Last summer, more than 300 people came to Gifford Pinchot State Park for a free sailboat ride, free munchies and a day of fun courtesy of the Pinchot Sailing Club.
Saturday, they'll do it again.
Come to the Conewago day use area dressed to get wet between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. and you can float around the lake on a club member's sailboat. A picnic lunch will be provided free for those who sail, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
For details, visit www.pinchotsailing.com.
I wasn't too surprised to read this story about how hotels in and around Beijing aren't exactly booked for the upcoming summer Olympics.
For one thing, it's expensive to get there. A quick check on Expedia.com this afternoon showed that a roundtrip ticket from Baltimore to Beijing leaving Aug. 2 and returning Aug. 16 costs $2175. Not that all the Olympic visitors would come from Baltimore or even the US, but still....
Plus, every time I read about Beijing of late, it's something about the poor air quality or how athletes aren't going to mainland China until the last possible moment before their events to preserve their lung functions.
Then there's the whole Tibet thing. And the communism issue. And, well, the list goes on.
Still, it's THE OLYMPICS. It only happens once every four years. It's a worldwide showcase of athletic prowess and talent. An event where dreams are realized and dashed. It's drama at its best. You'd think more people might go.
What's your take on the hotel vacancies? Anyone from around here planning a trip?
Thursday evening, some friends and I went to check out a new event called Jazzin' on the Pride.
From 5 to 9 p.m. each Thursday, you can enjoy live jazz music, a full cash bar and free snacks and wings on the Pride of the Susquehanna riverboat.
This is an awesome option for folks who are fond of hanging out on the waterside decks of places like The Waterway in York and Duke's in Wormleysburg.
The boat stays docked at Front & Locust streets on the Harrisburg side of the river for the duration of the event, so people can come and go as they please. Best of all, it's all free (except any drinks you buy at the bar).
Since it's so new...
I was delighted that my final assignment of the day Monday took me to Monaghan Township. I had seen an ad in a community newspaper for pick-your-own cherries at Elicker's Orchard in the northern York County municipality (E. Ridge Rd.) and wanted to check it out.
Now, I'm no stranger to the pick-your-own game. I gather strawberries at some local farm or another nearly every spring. The summer after my junior year of high school, I worked picking strawberries five mornings a week to help pay for a plane ticket to visit my penpal (pre-Internet term) in Spain.
But I had never picked cherries.
Half an hour after I pulled into the orchard, I had purple-stained fingers and half a pail. That's probably more than I can consume before they go bad, but at $1.25 a pound, how can you skimp? I'll share.
Do you remember the big deal everyone made about Christo and Jean-Claude's "The Gates" in Central Park?
Well, now New York City has another, new public art project to draw tourists en masse.
Yep. Artificial and man-made though they may be, the city is still expecting plenty of folks to come check them out beginning today (the exhibit's opening) through Oct. 13. Here's the story from the New York Times.
If you're in the big apple and see these, snap a picture and send it to me with your thoughts on the project.
The National Wildlife Federation is encouraging families to trade Web site time for camp site time this coming weekend.
Turn off the iPods, computers, cell phones and video games and head outdoors to reconnect with Mother Nature. Listen for sounds from the creatures of the night, cook hot dogs and s'mores over a camp fire, tell spooky stories and sleep under the stars.
It's the Great American Backyard Campout. Last year, more than 42,000 people across the country participated. Invite your friends, family, neighbors to your backyard for an evening of outdoor fun.
Finish reading 'Host a backyard campout' »I did manage to escape from work a bit early to check out Jubilee Day. (it's amazing how fast I can get work done when I have a goal in mind!) I missed connecting with my sister and niece, but walked around with some girls from my book club.
I had Bricker's French Fries and a most-wonderful cappuccino ice cream with fudge swirl and toffee bits -- what a healthy dinner, eh?
Finish reading 'Jubilee Day report' »I wake up giddy every year on the third Thursday in June.
I don't know why I still get so excited about this festival that has been billed as the country's biggest one-day street fair.
Maybe it's because I live directly across from one of Mechanicsburg's two fire stations and fall asleep the night before listening to them get ready for an early-morning pancake breakfast.
Maybe because I hear all the traffic of folks coming into town at 5 or 6 a.m. to set up their booths and get ready for the big day and I just can't keep sleeping.
Maybe I'm just happy that for a single day, the little town of Mechanicsburg is THE place to be. I love that people from near and far converge on Main Street and clog the side streets to mix and mingle and see the fun.
So, it's 4:30 on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend. Several coworkers have already scooted out the door to begin celebrating the official start of summer. I'm trying (and failing) to focus on my work. Instead, I keep thinking about what I want to do this weekend.
The past four years, I've gone camping with friends in Maryland. This year, I'm sticking closer to home. Probably going to a cookout and getting outside in either hike, bike or kayak form. That's my plan -- to stay out of my car as much as possible.
With gas prices a gazillion dollars a gallon and everything else just about that expensive, are you still planning to celebrate the start of summer the same way you normally do? Are you changing anything up because of the air travel/gas price/economy situation?
Post a comment and share -- or, even better -- send me a picture from whatever fun you have and I'll post it here.
Are you looking for something fun to do this weekend? Silly question -- of course you are. What about something fun with live entertainment, educational exhibits and exercise?
I'm talking about the Great Green America Fest taking place Saturday and Sunday on the grounds of the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire.
Learn ways to protect the environment and conserve energy as you stroll among the rows of vendors and exhibitors at the Mount Hope Estate & Winery. Listen to live folk music. Sunday, bring your bicycle and get some exercise by joining the metric bike ride.
I did it last year and survived to tell about it.
I'm bummed that I won't be able to make it this year (they moved it from July to May), but if you get there, leave a comment upon your return and tell us how it was.
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