Things to do: October 2009 Archives

Remember how I was trying to get all of York County - and beyond - involved in neighborhood booings?

Well, that blog post ran in this week's Living section, and once it did, I got a letter from Julie Brown of Spring Garden Township. She wrote:

"Our neighborhood in Spring Garden Twp. has a booing going on every year. The kids love it! They can't wait to go out after dark, knock on the neighbor's door and run as fast as they can so as not to get caught. And even more than that they anxiously await a knock on our door and go running to see if we've been booed and what goodies there are. This year, as my kids were putting on their shoes the other night to go get
the booing started, there was a knock at our door and we were booed first. It
was pretty funny!"

The picture with this post is Julie's; she says it shows what her family put into the "boos" for their friends this year. The funny thing is, in the boo we received, we got one of those cups! :-)

If you're celebrating, have a safe and happy Halloween!

Wow, so many things going on in the coming days! Got a news release that the Bob Hoffman YMCA on Palomino Road in Dover Township is having a free Fall Fitness Festival from Monday to Oct. 30.

Among the activities:

· Anyone 14 and older can participate in fitness classes and use the fitness center.
· A free seminar, "What You Can Do About Your Cancer Risk," will be offered by Wellspan from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday.
· Free blood-pressure checks will be offered by Dover Ambulance from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday
· Free chair massages will be offered by Touch Of Life on Wednesday morning and evening.

There will also be refreshments and daily prize drawings. Want to know more? Call the Y at 292-5622.

Not doing anything this Saturday evening? Brave the weather and head out to my alma mater, Dover Area High School, for the fifth annual Dover Band Show.

According to their news release, this marching band showcase features many of York County's non-competitive bands and was created five years ago as a way to give the students a late-season performance opportunity. (And I give the band folks huge props for performing this late in the season; it is COLD out on that field!)

Gates open at 5 p.m., and the show begins at 6 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens, and can be purchased at the stadium gates. If it rains (not that THAT has happened lately, ha!) the show will be held in the high school gymnasium.

The schedule includes:
· National Anthem performed by Dover High School's select choral ensemble, "Renaissance"
· Hanover "Nighthawk" Pep/Marching Band
· Northeastern "Bobcat" Marching Band
· Steelton-Highspire "Roller-Pride" Marching Band
· West York "Bulldog" Marching Band (my daughter's school, so YAY for them too!)
· Central York "Panther" Marching Band
· Dallastown "Wildcat" Marching Band
· Dover "Eagle" Marching Band
· Full Band Retreat performing "America the Beautiful"

The release also pointed out something I'd missed - that the Dover district was recently named one of the top 100 communities for music education in the United States by the National Association of Music Merchandisers. Central York was also selected for the honor.

If you want to know more about the show, call band director George Bradshaw at 292-3671, ext. 10304. (And tell him Joan Concilio sent you!)

So head out if you're free! I'll be here at work, but if you go, let me know - I'd love to hear all about it!

Maybe you're familiar with the idea of the Halloween "boo" - leaving an anonymous gift of goodies for two people who are each supposed to pass a gift on to two more people. It's like a chain letter for gifting, and you usually need to hang up a sign once you've been "booed" so that no one else gifts you.

Well, imagine our surprise the other night to find a "boo" hanging from our front lamppost! I had done this a couple of years ago at work, but never in a neighborhood sense. So of course we were all excited to pass on our own boos to some friends and neighbors.

The photo here is the boo we made to give, not the one we received. If you'd like to start your own booing with two friends or neighbors, here are my suggestions:

1. Get something sturdy to put your goodies in. Even if it's not pouring out - like it was this weekend - you probably will have your boo sitting on the ground overnight on someone's porch. Hence our plastic pumpkin.

2. Include a "ghostie" for the booed family to hang on their door. (You can see ours in the photo; here's a printable version, though you can certainly draw him - it's not hard!) Here's an extra tip - given our bad weather, dig up a sheet protector, tape your boo on a piece of black construction paper and slide it inside. That's what we did, and it's not only keeping him dry, it also makes him stand out on our white front door. Don't forget to "boo" yourself if you're starting the booing!

3. Choose a bunch of small goodies, mixing candy-type stuff and other items. We gave some candy, but also some "rubber eyeballs," a little orange decorative pot, a small fall cookbook and a notepad. (Target's dollar bin was a source of most of our items; any dollar store is also a good start.)

4. Include the directions! If you've gotten booed already, you can copy or rewrite them, but if you're starting the chain in your own neighborhood, feel free to print copies of my direction sheet. Ours came handwritten, but the copy editor in me had to jazz it up a little.

If you give this a try, or if you see any neighborhoods around town that have had a booing going on, leave me a comment! Bonus points if you e-mail photos of your booing to me at jconcilio@ydr.com.

Hope you didn't change your plans for the Utz program at Guthrie Library - it's been postponed.

From their release:

The program on Utz Quality Foods to be held at 1 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Guthrie Memorial Library - Hanover's Public Library has been postponed. Further information will be provided once a new date is scheduled and will be forwarded via press release.

I'll keep you posted once I hear more!

Katie Portner, 8, of Dover gets ready to chomp a piece of broccoli. The samples were offered during the Broccoli Bash at the farmers market on Saturday. (Daily Record/Sunday News photo by Jason Plotkin)

Everyone had a great time, and the market was packed, reports Linda Birmingham, marketing committee chairwoman for the York Historic Farmers' Market Association.

If you want to help Linda and her group promote the market, the York Historic Farmers' Market Association holds regular meetings that you're welcome to attend! The next one is 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Union Lutheran Church, 408 W. Market St. - right across from the market. (Use the Penn Street door to enter.)

If you're lucky, you might find me there. My mom and I attend occasionally, when schedules permit, and we're very supportive of the group's efforts because we love the market so much!

Remember my favorite local snack?

Well, if your favorites are like mine - salty and of the Utz variety - make sure you head down to a special presentation at the Hanover library in a couple of week.

From our sister paper, the Evening Sun of Hanover:

Learn more about Utz products at a program on Utz Quality Foods to be held 1 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, in the John D. Bare Center at the Guthrie Memorial Library -- Hanover's Public Library.

The program will include information on the company history, its growth over the years, the snack food industry and making a quality potato chip from "farm to your pantry." Tom Scholles, director of human resources at Utz Quality Foods, will be the presenter.

The program is free and open to the public.

For more information, visit guthrielibrary.org or call 632-5183.

And if you're down that-a-way anyway, why not check out the Utz outlet and the factory tour? The tours are free and self-guided, and can be done 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays at the factory on High Street. The outlet is a few streets over on Carlisle Street and is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

We took Sarah on the tour a few years ago and she really liked it. I'm hoping to do it again soon!