The Treat

Before I drove back to Maryland today, my family picked up food from the Treat, aka iconic Shippensburg. This place has been there forever and draws a large crowd of individuals from just about every age group--middle school students to senior citizens.


I can't ever remember a time when the Treat wasn't there. It is probably the most successful ice cream shop and diner in town. They make mean Oreo flurries and hot fried ham hoagies. Today we had chicken dinners, but if you ever visit, I would recommend the ice cream. It's good.

Maybe not the best food ever, but The Treat is kitschy; and it is my hometown.

Corn Festival

Every last Saturday in August, Shippensburg hosts the annual Corn Festival. I'm not exactly sure why we refer to it as the "corn" festival as there are next to no usages of corn at the festival. But to be fair this year, they did paint ears of corn on the downtown shop windows, serve corn on the cob at a few vendors, and pay a guy to walk up down the streets in a scarecrow costume.

The Corn Festival is basically a giant craft show with food and music. Up and down King street hundreds of vendors come to sell their handmade products. I noticed a lot of jewelry stands this year and less of the antique-ish potpourri that usually dots the streets.


I got myself a pretty blue abalone shell bracelet. I couldn't resist. It was calling to me from one of the tables. It said buy me, buy me. I almost got one in pink too. But then I took a deep breath and put it back down.

Nothing Says America Like Flags and Fairs

Remember my obsession with those flag photos, you know the ones that I've been posting over the the past year here, here, here, here, and here? Well, finally my obsession paid off.

My digitally enhanced photo won "Best of Show" in the photography section of the fair. I was surprised...I suppose pleasantly so. The judges just must have wanted a big slice of Americana. The majestic Washington monument, superimposed by a nighttime DC scene. Red, white, and blue flags. Let freedom ring. Proud to be an American. Yadda yadda yadda.

My other photos, painting and jewelry also pulled in a few firsts. All the money I won will go directly back into buying more beads and frames. In truth though, I hardly even won enough to cover what it took to print out the photos that I entered this year. At least there's the validation---yes, my art means something.



Plus, I get to share my photos with more people than just my lovely blog readers. But let's be honest, you guys are my *favoritest*!

Fairlicious

Several days this week, I went to the fair with friends to catch up and eat artery-clogging food. This coming week I will be officially detoxing from all things fried and/or frozen.

Although, I have realized that the fair generally is less as exciting as I believe it should be, I do like spending time with people (or leaving them waiting in the stadium all alone for half an hour, sorry Tami). I do like the idea that SOMETHING is occurring in good ole Shippensburg as well. And as Emily C. said, "It's always going to be our hometown" (take that as you will).

After only stopping by the tractor pull at the fair for a few minutes, Emily W. and I about contracted black lung. The good earth had to have frowned upon the smoke that came out of those tractors. It was sort of like watching a coal mine explosion. I'm pretty sure I complained about the same thing last year... For some reason though, the tractor pull always pulls in a big crowd.

In better news, the girl scouts made super delicious thin mint chocolate milkshakes. Mmmmmm. Chocolate was dripping down the cup, onto my hands, down my mouth, and onto my feet. Ugh, perhaps too much chocolate.

We also petted the animals. They were cute. Especially the cows and goats.



We affectionately termed the goats, "the love goats." They liked taking naps on each others' backs.

Overall, I would say I had a fair-licious week.

Fair Time

It's FAIR week in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania!

Anyone who lives in a small town will understand this sentiment---Finally, there is something other to do than cow-tipping. Thank goodness.

This week will equate to the following: tractors, fried food, games, shows, barn animals, rides, contests, crafts, and muddy hills. Yeah, you gotta love the community fair.

The Civil War Recreated

This weekend in Shippensburg is March to Destiny, an annunal event that recreates the history of the civil war. I wanted to see what this whole reenactment thing was all about so I went to a live "skirmish" today. Men (and a few women) dressed in uniforms reminicent of 1863 took the streets with period equipment. They battled down King Street lining up and shooting their guns, practicing all the tactics they would have actually used during the civil war.


I have never seen anything quite like this before. It was educational to say the least. The shots were so loud, the cannon ones especially. My favorite part was when a soldier got wounded or killed. They fell in the street and men stepped over him until someone came (eventually) to drag him off the street. It was fun to watch---you know, in that sick kind of can't-take-your-eyes-off-of-it way.

I couldn't imagine having been a soldier during the civil war. They had to be so close to the enemy while having next to no protection. You just had to stand there while a brigade of soldiers shot in your direction. There's no way you could expect to live to see the light of tomorrow. I think the reenactment made me glad to live in today's world and to be thankful for the soldiers who did fight to preserve the union and abolish slavery.

A Picture Perfect World

I'm telling you, icy trees are perhaps the only redeming quality of snowy cold weather.


I can't help but think that these photographs look like Bob Ross paintings--only they're real.


I am captivated by icy tree beauty.

Choir Clash

A guy from Shippensburg is actually on Clash of the Choirs on NBC. He is part of the Oklahoma City choir directed by Blake Shelton. That's exciting. He was stationed at a military base in OK and made it onto the show.

About the show: Writer's Strike evident, no big news flash there. I hate how every clip had a sob story. "Oh, something bad happened to me and I overcame it. Vote for me and my choir." If you are good at singing, then you don't need the sad, sad story. The melodramatic edge was really insulting and over the top by the end. The only choir that didn't have one of those stories was Patti LaBelle's, and hers was amazing--exactly what you think of when you think of the Southern Baptist church choir, only from Philadelphia

Fair Fun

How many weeks ago now? The fair was in Shippensburg. (Photos courtesy of Emily Walker). Yes, we went to the tractor pull, sheepish grin. No worries though, Tami and Tami's Kevin explain what on earth was going on again. We also went to the fair queen contest, and as usual, the girl I said would win did. This year was the 50th anniversary of the fair. My family and I went to see The Platters and later in the week a horse show. Both times we were in our little lawn chairs watching whatever and all of the sudden the rain soaked us. We must be die-hard oldies and horse show fans. We aren't like those fair-weather attendees around us. What more do we need in life than a flimsy umbrella and funnel cake?