Lancaster PA Spring Quilt Show 2013

The Lancaster PA Spring Quilt Show is beginning on March 13th this year and lasting until March 16th.  It will be held at the Host Resort in Lancaster PA.  This sounds like an awesome show, starting with Guided Gallery Tours giving you the "rest of the story" of the quilt exhibits and having all the other amenities of a first class show.  It will be a great time for all.  Click here to sign up for classes.

Fair Time

I am not native to Pennsylvania so Fair Time has always made me kinda scratch my head.  I guess these things are what a small town is all about.  The New Holland Parade starts the festivities.  It is on October 3rd.  Last Saturday, September 22nd, (11 days BEFORE the "event") the streets were beginning to look like this, everyone saving their "spot" with their chairs!  Amazingly, they don't get stolen.  On October 2, Main street will be shut down, most of the businesses will close and everything will come to a standstill until the fair ends early Sunday morning.  They set up all kinds of rides in the streets, venders come from all over and it is a BIG event, even the schools close half day on Friday so everyone can attend. This New Holland fair has been going on for 81 Years!  

Bird -In - Hand Half Marathon 09/08/2012

The weekend of the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon is a weekend full of fun.  It starts on Friday night with an Amish Pasta Party, Amish Country Hot Air Balloon Fest Launch, Bird-in-Hand Kid's Fun Run and Bird-in-Hand 5K and a Bonfire & S'mores Party.  The Half Marathon is  on Saturday.

What I find interesting is the Amish involvement in this weekend.  Most people think the Amish stay to themselves but the truth is when it come to helping out they are first in line.  The marathon proceeds go to the Bird-In-Hand fire company which has quite a few Amish volunteers.   

 The Amish took care of most of the weekend, making the pasta and pizza supper on Friday, signing runners in and helping out wherever needed.

 

The Amish children gave out water at the water stations, 

horse and buggy drivers gave rides to the runners that needed assistance

Bird-in-Hand has a running club called Vella Shpringa (translated, "let's run").  It is made up mostly of Amish and Mennonite people,  they run through the country once a month when it is full moon.

An amazing weekend for everyone.

Lancaster County's Best Kept Secret Tour

This year I have decided to take this unusual shopping, food and fun adventure.  The tour features 35 unique business that are off-the-beaten path, ones that you would probably never find.  The tour runs October 5th through October 20, 2012.  

If you are interested in going, the tour is a self tour, costing $7.00 each person.  Each business will provide refreshments, games, gifts, demos, tours, make and take projects and many other surprises.  Contact melissa@bestkeptsecretstour.com for more information.

Stay tuned in, I will keep you updated on the highlights and share some of the better kept secrets with you.

American Quilter’s Society Quilt Show

Every March, Lancaster County hosts a Quilt show bringing 20,000 quilters into the area from 48 states and at least 4 countries.  Fabric stores like The Old Country Store in Intercourse PA extend their hours until 12:00 and have huge fabric sales.  More than 200 quilts in Freedom Hall at the Lancaster County Convention Center  were competing for $44,250 in cash awards. 

 Congratulations to  Cindy Seitz-Krug  of Bakersfield, California, for her quilt, SIMPLY SANTA FE, which won the $10,000 prize for the Best of Show category.

Next show will be March 13- 16, 2013