Don't miss the state Farm Show!

I was lucky enough to get to the 102nd Pennsylvania State Farm Show on Wednesday.
I hope that many of you will also get there -- as it runs through Saturday in Harrisburg.
There are plenty of animals on display, as well as myriad aspects of agriculture, family living and other facets of this important state industry and way of life.

 And of course there is the food! Potato doughnuts, honey ice cream, magnificent milk shakes -- the list goes on and on. Just be sure to buy your food in the food court, where state-produced yummies are offered. 

Here are a few photos from our day at the Farm Show. Try to go -- and if you can't get there, don't miss the great coverage on PCN TV. You'll miss out on the food and that first-hand experience, but they do a great job of covering so much of this great show.

And the butter sculpture!!

4-H Fair is fun for all

As a former 4-H member … and mom of a former 4-H member… I love going to the Montgomery County 4-H Fair each year. This year's fair just ended, and I hope you were able to get to the 4-H Center in Skippack to check it out.
If not, make plans next August to  be there. And if you have children ages 8 to 18, consider getting them into one or more of the many great programs that are offered.
Here are a few photos that capture just a taste of what the fair had to offer this year… 

As someone who raised and showed dairy animals, I have a soft spot in my heart for them.

Here piggy, piggy

Loved the goats...

 

Veggie creations and exhibits, etc...

Food, of course, including the world's largest sausage patty … and turner!

Furry friends...

Yep, a good time was had by all!

Who are these people?

Cleaning out a basement is something like an archaeological dig.
There's plenty of dirt and debris, and every now and then you unearth a real gem.
It's embarrassing to say that, after filling up a dumpster, we're still at work on this  project.
But such is life after keeping far too many things throughout a lifetime, storing items after my parents died and having my daughter move back into the house years ago.
But one "interesting" find was "The Inside Story," a company newsletter from February 1976, back when The Reporter was known as the North Penn Reporter. Yes, I worked there back then, having retired as editor of The Reporter at the end of 2011.
Anyone recognize anyone here?
 

It's noted in the newsletter that the photo won first prize in the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association competition for Planned Classified Campaigns  and had been used in The Reporter as an ad promoting "Golden Oldies" in the classified section and was organized by the "classified girls."
If anyone knows Helen Harlow Schwartz, Diana Augustine or Harry Wurster, go ahead and rib them about this photo!
But I can't ignore my own "winning" photo. I'm not sure what year this photo was shot, but I must have been in junior high school. My 4-H entry at the annual Montgomery County 4-H  livestock show won grand champion that year.
Yep, that's me ... go ahead and laugh!

Cows, chicks and more, oh my, at PA Farm Show!

It's time once again for the Pennsylvania Farm Show!!

Each January, this great event -- the largest indoor agriculture exposition in the country -- is held at the Farm Show Complex on Cameron Street in Harrisburg. This year it runs through Jan. 12, and I was lucky enough to make the trip out there again this year with my daughter. Long ago, when I was in 4-H, I was fortunate to exhibit my dairy calf there. It was a treat repeated when Danielle was in 4-H and let me tell you, spending a week in the dairy barn is an experience not to miss.
Now we have to be satisfied with a day trip, but we love every minute. Our trip today was no exception.

I snapped more than a few photos, but I won't bore you with all of them. Here are a few to enjoy.
And if you can't make it to Harrisburg and you have cable, be sure to tune into PCN's coverage this week. They do a terrific job, and PCN is found on channel 186 on Comcast.

Loved this goose. Actually held a conversation while in this section of the barn. If you don't believe that these critters can talk, go check it out yourself!

Beautiful horses abound at the Farm Show. This one was poised to enter the ring for competition in the women's buggy/cart driving event. The horses and the tack are just breath-taking.

GORGEOUS FEATHERS!

TALK ABOUT LONG HORNS!

Delaware Valley College in Doylestown was in attendance once again. Always have loved seeing their dairy cattle. Makes me think back to the days when the Plummer family was active in Montgomery County 4-H, and parents John and the late Maxine were professors at the college.

You MUST try the doughnuts at the Farm Show!!

Don't miss the amazing butter sculpture!

Whether it's a wild outfit to keep the critters clean or the natural spots on a huge hog, there's always something to amaze the eyes at the Farm Show. The animals are so wonderful to view, and those caring for and exhibiting the animals work so hard not only during this event, but every day of the year back at their farms. 

A cute mother-daughter moment...

It's good to know that "Your Milk Comes From A Good Place," as this cup reminds you. If you haven't tried the milkshakes at the Farm Show, though, you don't know what you're missing. I would have had two, if my stomach could have accommodated them. So much great food at the Farm Show, so little room in the digestive system! In the next photo, you see me next to a huge piece of machinery -- that area of the show also is not to be missed. If you look closely, you'll see I'm still working on that milkshake!

Well, what's better than a milk mustache? How about hamming it up  at the Farm Show with these gems? Danielle and I figured it would be fun to pose for this photo.... Sometimes common sense flies out the window during the excitement of the Farm Show!

I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the Farm Show. And I hope you get to make the trip out there for a fun and educational day. If not, don't forget to tune into PCN. I can't wait for the tractor square dancing!!