Throughout the month of February, we celebrate the rich heritage and contributions of the Black community in Pennsylvania's Americana Region. Let's honor the stories, achievements, and culture not only this month but all year long. We encourage you to support Black-owned businesses, explore…
Read MoreJingles and Chimes—Mister Softee at the Boyertown Museum! Les Waas died in 2016 at age 94. Who is Les Waas, you may ask? You may not have heard his name, but you’ve more than likely heard his work. He wrote the Mister Softee jingle. Waas wrote the song in 1960, just a few years after brothers…
Read MoreBy Cindy Ross It’s 10:30 AM in early March and the earth is beginning to warm up. At this time of the year, it means the maple sap has begun to rise. There’s something different about a morning when the sap is going to flow. The air feels different, softer. The birds sing sweeter. I tramp through…
Read MorePhoto courtesy of Berks History Center Pig Stomach & Other Berks County Foodways By Berks History Center Vicky Heffner, Education Curator at the Berks History Center, has fond memories associated with pig stomach. In her family, it’s a tradition to make pig stomach every year on her father’s…
Read MorePA Americana Farms show their stuff at Pennsylvania Farm Show By Bryan Hay Like most people, I can’t help but feel a tinge of sadness with the passing of the holidays, but the Pennsylvania Farm Show always inspires another surge of anticipation and helps extend the season with a weeklong celebration…
Read MoreA Different Kind of Thanksgiving Celebration By Cindy Ross I steady the tray of warm cornbread as I walk across the orchard in the November twilight. The 22-foot canvas tipi looms in front of me, beautifully lit up from the glowing fire inside. Native American flute music fills the air. As I push…
Read Moreby Bryan Hay Classic mountain towns dot the nation’s landscape — Estes Park, Colorado, Lake George, New York, Gatlinburg, Tennesse. Count Hamburg, at the foothills of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania's Americana Region among them. As I stood looking north along the main drag on a recent Saturday…
Read MoreBlog by Bryan Hay There’s nothing quite like biting into a ripe, sun-warmed tomato and letting a spray of juice and seeds running down your chin or experiencing the citrusy, flavorful fire from a lemon drop pepper. The sensation is heightened tenfold if it’s an heirloom tomato or hot pepper from…
Read MoreI've probably driven past the Rehersburg exit on I-78 a million times, each time wondering about the Conrad Weiser Homestead sign. A history buff, my instincts almost always lead me to try to find out about the people and places unknown to me, but Conrad Weiser, for whatever reason, has been…
Read MoreEric Claypoole doesn't put a lot of stock in the presence of hexes (witches) lurking in Pennsylvania’s Americana Region, but he has encountered a ghost or two. It’s a bit of adventure to reach his studio in the thickly wooded hills of Greenwich Township, just south of Lenhartsville. Up a steep…
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