Old Fashioned Fun, part 2

Let me first admit something that may or may not make you gasp. I don't really like amusement parks. They're incredibly expensive and loud and full of flashing and buzzing and...simply put, they are overstimulating and overrated. That's not to say I don't love riding amusement rides, but if I had a couple hudred dollars to spend, going to the amusement park wouldn't even make the top 50.

Enter Knobels. Snuggled into the Pennsylvania forest deep in farm country, this historic amusement park began as probably one of the first agritourism farms in the world. At the turn of the 20th century owner Henry Knobel ran "tally-ho" hayrides taking visitors around his farm by horse. When he offered the the opportunity to water, feed and brush the horses that pulled the wagons, the eager tourists lined up and shelled out a whoping $0.25 each for the "honor." Smart man.

A little hokey, and little pokey and a lot wonderful, Knobels is my kind of amusement park. Admission is free and you can either buy ticket booklets or a wristband for the rides. We spent less all day than we would have spent on just admission at most parks and all of us had a ball.

Flying....

Riding...

Flying some more...

Getting our feet massaged...

Etc. etc. etc....

The best parts were the unexpected treasures. Like the puppet show that appeared like magic in a stone tower we passed three or four times thinking it was simply decorative. Or the working smithy where burley fellows with bald heads and long beards sweated and clanged making name-plate horseshoes for the kids. What a strange and wonderful day.

Old Fashioned Fun, part 1

A month of old fashioned fun has kept me from the blog-o-sphere. Totally worth it. In early August we took in the Goschenhoppen Festival. A celebration of Pennsylvania Dutch (aka German) life in the 18th and 19th centuries--the preservation of folk culture and skills nearly lost to our "modern" society.

Things like how to slaughter and butcher a hog...

How to create a lucious breakfast treat out of bits and pieces. Yes, I mean scrapple...

Saurkraut making...

Firing a musket...

Thatching a roof with nothing but straw (no rope, no nails, and certainly no glue!)...

The jug of apple cider vinegar from my last post, mother and all, was on display as well. New vinegar made from the old. A suitable metaphor for the entire Festival where trades and recipes are passed from one volunteer generation to the next.