Hampton
Inn Grantville
Grantville,
Pennsylvania
January
12, 2016
34 F /
partly cloudy—no snow, oops, it is snowing now! 8:30 p.m. no snow!
We
spent 7 hours at the PA Farm Show and what wonders did we see! There is no
admission fee, but parking is $15. We easily shuttled from a convenient parking
lot to the Main Entrance on Cameron Street, Harrisburg. More than 500,000
visitors are anticipated over 9 days. I think most of them were there today!
So what
stood out? The magnificent butter sculpture captured our reaction first. People
were already gathering around it by 8:30 a.m.
Remarkable Butter Sculpture
We
headed straight to the nearby PA Maple Association’s exhibit. I was very impressed with all they displayed,
including the original methods used by the Native Americans and the history for
the past 100 years. My brother, Bill Phillips (of Fort LeBoeuf Maple), was
already busy explaining the process to visitors. He is very good at that. My
sister in law Marge was equally busy in the Maple food booth where they were
selling syrup, candy, lollipops, salad dressing, cotton candy, maple sugar, and
other goodies made from maple syrup. We purchased a few things to share with
our cruise friends. Friend Jan Woods, of Edinboro (Hurry Hill Farm), welcomed
us and gave us some tips about what to see. Off we went.
Top photo: Bill Phillips of Ft. LeBoeuf Maple explaining the process of making maple syrup.
Bottom photo: Part of the PA Maple Producers' exhibit area
The
Main Hall had many of our must-sees. The PA mushrooms were amazing! So many
varieties! We walked inside a Mush Room for an interactive display about
growing mushrooms. (The American Mushroom Institute of America – MFPA)
King mushrooms and oyster mushrooms!
A
Woodmobile highlighted the state’s lumber industry and I finally learned the
difference between quarter sawn, rift sawn, and regular sawn wood. I think I
want the wooden beautiful bicycle. (PA Forestry Association.
Bicycle made with wooden frame! Beautiful!
The PA
State Beekeepers Association had a great exhibit clearly explaining the life of
bees and their needs in our environment. I could not find the queen bee though. I thought it was interesting that beekeepers leave 30 pounds of honey in the hive to sustain the bees in winter. The process of how bees winter over in our area was interesting. They create a substance called propolis (sp?) and fill in any holes to keep in warmth.
As it gets colder, the worker bees actively generate heat within
the hive. First, they feed on honey for energy. Then, the honey bees shiver.
They vibrate their flight muscles but keep their wings still, raising their
body temperatures. With thousands of bees shivering constantly, the temperature
at the center of the cluster will warm up considerably, to about 93° F! (from the Internet and posters at the apiary exhibit)
Food Court Area!
Apples
(at least 15 varieties, some I never heard of, e.g. pink lady), potatoes, corn,
fruits, and vegetables everywhere. Baked goods, quilts, pickles, jams,
photography exhibits, handmade clothing, knitted items, wedding cakes, handmade
wedding dresses.
We saw pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, and rabbits.
Hay, straw, Christmas trees. Aqua farming. PA fish. Pennsylvania’s
finest is here! The Best of Show winners were showcased exquisitely.
Best of show quilt!
We saw pigs, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, alpacas, and rabbits.
A pig being escorted to auction
One of
my favorite rooms was that of the PA Nut Growers Association. I did not know so
many kinds of edible nuts were grown in PA:
Filberts/Hazelnuts
Shagbark
Hickory
Shellbark
Hickory
Pecans
Hicans
(natural hybrid of pecans and hickory nuts)
Chestnuts
Almonds
Chinquapins
Heartnuts
Butternuts
Buartnuts
(butternut and heartnut hybrid)
Persian
Walnuts (formerly called English walnuts, but they originated in Persia--Juglans
regia)
Each
variety had multiple entries and a tree sample.
We
took a break for lunch with Marge and Bill. I had a smoked beef and cheese
sandwich at the PA Cattlemen’s Association, and a small vanilla ice cream cone
at the PA Dairymen’s Association. That was SOOO good, I went back for a
centennial milkshake by the PA Dairymen—their milkshakes are “legenDAIRY.” I don’t think I am going to lose 20 pounds
before the cruise next Sunday.
Finally, I was very impressed by the work being done on Pennsylvania's famous "Star Barn." I used to pass it several times a year on my way to Lancaster on I-80 when I was working with the PDE. This historic barn is being painstakingly relocated. Check out thestarbarn.com to see!
Finally, I was very impressed by the work being done on Pennsylvania's famous "Star Barn." I used to pass it several times a year on my way to Lancaster on I-80 when I was working with the PDE. This historic barn is being painstakingly relocated. Check out thestarbarn.com to see!
These two images depict models of the Star Barn.
We
were exhausted—I registered 4 ¼ miles on the Fitbit. There are not many places
to sit—one stands in the food court. I thought I would write my blog there, it
is the largest indoor wifi venue in the East, but with nowhere to sit, I couldn’t
juggle the laptop and the camera. So I
am writing in the hotel lobby, while TK is resting. Someone just came in and
said it is a blizzard out there. I sneaked a peek and oh my, there is snow on
the ground! TK is not going to be happy!
But
as it turned out, the snow was nothing special and we drove to Capital Diner
(highly rated restaurant in Harrisburg) to meet Bill and Marge for dinner. We
had an enjoyable discussion of this great new adventure today!
TK’s Takes: He said his chocolate milkshake was like a triple chocolate shake--the most "chocolaty" he's ever had! He
is not fond of farm smells. [JK note: only certain areas smelled like a farm—you
can tell he’s a city boy]
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