Another Faire to Enjoy

There is another Renaissance Faire not to distant from Salisbury and that is the Pennsylvania Faire near Mannheim Pennsylvania. It can be done as a day trip, but it would be a very long day. A weekend excursion would be more reasonable for comfort. I actually went to the Pennsylvania Faire in 1994 before I ever went to the one Crownsville Maryland. As I remember it is much the same size as the Maryland Faire but are quite a few differences. One of the big attractions there was a Human Chess Match played by live actors on a huge grassy area designed as a chessboard. The grounds there were much more hilly than Maryland's and good walking shoes are again a must. The Faire is held on the grounds of the Mt. Hope Winery and the Mt Hope Mansion (pictured here) is just outside the gates of the Shire. There is a wine shoppe in the mansion selling their wares and the wine is reasonably priced and quite good with dozens of varieties.

The Faire at Mt. Hope is over for this year but the good thing is there are many programs going on year round at the Mansion. Starting this Friday there will be 3 consecutive weekends of a program titled "Poe Evermore". Starting November 28th through December 28th there is a program titled " A Dickens of a Christmas". These are live actor programs held in the theater in the mansion. Click on the title of this post to be taken to the Faire Website. Also enter "Mt. Hope Mansion" in your browser to find more information about this faire and the programs at Mt. Hope. Also you can asked to be added to their e-mail list and you will receive regular mailings and information of the Mt. Hope programs. You will not be disappointed!

Something for Amusement

Click on the title of this post and it will take to a site that offers an interesting insight on the human thought process. Watch till the end for an interesting surprise.

Another Visit to The Standpipe

Last April I wrote about the standpipe on Lemon Hill behind the John B. Parsons Home. This structure was the first water tower for the city of Salisbury and held 150,000 gallons of water. It was built by the Grier family after the Jackson lumber Mill fire of 1899 and is made of Swedish Steel.

When I last visited this site the standpipe was partially covered with a heavy growth of ivy. I seem to remember that the John B. Parsons home had some concern about the stability of the structure and there was some dialog with the city about it's condition. I had heard there may have been some movement underway by the fire department to try and restore and preserve this structure as it has a great deal of importance to the history of the SFD and the Grier family which was so influential with the department and the city. Recently I noticed the ivy had been cut away from the standpipe and so I visited once again.

As you can see the ivy has been removed and even the ground around the base appears to have been cleared of the plants root system.

All the way around the base there appears at first glance to be a concrete pad that the pipe sits on. However a little closer look and it seems that the concrete is actually just a dressing to the foundation. In one place it is possible to count at least 3 layers of brickwork beneath the concrete and the 10 buttress style flanges are clearly held in place with some massive nuts and bolts.

To give you some idea of the size of these nuts take note of the black walnuts lying on the ground near the base. These walnuts, in their hulls, are nearly the size of a softball.

Without a great deal more research or digging at the site it is impossible to tell just how deep the anchor and foundation for the pipe goes or what the condition is below ground. However I would guess that the structure is probably very sound as it was the habit in those days to build things a lot sturdier than was actually needed.

Although the pipe appears to be very rusty most of it seems to be little more than surface rust and discoloration. From what can be seen at ground level the structure does appear to be quite sound. No doubt it would be quite a job to clean it up and paint it but I believe it could and should be done. Possibly some sort of historical grant can be obtained to restore and maintain this structure for it's history to the city and the Grier Family. I suppose time will tell what is in store for the standpipe but I truly hope it is not destined for the scrapyard.

The Breast Cancer Site Needs Your Help

"We need your help: We need more people to click daily on the pink button! If clicks don't increase soon, we won't reach our shared October goal to fund 700 free mammograms for women in need.
Please tell 10 friends, family members and co-workers about clicking to fund free mammograms at The Breast Cancer Site today. "

It only takes a minute of your time and it cost you nothing! While you are there, click on the buttons for the other five sites as well. Again it cost nothing but a few minutes each day. You can sign up for daily e-mail reminders to make it even easier to do this.

Click on the link above or on the title of this post to go the "The Breast Cancer Site"

Kyle Dixon Scholarship Dinner and Auction

I was asked in a recent comment about this event and a check in the Daily Times "Go" magazine lists a benefit dinner for this Sunday, October 19th at the Delmar VFW. A phone number with the ad got me to Delmar Liquors and the nice lady there confirmed the following information.

This Sunday between 1 and 5 pm there will be a Beef & Dumpling dinner for the Kyle Dixon Scholarship Fund at the Delmar VFW. A silent auction will be held all day and a live auction will begin around 5 pm. Admission for the event is just $10.00.

Looking for a great Sunday Dinner at a reasonable cost and for a good cause? Delmar VFW is the place to go this Sunday, October 19th.

Only 2 Days Left!

October 18th & 19th will wind up this years presentation of the Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville Md. Admission too the Faire is $18.00 for adults and believe me it is worth it. However if you go----GO EARLY! The Faire opens at 10:00 am and even if you have to wait outside the gates for forty-five minutes to an hour it will be worth the better parking and the smaller morning crowd, at least that's how it was this past Sunday.

The Faire opens from the parapet of the Shire wall with the Mayor and other dignitaries welcoming all who come to visit. Just prior to the gates opening the King and Queen arrive on horseback with great fanfare. After the Royalty make their way through the gates a cannon sounds and the public pours through the gates as the merriment begins.

Just inside the gates greeting the rabble as they arrive we encountered Robin Hood. With a great smile and a hearty "Welcome Sire and m'Lady" he bade us to have great day. Robin is but one of the many street performers to be met at the Faire and each is as cordial as can be. Many of them can be seen throughout the day participating in demonstrations of various skills. Robin for instance is a master of the longbow. Throughout the Shire balladeers, minstrels, magicians and others perform while roaming the streets providing a constant entertaining atmosphere.

This year there were a total of 47 separate stage acts for the entire season. Not all the acts are available every weekend but with 7 stages, the jousting arena, and a scheduled act in one of the five taverns there is little room for idle time and the variety of acts abound. Shown here the "Pyrates Royale" perform in the Globe theater. Great harmony and humor blended to perfection for family entertainment.

Probably the main attraction of the day is the joust. There 4 held each day and it is wise to get to the arena early to snag a seat. The knights engage is several competitions and mock fights prior to main event and shown off their skill as horsemen and entertainers. The actual joust itself gets to be serious business for these guys and points are awarded for each strike made by the lance. This is a real competition and is not choreographed.

There are over a hundred artisans and craftsmen though out the Shire giving demonstrations and selling wares as seen at this glassblowing shoppe. Notice the crowd is at standing room only as all the benches have been taken up for this demo.

There is so much more to see and do as well but it would be impossible to list it all here. If you can't make this year plan on going in 2009 for a great family outing. Food and beverages are aplenty and even though there was a line where we ate, it moved quickly and we were not delayed with the wait.

If you go---GO EARLY. Wear comfortable shoes because the shire is a bit hilly in places and walking is the only mode of transportation. Thee is plenty to see and do. Take a few minutes to review the program (they're free at the gate) and plan your day. You can't see it all in one visit and I'm sure a return trip will be in your future.

Click on the title of this post to be directed to the Faire website.

A.T.C.A. Show at Redmens Lodge in Fruitland

This past Saturday at the Redmens Lodge in Fruitland the local chapter of the Antique Truck Clubs of America held their annual truck & tractor show show. More than 70 trucks and tractors were on hand for visitors to view and appreciate the hard work that goes into restoring these classic vehicles. Everything from pick-up trucks to tractor trailers were on hand and I have to say these restored vehicles were simply awesome.

Much of the field adjacent the the Redmen's lodge was filled with vehicles. To the right is just a few of the restored big rigs on display.

Diamond in the rough?

This 1950 Mack dump truck was brought in by Tom Zacuy from Philadelphia. I didn't get to meet Mr. Zacuy but my guess is he has just recently acquired this truck and as you can see it is in rough shape. I sure hope he brings it back another year after it is restored.

Fred Moore of Allen owns this restored 1926 Chevrolet delivery truck. The wood on this truck is absolutely beautiful and it is easy to see a great deal of care has gone into it's restoration.

Also owned by Fred Moore is this 1936 Farmall tractor. Another beautiful restoration. Notice the steel rear wheels with steel cleats. Wow! Talk about traction.

This show was a real treat for the lover of antique trucks and tractors. Hopefully they will back again next October with another show.

Women Supporting Women Walk for Awareness

Saturday morning’s air held just a little fog and wee chill in Winterplace Park but the sun soon burned it off and some perfect fall weather shone through. Over 700 people gathered there to participate in the 7th annual Walk for Breast Cancer Awareness help by the local Women Supporting Women organization. Dozens of vendors supporting the cause were also on hand. First order of the day was registration and team photos and I have to say there were some very enthusiastic folks on hand ready to walk for the cause.

The opening ceremonies took place around 9:30 with the National Anthem and a release of white doves to remember those unable to be there that day and at 10:00 o’clock a sea of blue and pink began the 3-mile walk along a woodland path.

Many of the walkers were took advantage of being accompanied by their K-9 buddies and each of them received a very classy pink doggie bandanna to show their support for the cause.

Shown here is "Heinz" proudly sporting his bandanna and making new friends with everyone. Heinz is owned by Debbie Harris.

The entry fee for the walk included lunch for the participants and as the walk commenced employees of the "Texas Roadhouse" were busy preparing dogs and burgers.

Other sponsors for the days events were Peninsula Regional Medical Center, Hills Home Health, Smullen's Towing Service, Herls Bath and Tile and many, many more too numerous to mention.

Do you need to know more about Women Supporting Women or know someone that does? Click on the title of this post and it will forward you to their website for all the info you need and who to contact for help. Remember--all funds raised by these events stay right here on the Eastern Shore helping local folks.

A.T.C.A. Show this Saturday

The local chapter of the Antique Truck Clubs of American will be holding their annual Antique Truck & Tractor Show at the Redmens Lodge in Fruitland this Saturday. Last years event was huge with more than a hundred trucks on display.



Food and refreshments will be provided by the Redmens lodge and will include oyster sandwiches, burgers and dogs, and soft drinks. Admission to the show is free.



See you there!

Sporting Clays Event.

Another great shooting day! The University of Delaware Ag Alumni held their 11th annual sporting clay shoot at Owens Station in Greenwood Delaware. As usual the friend ship was great and the competition was diverse with many "A" class shooters right down to first timers. Believe me folks, this makes for a great day. In out squad was a young man about 11-12 years that had only shot this type of event once before and turned in a very respectable score.

I took first place in the "B" class today. My better half started out very strong and up to the last three station had me on the ropes. However after a couple of real tough target presentations and a little luck on my behalf I managed to edge her out.
Phew. Good thing too or I would have never heard the end of it. Man, that lady can shoot with that Beretta!

While we are the subject of shooting for a cause, take a look at this:

This will also be held at Owens Station and the manager tells me it promises to be a good crowd. Entry fee is $75.00 but it goes to a great cause. Lunch is included and you are entered into a raffle for a new sporting clay gun not to mention all the great people you will be around and as you can see first time shooters are welcome and encouraged.

Click on the title of this post and you will be taken to the Owens Station web site. Click on "location" in the orange box and get easy directions to the range.

See you there!

BRING YOUR HUMAN!

Put a paw print on your calendar for October 11th and bring your human to the Women Supporting Women Walk for Awareness at Winterplace Park. Humans walk for a $15.00 entry fee and for a mere $5.00 more K-9 companions can accompany their humans. Four footed walker get a really neat pink doggie bandanna and the first 500 humans get a T-shirt. Lunch provided for all by Texas Roadhouse.

Yum-Yum!

All proceeds go to Women Supporting Women. All funds raised by this organizations stays right here on the Shore benefiting local folks. Click on the Heading of this post for more information about Women Supporting Women.

See you there! Ruff!