Pick-A-Dilly Herb Faire

On Saturday, June 11th I traveled to Dillweed Bed & Breakfast for their 13th annual Pick-A-Dilly Herb Faire.

Pictured below: Dillweed Bed & Breakfast

This bed and breakfast is located in a turn-of-the century home and offers four comfortable air conditioned guest rooms with two shared baths and one garden suite with complete private amenities.  It is located off of Route 403 in Dilltown, PA.

The festivities began at 9 am and was co-sponsored by The Indiana County Herb Study Group.

There were numerous growers selling a large variety of flowering plants, herbs and perennials in tents surrounding the bed and breakfast.  The Herb Faire was quite busy and people were taking advantage of the very affordable plants and herbs.  The Herb Faire wasn’t just limited to plants though; several artisans were selling original artwork, jewelry, hand-poured soap products, copper items and other garden inspired products.

Refreshments and food were also available for purchase, including their famous Pesto Pizza, which I must say was truly delicious! 

 Spectators also heard valuable gardening information and growing tips as well as how to care for and cultivate their own herbal gardens.

Horseradish, the herb of the year as proclaimed by the International Herb Association, was the featured herb at the Herb Faire this year.  

There was even an “Ask the Gardening Expert” area where you could ask your general gardening questions anytime throughout the duration of the Herb Faire!   

 

Additional photographs of the Herb Faire:

 

In the photo below you can see the close proximity of the bed & breakfast to the Ghost Town Trail.

Be sure to mark your calendars in June 2012 for the next annual Pick-A-Dilly Herb Faire!  It's a great place to purchase plants and herbs, learn valuable gardening tips, enjoy delicious food and spend time outdoors having fun.  Hope to see you there next year!

Official Renaming of the Indiana Post Office in honor of James Stewart

Friday, June 10th, 2011 was a gorgeous afternoon in downtown Indiana!  On this beautiful day, spectators filled the area on 7th Street in front of the Indiana Post Office to witness a tribute to Indiana County hometown hero - Jimmy Stewart.  Today the Post Office would receive a new name in honor of this military hero, civic leader, family man and world citizen - James Maitland Stewart.

Below is a photo taken prior to the start of the ceremony as people and members of the press began to gather in front of the Post Office.

As we waited for the start of the ceremony, spectators enjoyed the musical talents from multiple individuals.  Local groups and students as well as the Indi-Anna Sweet Adelines performed prior to the start of the ceremony as well as throughout the ceremony.

Also prior to the ceremony, on-goers could get a closer look at an enlarged reproduction of a stamp issued in Jimmy Stewart's honor in 2007.

Attendees were also treated to a visit by the guardian angel Clarence from "It's A Wonderful Life" (portrayed by Indiana Councilman Tom Thompson) as he mingled with the crowd distributing bells for celebration.

"Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its' wings!"

The bill that renames the Post Office was devised by U.S. Rep. Mark Critz.  With the support of U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey and former Sen. Arlen Specter, the bill was signed in January 2011 by President Obama making the name change official.

Pictured speaking below: Indiana Postmaster, Michael Olsavsky.

Chris Collins, the talented Jimmy Stewart impersonator, shared a few excerpts from some of Stewart's famous films with the crowd.

Here is just a short preview of the talented performance.

Pictured speaking below:  Senator Don White

Pictured speaking below: Charles McCreadie - Post Office District Manager

Pictured speaking below:  U.S. Rep. Mark Critz, D-Johnstown

Next was the unveiling of the plaque that will hang inside the Post Office.  It is really neat to think that this 1917 building that we were standing in front of is the same building that Jimmy Stewart would have used as a young man.

Here is a quick video of the unveiling of the plaque.

Photo below:  Commemorative Plaque that will be on display at the newly named Post Office.

Area Boy Scouts presented the flags at the beginning of the ceremony. In the photos below they are gathering the flags at the conclusion of the ceremony.

Photo below:  A view of a portion of the crowd that attended this ceremony.

Following the ceremony, the crowd was invited inside the Post Office to enjoy cake.  Many onlookers then traveled along Philadelphia Street en route to the Jimmy Stewart Museum for a tour of the museum and additional entertainment from Chris Collins.

 I highly suggest walking across Philadelphia Street if you have never done so for a unique experience.  Myself, along with other pedestrians, enjoyed hearing the sound of Jimmy Stewart's "voice" as it was projected into the streets when the crosswalk sign changed for safe crossing.  He kindly announces when it is safe to cross the street, gives you a countdown for safe crossing and lets you know when the traffic light is about to change. It was just a neat experience that you should check out when you are in the area!

 As I passed the Indiana County Courthouse, I paused for a photo of the bronze Jimmy Stewart statue that is positioned in front of the courthouse.  The statue was dedicated to Jimmy on his 75th birthday.

Once arriving at the museum, I was greeted by "Jimmy Stewart" and "Harvey" before entering the museum.

The Jimmy Stewart Museum is devoted to the famous actor's film, radio, television and military career as well as highlights from this civic leader's life.  I highly recommend stopping by the museum to learn about his family's history in western Pennsylvania.  I had the opportunity to see artifacts from his days in the military and pieces of memorabilia from his days in Hollywood.  Did you know that Jimmy personally selected a few of his favorite keepsakes from his career to display at the museum?  Those items include a Winchester commemorative rifle and a propeller blade autographed by the cast and crew of "Flight of the Phoenix".  While there today, visitors piled into the movie theatre and listened to excerpts from films performed by Chris Collins.  You can visit the museum and view famous films and clips in the atmosphere of a 1930's vintage movie theatre complete with velvet drapes while also enjoying a state-of-the-art sound and projection system, which was donated by Universal City Studios of Hollywood.

Saltsburg Canal Days Festival

I had the pleasure of attending the annual Saltsburg Canal Days this past weekend.  The festival was held from Friday, June 3rd through Sunday, June 5th.

After driving through some beautiful countryside, I traveled into Downtown Saltsburg to partake in this annual festival!  The festival celebrates the rich history of Saltsburg and its role in canal transportation.  From 1829 through 1865, Saltsburg was an important stop along the Western division of the Pennsylvania Main Line Canal. In conjunction with the Allegheny Portage Railroad, the canal connected the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, serving as a major route for transporting both goods and passengers.

To enter the festival, I walked down Point Street passing some beautiful, older buildings that definitely give this town a lot of charm!

Next up, I entered Canal Park.  In the photo's below you can see the numerous craft booths that were selling unique items.  If you enjoy looking at handcrafted items, this was the place for you!  There were booths filled with handcrafted wooden toys, furniture and decorations!  Talented seamstresses had samples of their amazing masterpieces.  There were even booths devoted to "man's best friend" - dogs!  Groups also had set up basket, afghan and quilt raffles which supplied the opportunity to support local groups.  There were samples of fudge and I even saw air freshener sea-salt that I had never seen before plus so much more! There was definitely something for everyone!  In the photos below, you can see some of the craft and food booths as well as the many festival-goers that also come out to enjoy the beautiful weather and this fun festival!

Next up was a stop at the Stone House Museum.  They strive to protect the artifacts, collections and genealogy files contributed by members of the local community. The Stone House Museum also houses files and books relating to the history of the local area and are available for research. The Society provides a program each month on a historical topic; these programs are free and open to the public.

 Below is a picture of the outside of the Museum and then pictures from inside!



Next up, it was time for some food - and oh the choices that they had!!  Do you like traditional hamburgers and hotdogs, French fries or taco's?  Or how about a hot sausage sandwich and some halushki?  How about trying one the popular fried-dough sandwiches supplied by the local fire department?  I can personally attest to the tastiness of this sandwich!  They are well worth the wait in line - it was one busy place! 

While enjoying some food, I journey down to the Kiskiminetas River to enjoy the beautiful scenery and live entertainment!  I listened to the musical talents of the country rock group "New Roots" as they performed.  Other musicians performing throughout the weekend included: singer Mark Anderson, East Coast Turnaround (classic rock), DJ Jammin Jim, Saddle Up (Country Band), Harder Edge, 13 Stories (Rock and Dance Music), Ray Skovenski (Polka) plus more!

Below are photos of the Kiskiminetas River.

Canal Days was also perfectly suited for children of all ages!  There was a "bounce house" that kids could enjoy for a small donation to the boy scouts as well as a dunk tank!  Kids also tried their luck at the various games such as darts, the duck pond and fish pond.  Many of the food booths also sold items that seemed to attract the kids such as sno-cones, popcorn and cotton candy!  On Saturday, there was a parade, Kimba- face painter extraordinaire, and Spangles the clown also entertained the crowd!  There was even Karaoke for kids and adults.  And of course, there were FIREWORKS Saturday night!

Finally, I enjoyed looking at the Civil War Re-enactors campsite near Canal Park - off of Market Street.  Civil War Re-enactors from the Carpenter's Battery, the 5th Virginia and the 11th PA Company C were there.  In the campsites, I saw how Civil War Soldiers lived and they had a flag retiring ceremony.

What a fun time my family and I had partaking in the celebration of Canal Days!  I highly recommend that those who are able to attend this festival next year!