June 2007 Archives

Thrifty. Or frugal. Or just plain cheap. That's one thing I love and am proud to say about myself and my fellow York Countians.

You know, the iPhone launched today.

We did a very unscientific poll on ydr.com. The results weren't too surprising. Of 163 total votes:
I'm getting one - 4.294 %
I'm thinking about buying one - 4.907 %
Too expensive - 90.79 %

I heard from one reporter that people were saying things like "What? Don't you mean an iPod?" when asked at the malls if they planned to get one. I don't know if that's true word-for-word, but I don't have a hard time believing it...

Another random York County Web site, this one of special news value recently:

Spring Grove borough, where you can read about the ongoing project to install a roundabout where North Main Street (Route 116) meets West Hanover Street and Roth's Church Road.

Click the map and a bigger version will pop up.

Lots of people have been commenting on the project and, in general, their thoughts on York Countians' ability to successfully navigate such a circle. (I don't think it's hard, but then again, most of my family is from South Jersey, where it's not a town without a circle.) Anyway, you can read and join in on that discussion here, at The Exchange.

Next in a series of profiles originally publishes by the Daily Record in 2002, from Census 2000 information.

Welcome to Dallastown, which, according to the census, had the highest percentage of widowed residents in the county. The borough showed 12.9 percent of its 3,286 residents older than 15 at the time as widowed.

Up next will be Springfield Township!

If you want to read more on recent Census updates to population estimates around the county, check out this story from today's edition.

Does anyone remember when the Rutter's on Lightner Road in Manchester Township was a Rutter's Family Restaurant and not the convenience store?

Our family used to eat there a lot of Sundays after church. I remember it being a real cozy place with great food.

I know they briefly had a restaurant out by the Galleria, too, but I think the Lightner Road one was the longer-lasting and, I think, the original.

Know any other York County "used-to-bes"? Post comments!

I got a lot of responses on my "awhile" post, with enough other Yorkisms suggested to keep me posting for a long time. Thanks to everyone who wrote and posted comments!

One that drew a few comments was It's all. Most people said this is also a Lancaster County thing; I'd have to guess that we share a lot of common phrases, with the Pennsyvania Dutch background and all.

So, it's all. Ex. "The milk's all." or "When that money's all, you're not getting anything else." (That last one was my mom, talking to my daughter at the World's Greatest Yard Sale.)

Literal translation: It's gone, or it's "all gone."

I've had this weird thing going on in my left eye for about a week now. It's not pinkeye or a sty (the doctor says), so my mother has decided I have "a cold in my eye."

Our vet uses that phrase about my cats occasionally, and I don't know what it means for them any more than I do for myself. So I'm asking - does anyone know if there's some medical equivalent to this? And what am I supposed to do about it - it's getting uncomfortable!

Another fun York County web site to check out: Utz Quality Foods

My favorite are the rippled Sour Cream and Onion. I like the kind you can buy at the outlet or the grocery store, but if you're familiar with the "Farmer's Market version" - the ones that come out of the big can at the market, and get put into the wax-paper-like bags? - those are the supreme.

So that I don't get bashed, I'll say that I do like Martin's too, especially the barbecue, but I'm an Utz girl. Which do you like better? Comment!!

So, we were listening to the police scanner in the newsroom tonight and someone called because kids were ringing the doorbell and running away, repeatedly...

Where I grew up in northern York County, the houses weren't close enough together to make that particular prank practical, but we had other crummy things we did to our rural "neighbors."

Next up in the series of Census profiles that the York Daily Record ran in 2002:

Welcome to Hellam Township, which had the second-highest median rent ($688) in the county when the Census was released.

Some Census numbers, like population estimates, might have changed since then, but the basics are the same, and like I mentioned before, I thought maybe people reading this blog would be interested in picking up some fun facts about their hometowns or the towns in the county they might not be as familiar with.

I'll post a "new" profile each week!

On his blog, Mike Argento talks about another sign that you're definitely in York County.

Check it out.

Next in an ongoing series on York County-isms

Awhile: Ex. "I'm going to the store awhile." or "Dinner's almost ready; wash your hands awhile."

Literal translation: The closest I can come is "in the meantime," or until something else is done. It does not mean "for a while."

Everyone else is York Revolution crazy, so...

1. Since, hey, the Revs certainly are an "Only in York County" thing and
2. Since, hey, I am the online editor,

I give you ydr.com/revolution, home of all things Revs. You should especially check out our video trading cards. Sam made them!

I'm Joan Concilio, and thanks for dropping by my blog!

I've lived in York County since I was three days old. (Born in New Jersey, but don't hold that against me.) All through high school and college, I thought I'd be out of here as soon as possible. But things have changed, and now that I'm married and have a house, my husband and I have decided this is a great place to raise our 7-year-old daughter.

Another thing I want to collect: York County Web sites of interest. Have one? Feel free to comment!

I'm just going to go at random through some of the ones I've collected in my nine years here at the paper.

First is East Hopewell Township's municipal site.

In 2002, the Daily Record ran a series that profiled each of York County's 72 municipalities based on the Census 2000 information that was released that year.

Some Census numbers, like population estimates, might have changed since then, but the basics are the same, and I thought maybe people reading this blog would be interested in picking up some fun facts about their hometowns or the towns in the county they might not be as familiar with.

I'll post a "new" profile each week! We'll kick it off with York City, where, according to Census 2000, the median age was 31 and the average commute to work was 19.2 minutes.

Welcome to York

Not to step on the wonderful history news over at York Town Square ...

Some folks working on a history of Lower Chanceford Township are meeting 7 p.m. Thursday, June 14, at the Airville Volunteer Fire Company, 3576 Delta Road in the township.

If you have items of interest on that area's history, e-mail project organizer June Grove at rnklbrogue@yahoo.com. Grove wrote a similar book in 1997 about historic buildings, bridges and train tunnels in Chanceford Township.

I'm sure you're familiar with the York County habit of calling places by "what they used to be," often with no regard for the fact that it hasn't been that in decades.

Like the Yorkisms, I'm going to try to collect these, and I'm open to suggestions, so post comments below!

My favorite is Zimmie's (Zimmy's? I'm not even sure how you spell it.) That's what the Green Valley swim club on Poplars Road in West Manchester Township used to be. As far as I can tell, it's been Green Valley at least since I was in elementary school, possibly longer. But I call it Zimmie's. My friends all call it Zimmie's. Because that's what our parents called it. My daughter, who took swimming lessons there last summer, even called it that.

Indoctrinating a third generation. I love it.

My 7-year-old daughter's bus driver rode the bus with me in high school. I liked her then.

I found out today she plays "Smack That"* and invites the K-6 crowd to sing along. Not so sure I like her so much now.

Only in York County.

* - Parental advisory - Explicit lyrics!

So today included three picnic-type events for our family. All with good food and fun stuff to do. All included hot dogs; two included cats. What more can you ask for?

First in an ongoing series of York County-isms

Whatfer: Ex. "Whatfer vegetables we having with dinner tonight, Mom?" or "Whatfer shoes you wearing?"

Literal translation: The closest I can come is "What are you wearing for shoes" but even that doesn't make a ton of sense.

I spent about three hours today wandering around the World's Greatest Yard Sale at the York Expo Center. I'm pretty sure it's not even called the World's Greatest Yard Sale any more, but since I've gone all but one year since I was born, I figure I can call it whatever I want.

Our family tradition in past years has been to round up tons of family members and friends and spend the whole day going through every single stand, even the junkiest ones, then heading to nearby Alexander's for dinner. This year was a little different; we were minus extended family and plus a specific mission.