Portable Magic
November 1, 2024
Not the kind of magic you might be thinking of with Halloween approaching, but I must confess, I have a long-time addiction to a certain type of portable magic that has followed me throughout my life—books. This addiction began when I was just a child and has only grown more intense over the years. Like many of us, I blame my mother. She was the one who opened the door to this magical world for my brother and I when we were very young. Each week, she took us to the public library, encouraging us to wander the aisles, carefully selecting the books that would come home with us. I can still recall the musty, earthy scent of those library books as I navigated the seemingly endless rows. Each one promised a journey—some to real places, some entirely imagined, but every single one offered an adventure. Some of my early favorites were the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. This series revolved around children's bad habits, with Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, a tiny woman living in an upside-down house, using creative methods to correct them. Another childhood favorite was Amelia Bedelia, the housekeeper who hilariously misinterpreted instructions. When told to “draw the drapes,” she took out pencil and paper and did just that. When told to "dust the furniture," Amelia dutifully sprinkled powder over every surface. Her literal-mindedness exasperated her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, but her pies—especially her lemon meringue—were so delicious that they quickly forgave her. Learn More
What's Good for the Goose is Good for the Gander
November 1, 2024
It’s Goose season in the Juniata River Valley—and no, it has nothing to do with hunting! Our office, home to both the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Bureau, welcomes many out-of-town visitors. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked, "What’s with all the geese around here?" I could retire comfortably. As if on cue, another visitor just walked into my office asking about them. And they’re hard to miss—we have large fiberglass geese (47 of them to be exact), brass geese guarding our downtown Lewistown fountain, goose T-shirts, hats, stickers, a goose neon sign, goose races, and even a goose festival and drone show. Goose everything! But want to know the best part? This holiday belongs to us and only us! That’s right, the Juniata River Valley is the one place in the United States where you can celebrate Goose Day—a holiday that is truly ours. If you look around it doesn’t take long to see that our communities take it quite seriously! Many homes and businesses are decked out in all their Goose Day splendor. For those new to the area or the uninformed locals who obviously must live under a rock, let me take a moment to share the history of Goose Day and how it arrived here in our beautiful Juniata River Valley. Learn More
With Montana, it is Love Part 2
November 1, 2024
For allowing me the opportunity to continue the recounting of my Montana adventure, I am much obliged. Sometimes there is a story inside that just needs to come out, and this is one such story. Here we go with Part II of “With Montana it is Love.” Our adventures continued with a thrilling nine-mile white-water rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. It was my first time rafting, and I eagerly took a front position in the raft alongside my husband. I wanted the whole experience. Around every bend was a beautiful mountain backdrop with riverbanks lined with slender pines. As we traversed the crystal-clear waters, we were fortunate enough to see two bald eagles soaring overhead and tackled several class-three rapids—the perfect blend of beauty and adrenaline. Learn More
With Montana, it is Love Part 1
November 1, 2024
I recently had a moment that reminded me of Anne of Green Gables when she experienced the opera for the first time. In her dramatic way, she exclaimed that she could never return to normal life again because the experience had profoundly changed her. I now understand exactly what she meant. As we exited the airport in Kalispell, Montana, and headed toward Whitefish, where we’d be staying for the next week on vacation, I realized that I wasn’t in Pennsylvania anymore. The great Rocky Mountains loomed before us, their beauty so stunning that it brought me to tears—tears of awe and wonder. As a lover of all things nature, these are the experiences that feed my soul and I knew I was about to feast on a smorgasbord of nature’s best offerings. Our ultimate destination was Glacier National Park, a place I’d been dreaming of visiting for months. Once we settled into our condo, and purchased our highly recommended bear spray, we finally arrived at the park entrance and took our obligatory picture by the “Welcome to Glacier National Park” sign. After several months of planning, to finally arrive was surreal. No words can fully capture the sheer magnificence of this place, though I will do my best to try. We kicked off our adventure with a red bus tour along the famous Going-to-the-Sun Road. These restored vintage 1930s buses, with roll-back tops, offer panoramic views of the park’s breathtaking vistas while the guides share the area’s history and landmarks. Learn More
