most questions with a noise mimicking a chicken.
Dan Reynolds, of Manheim Township, led a crowd of more than 150 people through chants in downtown Lancaster’s Penn Square on Saturday during a mock town hall for U.S. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, who did not attend.
Reynolds said he invited Smucker earlier this week to attend the rally. Smucker’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment.
Reynolds and McNally, both of Manheim Township, organized a similar protest earlier this month outside of Smucker’s district office in East Hempfield Township. They lead Indivisible MT, a branch of the national progressive organization Indivisible.
Their efforts inspired retired teacher Wanda Suarez, of Lancaster, to attend on Saturday. She said Trump is actively targeting the country’s most marginalized students with his executive order to ban all diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in public schools and with his repeated calls to end the federal Education Department.
But she also said officials in the Democratic Party must do more to stand up to Republicans on the national stage.
“Every individual needs to stand up,” Suarez said. “And we all need to do our part.”
No Lancaster County Democratic officials spoke at Saturday’s event, but Reynolds said he’d likely urge them to attend future rallies if he and McNally organize more.
