Wrapping Up Fall Before Winter Arrives

Yeah, yeah. I know most of you have had snow already, some of it shovelable. But until December 21 at 6:03 pm EST, it's not officially winter. And don't get me started on the non-stop Christmas music playing everywhere I go. (Harrumph.)

The December program preview appeared in last week's post, so be sure to check it out if you missed it (on Dec. 5, the link is just to your right if you're reading this on a PC). I'll be updating as necessary, but it's always a good idea to check with sites before attending events (or just stopping by for a visit), especially when weather may be a factor. There are numerous events scheduled for this weekend, so if you have time, you can probably find something to suit.

"A First Class Restaurant on Wheels" exhibit at Railroad Museum of PA (photo by AKF)

If you haven't yet seen the Dining Car exhibit at the Railroad Museum of PA, or the Chairs exhibit at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, you have until Dec. 31 (if I've missed others closing at the end of December, please let me know.)



"Chairs! Chairs! Chairs!" exhibit at Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum (photo by AKF)

Two of the 10 finalists (out of 238 submissions) in the Ephrata Merchants Association #Ephratagram photo contest (on Instagram) are photos taken on site at Ephrata Cloister. And 1 of the 5 honorable mentions was as well. Clearly lots of people in the area recognize the beauty of the site. The staff and volunteers at Ephrata have been working closely with Ephrata Merchants Association to promote the site and the town.

And speaking of photographs, Eckley Miners' Village recently announced the winner of this year's Fall Foliage photo contest. Lorraine Smith of Hanover Township (Luzerne County) was selected from among the entries for her photo capturing the warm colors of an autumn day in the village. Congratulations to Lorraine and all the participants.

On a different note, yesterday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette featured an article ("Beer: Thirsty for an old one?") about a cool partnership between Old Economy Village and Dan Woodske, of Beaver Brewing Co. in Beaver Falls. Using a translated Harmonist recipe, ca. 1816, Woodske brewed a batch of schwarzbier ("black lager"). Of the 45 gallons brewed, 10 were donated to Old Economy and will be available for tasting by folks with tickets to the Dec. 10 Holiday Dinner (today, Dec. 5, is the deadline for reservations, if there are tickets still available). The rest sold out at Woodske's Beaver Brewing Co. brewpub before Thanksgiving. Old Economy staff also worked with staff at New Harmony, Indiana (home of the Harmony Society prior to their move back to Pennsylvania in the 1820s), on this project, since the recipe had changed hands some years ago. If you like beer, the photo alone is worth checking out the article, in my opinion. Thank goodness it's the weekend!