Time to Catch Up

You'll find the full list of Trails of History activities on the July program page.

Thank you to everyone who voted for the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in USA Today's "10 Best Transportation Museums" contest (the museum was one of 20 national nominees). The results should be posted at noon today (July 22). I will update this post when we get the results or you can visit the contest website. When I checked on Monday, RMP was at number 5. UPDATE: Congratulations to the Railroad Museum of PA, voted one of the 10 Best Transportation Museums in the US, coming in at number 5 (but number 1 in our hearts).

Since last week's launch of Pokemon GO (and last week's post), more and more museums are finding their way through the craze. As you would expect there are many different reactions across the country. On the Trails of History, we're discovering that most (all?) of our sites have Pokestops and gyms but seeing varying levels of public attention. Sites are happy to welcome new interest. Some are putting out info on social media, especially sites with significant outdoor visitation. For example, Bushy Run Battlefield helpfully reminded folks that the main parking lot gates are locked at 4:30 pm and suggested an alternative to avoid getting stuck. A post on the State Museum website encourages trainers to visit all the Trails of History sites, to respect sites and fellow visitors, and to be mindful of operating hours and admission fees. Please be sure to share photos of your captures and tag the site where you found them. Some of us are playing too!

Vaporeon shown in front of  Hope Lodge (via Facebook)

There was lots of anthracite region news in my Google Alerts this week, with an article about the first observance of Anthracite Heritage Day last Saturday (and henceforth to be the third Saturday in July), a feature about places (such as Eckley Miners' Village and the Anthracite Heritage Museum) where people can learn more about the region's history and culture, and an interview with a local student interning at Eckley Miners' Village this summer.

If your weekend plans include visits to Pennsbury Manor or Washington Crossing Historic Park and you're not from the Philadelphia area, you may need a friendly reminder that the city and surrounding countryside will be bracing for the Democratic National Convention, which officially starts on Monday. The Governor's Office and PennDOT have issued some advisories and info, as they did when Pope Francis visited last year. The convention won't directly affect the Trails of History, but you may want to know about road closings, etc.