Things to do: February 2008 Archives

I wrote earlier this month about the York Town Craft Guild and their new Web site.

Linda Gunnet, of CREN and Company, commented to tell me a little more about the Guild.

In her words:

The York Town Craft Guild, aka YTCG, is York County's best-kept secret. We have been in York for 60 years promoting crafts. Crafts range from ... fine pottery, weaving, woodcarving, basket making, quilting, silversmithing, glass bead making, stained glass. All levels of expertise are welcome, from "I want to know more" to "This is my full time job and I make a living out of it."

Members have recieved the highest awards available in their fields. Many York artists took their first class at the guild and now have their own studios. Please support the guild in any way you can, be it financial, time, or just talking about it, she concludes.

I couldn't say it any better!

Carnival Warehouse, a fair-industry Web site that compiles an annual listing of the top state fairs in North America, showed some good numbers for last fall's York Fair.

Our local event saw its attendance go up 13 percent in 2007 from the year before, with a total of 615,000 people visiting last fall.

Meanwhile, just south of the border, the Maryland State Fair was up 21 percent over 2006 with an attendance of 417,458, securing the No. 45 spot on the top-50 list. (York's fair was No. 32 on the same list.)

Also of note in our own state, the Allentown fair was up a huge 36 percent, with 2007 attendance of 585,000. It was 35th on the list.

The photo above is one I took at this year's fair for my mom, who loves goats. Here you go, Mom!

Wish we could all be this useful in the community!

Daily Record/Sunday News photographer Paul Kuehnel, who runs the Green Mesh blog, is going to be a moderator for a panel discussion on "Environmentalism in York" at 7 p.m. Thursday at Martin Library.

Paul will be joined in his moderation efforts by York College's E.C.O. The objective of the event, according to the library system, is "to experience information on environmental topics and empower people to become more in tune with their environment and seek solutions."

Our Place The Skate Park, in the Shrewsbury area, had been planning its big Presidents Day Weekend Skate Competition for months, but things almost got grounded when broken pipes caused by the cold weather and high wind damaged the park, leaving an inch of water all over it.

Bob Russo, park owner, said “We had no heat, no water, no bathrooms, and everything was a mess. But the guys from Bortner came to the rescue. What they did was just short of a miracle.”

Because of that miracle, the competition will still go on Saturday and Sunday. Russo said some of the region's best skaters are expected. "If we had to cancel the competition, I’m not sure we could have gotten them back," was his fear.

The competition happens in three parts. On Saturday, "Newbees," or beginning skaters, and "Wannabees," more experienced skaters, will compete in best trick and skate park run competitions. Sunday, the advanced skaters will take on a multi-part competition that involves every ramp, deck and ledge in the park.

What do you get if you do well? What else? Pictures of presidents in honor of the weekend, Russo said - cash. The first 50 contestants to register also get a free T-shirt.

Interested? It's $10 to get in. Check out ourplace2sk8.com or call 227-3737 to learn more.

Or, "When the going gets tough, the tough get York."

Those are some of the gems I came up with using the Sloganizer. You're supposed
to use your first name (and, yes, I went through it about 8 million times with Joan, my favorite was "Go on, get your Joan out.")

Here are some of my other favorite York ones:
- Come to life, come to York.
- Let the York begin.
- All you need is a York and a dream.
- York just feels right.
- It's not TV. It's York.
- York born and bred. (Wow!)

No, it's not going to give you E. coli. In fact, it's some of the best meat I've had - from Godfrey Bros. Meats of the Seven Valleys area.

So how do you get this wonderful meat?

Head to the Stewartstown Lions Club and Eureka Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Company's fourth annual meat bingo Friday at the fire hall, North Main Street in Stewartstown.