Happy Birthday Duke The Dragon!

Welcome to Duke's Lagoon here at Dutch Wonderland. Last Wednesday we celebrated the birthday of a very important dragon Duke, Dutch Wonderland's mascot and our friend. Yes we have been through a lot with this huge purple dragon that most people confuse with Barney the dinosaur over the past three years. It is always nice to celebrate with friends each year with cupcakes and a dance party. Sadly this year it seemed a little less crowded as usual since most of Duke's friends didn't show up for him. When Hershey Entertainment owned DW they would have other character mascots from local buisnesses stop by to wish their old buddy Duke the best of birthdays but I felt so sorry for the guy this year since no one showed up for his special day. Managment said between cost and time no one was available. It may have nothing to do with the fact that the amusment park is under new ownership but I think that maybe Yummie from Kitchen Kettle Village and Cylo from the Lancaster Barnstormers may not have been able to pay the $10 perferred parking fee this year....just saying. I was not the only one disappointed over the fact that his friends didn't show up. I heard other season pass goers said it was a let down from prior years. Dutch Wonderland managment did explain on their Facebook page that every year is a little different but they can't tell me this since we been going to this event for 3 years straight and this is the first time it was different.

Another disappointment was the vendors that set up in the grassy area of the lagoon. Usually it is local buisnesses that give you items that you can stash in your bag to take home. This year they had a spread. The food was mostly hot food that you had to eat right there. The problem with this is parents must compete with a WATER PARK to get their kids to sit down to eat. I mean I know my daughter loves me more then anything but there was no way she was sitting with me for a hour to eat food and let it settle enough so she didn't get sick running around in the water. The water park wins every time. To top things off the food was not the healthiest of foods. There was Crush Soda with their new line of Blue Raspberry soda,. Heinz made a pork and beans mix and a chicken dumplin that looked like baby vomit. A salad place that made all kinds of chilled salads such as Potatoe Salad that the Amish make right down the street much, much better. There was a guy from Frito Lays handing out tiny sample bags of chips. Another vendor from Beyers, DW's new establishment, with chocoalte milkshakes they were making just as fast as they were melting. Also Sysco food company made a arrangment of foods such as brownie bits, breaded shrimp, chicken sliders, and belgium waffles. My daughter did eat some of the chicken sliders and enjoyed them so I asked where I could buy the products and I was met with a blank stare. The man informed me this was food sold to restaurants only and the every day shopper was unable to get this food. Managment from DW told me that they asked Sysco if they would help do some food for the guest. My question is why? This food is not what they sell at the park, it was better. Another question is what's up with all the grease? I don't indulge in eating too many greasy foods myself but I thought it was a special occasion so I would go ahead and taste the food. It was good to eat but later on it was horrible, felt like I was having a mini heart attack. Also the waffles were frozen in the middle. Isn't that some kind of health violation? The only healthy vendors there were PopChips which are never baked or fried and a apple juice vendor out of New York. When I asked where to buy the juice he told me to go to Wegmans or Whole Foods. I don't know of any Whole Foods in PA and there is only one Wegmans all the way up in Camp Hill. Why was he there if they don't sell the juice locally? You get us hooked on something that we will never find again. Prior years we had chips from Herr's which isn't too far from the park and applesauces from Musselmans. Perfect snack foods that are light enough for the kids to gulp down before playing again in the water park. It was nice to have some options but at the same time it wasn't what we wanted or expected.  The food they got right? Cupcakes! The cupcakes melted in your mouth they were so moist. I took a look at the bakery boxes and saw they were from the Bird In Hand Bakery not too far away. Finally a local buisness! Funny how that was the best food there.

As for the party, my daughter wanted to leave just a few minutes into the celebration. Now to be honest most people that attend the party are from out of town and have no idea what the special events are so they are not there to celebrate. I met many people who was asking me what was going on. The only way of knowing is if you stop at the front gates when you enter and read a sign. The dance party happens every day at Dutch Wonderland at 2:30pm in Duke's Lagoon. This is not out of the ordinary so people show up for the show no matter what. Duke came out and was surprised by the amount of children waiting for him screaming " Surprise Duke! Happy Birthday!". Then in the hindsight of the managment at DW, Duke was left without a handler. Those that are unfamiliar with characters the establishment provides someone without a costume to walk around with the mascot to keep the kids in control and help the character out when needed . So far this year I have seen Duke a number of times without someone around. In this case they really needed one since most of the children wanted a hug right away from Duke. They all piled up on him and I was in fear for my dear friends life. He was a inch away from dragon heaven when I alerted a manager on the other side of the performance that Duke might need some help. The other performers got into helping as well by getting the kids to line up and dance around the grassy area. It helped a little but not much. The other Dutch Wonderland characters were there to lend a hand but it's impossible when they are also being ambushed by so many tiny tots. Once again the Princess showed her true colors, hair color that is. I have mentioned this before on this blog about the new wig the princess must wear. The whole party the girl's brown hair was poking out the side of the blonde wig. If you can't hire a blonde to play the part then get someone willing to dye her hair for the part. It happens all the time in show buisness. I also liked it when the princess was always a little different. It showed my daughter that she doesn't have to look like Barbie in order to be special. At this point in the party my daughter started to flip out. She isn't good in heavy crowds and started to freak out a bit. We pulled on the side until the crowd spreaded out a little then she was okay once again. I saw a lot of kids walking away and heading back to the water park area no longer interested in what was going on. Once the party was over Duke was ushered away very fast into his special "Dragon Cave" for a little rest. He was brought back out at 3:30pm for cupcakes. The DW band, The Wonderers, was also there to help sing Happy Birthday. They stayed for that one song then went away leaving kids looking for more.

After the cupcakes were eaten and Duke went back in for another rest the party came to a end. Bridget makes Duke a card every year to show her love she has for Dutch Wonderland and especially Duke. She was able to get some time to give him his card this year. He was thrilled with it and made special time just for her. It was nice to see them take time out of the day to share that moment with us. As the vendors started to pack up they games section was lost as usual. The game, yes I know I didn't make it pural, was a small bean bag toss game with Duke's image on it. They really shouldn't advertise games with this sad pitiful game. The party was over but the lagoon was getting more and more crowded with those seeking some coolness to the hot day.

Bridget giving Duke his birthday card that we made.



Bridget showing off her birthday card to one of the amazing performers and some kids.

       

The water park is made up of three major areas: a baby/toddler zone, a water contraption zone, and the water slides zone. Althought the baby area has little baby slides a lot of older kids play in this area too since there is no rule about it. "Lifeguards" are posted at every station making sure kids go down the slides one at a time and there is no horseplaying. They do a good job of keeping safty number one. You might see the woman in charge walking around helping out everyone, she is awesome! This is the most organization I have seen in the park so far this year. I do wish that the staff smiled more though. A smile goes a long way and a lot of the staff looked bored out of their mind.

           

        

The water park is surrounded by a fence with only one exit/enterance. This makes it much better for parents to be able to sit back and relax while the kids have fun. Don't worry though parents, if you want to get into the action as well you can. I love standing under the big bucket that fills up and dumps all over unexpecting kids and adults. It's a great way to cool off. There are changing rooms and lockers to store your belongings as well. So go crazy! There are two large water slide tubes that you can see from the parking lot as well. One is light so you can see the whole trip down and the other is blacked out so you get surprised by every twist and turn. As with all tall tube slides you must hike up a lot of steps for just one trip. You sit in a raft the whole time but you will get wet so just be aware.

One of the many water contraptions at Duke's Lagoon.

The water park is just the right size and so far it's the only place I can let my kid go off on her own and know she is okay. I make her check in every so often for a drink and a hello. If she doesn't show up for a while I go out looking for her. Because of the size of the park I am able to find her no problem. She usually ends up with some little friends that she has been sticking with during our visit. You will need almost a whole day here to let the kids go crazy. The park will take another day as well so it's best to get two days worth of tickets. Don't forget your sunscreen and a squirt bottle for the parents to cool off at the table. On those extra hot days, I like to take a washclothe with me and wet it to place on the back of my neck. It helps keep you cool. As a reminder, you cannot take in your own food and the food there is overpriced. You can however use their picnic area outside the castle in the parking area. That is your best bet. Also remember the perferred parking is $10 now, a new change thanks to Palace Entertainment. I have been assured by Dutch Wonderland Managment that they are looking into the problems with the parking and will be making adjustments where needed. The parking fees are here to stay sadly.

The perferred parking was empty when we were leaving the park, wonder why?

As another alert to those coming back to Dutch Wonderland they are now doing what they call a "soft opening". The park opens at 10am but because of the lines for the gate are getting mixed with the lines for tickets they have decided to open the park at 9:30am and let customers in as far as the train tracks until 10am. I think this is a great idea but the staff did not inform the customers of this and we walked all the way down to the train tracks to get stopped by one employee who is posted to keep guard. In these situations I feel very sorry for the employees that have to carry out these horrible ideas. It's not their fault but when your upset you have to pick it out on someone and there they are. We were not the only people upset about this change. If they told us at the front about this new opening procedure we would have gotten my mother in the shade and in a seat but instead we had to wait twenty minutes until the rest of the park opened. To top things off the announcement did not come through and we waited a extra ten minutes before we were able to go into the rest of the park. A good idea poorly exacuted. They need to post this on the website and inform guest when they enter the park.



Funny that we were told to stand in this area and this sign is posted there too.

              

All in all Bridget did have fun for the day in the water park. She was happy to see Duke but was disappointed in not seeing all his local buddies like prior years. It's hard to let a child know why things are so different when they have been pretty much the same for three years.We expected to see changes for the better not for the worse. We wanted to attend the party since this is our last year as season pass holders due to all the changes. I have been informed that Dutch Wonderland has had a increase in complaints this year due to all the changes, especially the perferred parking. Palace Entertainment has taken a good family friendly park and turned it into a money making machine. The employees don't seem happy to work there anymore as well. I did get a chance to talk to a manager at Dutch Wonderland on this day but did not get too far. In other words they do not make any decisions at the park anymore, it's all up to Palace Entertainment that is set up in Californa.

If you are looking for a alternative may I suggest Knobels. I have never been there, being the loyal DW fans and all, but I have heard great expereinces there. The park admission is free but the rides cost money per ride or you can buy a wrist band. This is great for families with grandparents! Also you can take your own food into the park although from the pictures I have seen of the food it doesn't look half bad. It's been family owned for generations and from what I have been hearing it gives that family friendly feel.

No matter where you decide to go let us know here at Travels With Theresa. We want to hear of any local attractions you might be visiting this summer and would love to hear a review. You can also email me at findingfaithinpa@aol.com. Let me know what's happening this summer!

What's going on this weekend?

Despite what you all might think, we actually do stay home some days. After a long week of Vacation Bible School and visiting Dutch Wonderland on Wednesday for Duke the dragon's birthday we have decided to stay in this weekend with a blow up kiddie pool and the grill. That doesn't mean that you should stay home too. There are plenty of events going on this weekend as well. Whatever you decide to do always be safe. Summer is offically here so make sure to take the sunscreen and bug spray with you everywhere you go. I also recommend you take a spray bottle with cold water in it to keep you and the kiddies cooled off. Don't forget to stay hydrated too, even if you don't think your thirsty take a drink. Another important tip is to HAVE FUN! Sing, dance, skip, hop...do whatever it takes to act a little bit silly with your kids this weekend. Have a great time whatever you decide to do.

Friday June 24th until Sunday June 26th Codorus State Park in Hanover, PA is hosting the annual Codorus Blast. There is a carnival atmosphere here complete with rides, live bands, nature exhibits, and of course fireworks at night. There are also helicopter rides! This is a bit expensive but if you can do it I say go for it. We went on a helicopter a few years back and it was incredible. Plus you can't have a event that close to Gettysburg without some Civil War re-enactors. Admission is $5 for parking and there are fees for the rides and games. Friday starts at 4pm to 11 pm. Saturday is 10am to 11pm and Sunday is 10am to 7pm. Even if you are not interested in the festival the park is really nice here, a great place for picnics or swimming.

This Saturday is the offical Backyard Campout Day. This encourages us parents to turn off the television and enjoy a night outdoors in our own backyards with the kids. I myself love camping but only during the fall where it's not so hot and less bugs. This is a great event and I don't think it get the regonition it deserves. Here's a good place to start getting ready, Bass Pro Shop. If you ever been here for the Christmas holiday time you would know what a production they put on for the kids. From now until July10th they will be doing it again for the summer time. There are free activities, workshops, and crafts. There is even a free picture you can take home with you as the star of Field and Stream Magazine. It's worth the trip out to Harrisburg, PA or Arundel Mills Mall in MD. Here are the times for each event:
Arts and Craft- Tuesday and Thursday 4pm-6pm and Saturday and Sunday 2pm to 5pm.
Workshops- Tuesday and Thursday 2pm to 6pm and Saturday and Sunday noon - 4pm.
Activities- Tuesday and Thursday 2pm - 6pm and Saturday and Sunday noon - 4pm.
Plus Saturday only free s'mores from 7pm - 8pm.

Paradise in Lancaster County is having their annual community festival Saturday from 3pm to 10pm. There are food, games, pony rides, helicopter rides, bingo, dunk tanks, special character story times, and much much more. We never made it out there but it does sound like a blast. Stay until 10pm and you will see the fireworks as well.

                                                           Enjoy your weekend everyone!


 

More Dutch Wonderland Disappointments

Over this past weekend we got to make a our second trip to Dutch Wonderland. I was really hoping I could report back some good news for all those DW fans out there but alas I had high hopes that Dutch Wonderland just couldn't measure up to once again. Now let's backtrack to our first visit. We were extremely disappointed with the changes that were made by new owners Palace Entertainment. Not only was the changes upsetting but we had a tip that DW was going to start charging for parking. After talking to management I found out this to be true. It now cost $10 to park in the lot closest to the castle. The lot that is up the hill going by the mini golf is free and recently since the change over, packed. Now if your a season pass holder you will understand my grief when I heard this information. No one ever told us about this change when we put a lot of money into getting our passes and now we basically could not go. My mother has a hard time walking but doesn't have a handicap license so we try to park as close as possible all the time. After continual contact with management I won a small bit of the war with my fellow pass holders and now season pass holders are able to park here for free anytime.

Now let's fast forward to this past weekend when we stopped by DW around 4:30pm. We wanted to catch my daughter's favorite show, Funsation Celebration, that started at 5:30pm. When we arrived in the parking area we headed to the preferred parking area despite the "Lot Full" sign posted. We saw there were at least fifty plus spots open so we just thought they didn't take their sign down. When the attendant informed us the lot was indeed closed off we were flabbergasted. So we asked for management. When the managers came out we expressed our concerns but were told once a parking space is sold, it's sold for the day. If the people decide to leave early then the spot just sits there wide open. Okay so who's stupid idea was this one? Seriously, you couldn't even pay to park there. After continually bickering back and forth we were able to park close to the castle and made it just in time for the show to start. These are the pictures I took of the parking lot when we were there. As you can see there are plenty of spaces. I know a lot of pass holders that wait to come to the park for the crowds to die down a bit, just like us. It's so disappointing that the company is making all the wrong choices.



This is our car parked. Look how close we are to the castle here.



Look at all these open spaces that are unable to be used.

As for the rest of our trip it wasn't great but there was a glimmer of hope here and there. The show was great. Bridget enjoys the big dance number they teach the kids. She has been practicing in the off season.  I think the new song is a bit cheesy and I am not into it at all but it was nice that they are trying something new. The dancers/singers were energetic and all smiles. Something I haven't seen much from other staff there. Once again I think the park is being carried by the Dutch Wonderland official band, The Wanderers. The whole band is charismatic but the star to my daughter is the drummer. He rocks!
           
                                Funsation Celebration shows everyday at 5:30pm


This band rocks!

                                                     

The dive show was not to disappoint either. I don't think there was ever a time I was disappointed with The Adventures Of The Frog Prince. I don't like the other show they perform, A Dragon's Tail. It's not the acting or the diving, it's the story. It has a lot of grown up stuff hidden in the show that the kids may or may not get so I tend not to go to this show. They also have a open dive at 5pm. They are very talented people and nice too.
           
     

I was sad to see that everything that Bridget wanted to do was closed. The space simulator, the big water slides, and I heard rumors that the Ferris wheel was not working so I didn't dare take Bridget to do that ride.We even ran into a concession stand not even in working order in the middle of the space shuttle area. It's bad enough they will not reopen the Mission Control Center but now they mock us with food they don't even have. It looked tacky. We did however go on the roller coaster, Bridget's favorite.



Just plain tacky!

 


Although the big Kingdom Coaster is her favorite Bridget is thrilled to be able to go on this one by herself.


After the rides we were walking towards the exit when we stopped by the Potato Patch. This is the former "Treehouse" eatery next to the party rooms. I am not sure if any other child is as observant as my kid but she fell in love with a squirrel decoration on the side of the building. He was a cute oversize critter that ate a hot dog and my daughter hugged that squirrel with every visit. When we walked by this evening the squirrel was missing. She was in tears and literally ran away to the church building down the hill and cried by the Bible. I ended up with tears in my eyes as well watching my child so sad about the lose of her dear friend whom she named Hot Dog. I am guessing he just went with all the other ornaments and statues around the park to that great big amusement park in the sky. It was such a joy having my mom take me to Dutch Wonderland as a kid and having her show me stuff that she remembered from her childhood. It was even more special having my mom show my daughter the same old "friends". It's so sad they can't do nothing to repair them since those statues were what made Dutch Wonderland different and unique. In a world with video games and Internet I was always shocked by how many children just stood in the candy house watching the little simple robotic people make fudge. I get it though because I still visit the candy house with each trip to see the candy making people at work.
                      
The new and improved Potato Patch? I don't think so, look at those prices people!

Dutch Wonderland 2010
Bridget and "Hot Dog" having a moment.

             

 The first picture is my daughter being sad over the lose of her friend "Hot Dog" and the second picture is       of her literally crying over the missing squirrel decor. I feel a tear coming on again.

I have talked to management about my concerns once again, especially the parking arrangements. I am meeting with him tomorrow when we visit once again for Duke the dragon's birthday party at 2:30pm. The event takes place in the water park so bring your bathing suit and gear. From what I am hearing there will be NO other characters from local places there this year. In prior years Hershey, Kitchen Kettle Village, and Lancaster Barnstormers have sent out their mascots to celebrate DW's mascots birthday. It's sad that the big purple dragon is even loosing friends over the management switch. Poor guy didn't ask for all these changes. Oh well we will see what happens and I will blog later this week about the experience. Until then I am hoping for a Dutch Wonderful day tomorrow and I hope the rest of your week goes swimmingly.



Bridget and her new friend at the Candy House!





What's going on this weekend?

Out of all the fun stuff this weekend we have decided to do some market shopping and pop over to Dutch Wonderland. I know not a big exciting weekend to most but for us it's the best time ever. Market shopping used to be going to Giant and picking out the weeks meals. Now that we live so close to so many Amish markets and homemade items we take a different route. It's not just us, lots of people taste the difference in fresh local foods compared to grocery store choices. Even the out of season produce is from the USA still and is up to the standards of the farm stands. Our favorite farm stand is on New Holland Pike in Lancaster. The Riverside Farm Market is Amish owned and run. This means no Sunday sales of course. The girls help clean and put out the produce while the older boys help Dat (Amish for dad) with the chicken BBQ. The younger boys help with the money and even assist those who need help to their car. It's a clean and bountiful stand. Last week we got two pints of strawberries there and by time we got to our next destination one pint was gone. They also have their own jams and jellies they can themselves as well as a popular Amish cusine Chow Chow. It's a delight getting a closer look into the lives of these families that choose a simpler life in the name of God. Bridget is determined to live Amish but there is a lot of sacrifice living the "plain" life. I am happy to be able to show my daughter another way of living through a shopping trip. On these market days I will feature one of our favorite shopping destinations that is off the beaten path but a must for anyone looking to expereince life in Lancaster County.
             

If you don't need any strawberries this week check out the other events happening around the town.
June 17th and 18th Chester County will have their annual Balloon Festival in Coatesville, PA. Friday night is the balloon glow and Saturday night there are fireworks. They play host to over 20 balloons each year and feature 80 plus vendors. They do ask for a $5 donation for parking but the festival is free. Don't forget to bring you lawn chair as well for a good seat.

June 18th is the 11th Annual Pennmar Irish Festival at The Markets At Shrewsberry located at 12025 Susquehanna Trail. They are opened from 11am to 7pm. Admission is $10 at the gate and anyone 12 years of age or younger is free. I always want to go to the festival but the admission is a bit steep for us. They do have some amazing bands playing as well as some irish step dancing groups from the area.

BEWARE June 18th to June 28th is Day Out With Thomas at the Strasburg Railroad. I say beware because we did do this once and it was horrible. First of all it gets super hot waiting in line with your little tike. You need to wait in line so far in advance because these other parents are pushing for the best seat in the train. I mean hello, it's a train. Aren't all the seats good seats? The train ride is around $18 but the ride is super short. Thomas The Tank Engine does indeed pull the train but there is no other difference to the ride. It's not as if you can see Thomas when you are riding on the train.  When the ride is over they do allow pictures as the train gets watered for the next run. There is exactly 15 minutes between runs so they have to accomadate the whole train of passengers with pictures. You may take your own but be fast because they will force you to keep moving if there is a long line, which there will be. The pictures that they do take are expensive and may I just say the photographers are just kids taking on a summer job so not the best pics in the world. There are other events happening there but you will need a ticket to show the staff before they let you take part in it. Look up the times as well because we got there for the last ride and thought that they would leave the stands and activites open a hour or so after that ride but everything was closed when we got off the train. Your best bet if you want to see Thomas is to visit the Red Caboose Motel down the street from Strasburg Railroad. The train runs right in front of the restaurant there and you can get some great photos of Thomas there. Plus I think my kid enjoyed seeing Thomas on the tracks more then the train ride itself. Just be careful out there everybody. Protect your young from the other mothers and fathers pushing and cutting in lines to get that great seat.



The view of Thomas at the Red Caboose Motel.



I would also like to add something for the week ahead. On June 22 it will be Duke the Dragon's birthday party at Dutch Wonderland. I am uncertain of his age but he has the moves of a younger dragon on the dance floor. It is a surprise though so don't tell Duke if you see him. The party is a annual event that is held at Duke's Lagoon, the waterpark for Dutch Wonderland. Now that the park is under new managment I am unsure of what will be happening. Usually I love this event because there are local vendors that come out and give free samples of ice cream, chips, etc. away. Also it's tons of fun with all the local mascots that show up for their friend. In past years we have met all the Hershey characters, ZooAmericas animal mascot, Silo from the Lancaster Barnstormers, and of course Yummie from Kitchen Kettle Village has shown up to surprise their favorite dragon. We are very excited to celebrate Duke's birthday this year again despite the forecast calling for 90degree weather. Thank goodness it's in a waterpark!

I hope whatever you decide to do this weekend you have a great time with your family. I heard last night on a radio program that you can spell love T-I-M-E. Spending time with your family is a key part in making your life a happy one. It may seem like a day wasted at the amusment park or taking a train ride but to your children it's one more day to spend time with you. Before you know they will be grown up and these moments will be past you so take the time now to be with your children. Happy weekend everyone!

Travels With Theresa, MIA? No we are at the library for the SRP!

Sorry all. In the hoopla of the last day of school for my new Kindergarten graduate I didn't get a chance to let everyone know what was going on this past weekend. I am sure you found something to do without me so let me tell you what we did this weekend anyway. Especially since what we did was just the start of a summer long event that you need to check out.

When we moved to York County, PA in 2008 we were looking for a great library filled with books galore. What we found were little holes in the wall that had books but only enough to fit inside the tiny closet sized libraries here. We didn't expect much from our library system here in Pennsylvania. Never less when summer arrived and the Summer Reading Programs kicked off we were very surprised. Not only did they have a awesome reading program, they also had a great outdoor plan for the public parks system.

My daughter loves listening to me read books, all the time. Now that she is learning to read she likes the fact that she can do it all by herself. The reading program is a great way to enforce the reading skills she developed in school this year and get her ready for the first grade. This years theme is One World, Many Stories. All the activities and events will be about different cultures and the world around us.

This is how the Reading Program works.You read so many minutes and there are different rewards you can receive. Just for signing up kids get free meals at Isaac's, Denny's and Texas Roadhouse, free ice cream at Chick-Fil-A, free ticket to Maize Quest, $10 to start up a bank account at Metro Bank if you read 10 books, and my daughter's favorite; a ribbon for joining the reading club. After 200, 400, 600, and 800 minutes of reading you can collect some prizes.You log your minutes into a book you get from the library then submit them online or in the libraries computers.

While at the library picking up more books to read check out different activities and crafts that might be going on. My only disappointment might be the fact that most of these activities happen on the weekdays since most libraries don't have Saturday hours. Plus this year I wanted to attend a cooking in culture class with my 6 year old since she loves to cook. The ages put on the activity are 9 years old and up. It was disappointing since this was the coolest thing on the agenda this year.

Now you might be thinking I don't want my child to sit inside and read all summer long. I agree, reading is great but you need some outdoor time as well. So take your book from the Reading Club and head out to the local York Co. parks to do some letter boxing. For those not familiar letter boxing is like a big scavenger hunt. Usually you would get coordinates online and find the boxes where you would leave a "calling card" of sorts. For the parks programs they designed a list of clues that you must follow to find a post with a rubbing attached. You can take the inserted papers from the book that the library supplied and a crayon to do the rubbings. The more you do the more rewards you will receive. It's a lot of fun but be prepared for some hikes. The locations are marked as Easy, Moderate, and Hard. If you have small children you might not want to do the Hard Trails, believe me they are not kidding. Also be aware of what your getting into and pack for the trip.Sunscreen, bug spray, and hats are a must. Also be careful of animals. We have encountered snakes in these parks so be aware.

Bridget's first Letter boxing this year.



On Saturday we attend the big kick off for the Summer Reading Program at the Revolution Stadium in York City. The event was new this year and it showed. The venue was awesome but I expected something with baseball to be involved since it was at the stadium. While we are talking about the Rev Stadium may I just say it was awesome. If you get a chance to check out the games there do it. To get back on topic let's just say the event was not well planned. The tables to sign up for the SRP were pushed close together right when you walked in. Each table was labeled with the library branch it represented but it was on the table so when people stood there to sign up there was no way in knowing where you were going. The baseball park  is equipped with a children's area that has a playground and hand push starting carousel. Also in that area was a face painter. We didn't get to go to that area but were impressed by the ballparks area for the kids. They also had a area for storytelling there from the author of B is for Boomer. We also missed out on this to get a good seat for the Steven Courtney Concert. You may hear us mention this guy a lot from time to time. He is a local celebrity. He not only writes and performs awesome kid music he also has a grown up show he puts on in grown up venues. He is a Christian singer that writes music for all faiths as well as some very Christian based music. His awesome band, the Suitcase Musicians, are top notch and completes the group perfectly. I think playing on top of a dugout is probably on the top of the list of cool places to rock out with a band. It was the highlight of the day there. The event ended after the concert but we found out that the extra letter boxing page they handed to us when we got there was actually in the ballpark so we went running to find it before they kicked us out. It was never explained to us about it being for that day. We did find it and were the last ones to get the rubbing. All in all is was a bit of disappointment. We wanted more activities and crafts to do and there wasn't a lot. The people at the booths were not informed or outgoing as well. The only library that stuck out to me was in Red Lion. They approached you and gave out calender of events to everyone, not only their branch sign ups. They also had activities at the tables for the kids to take home. Other libraries actually had non library related stuff to buy which I wasn't prepared for and had to say "no" a lot.  It was super hot and a bottle of water was $2 each. I was happy I took my own plus a cool pack for Bridget to use on the back of her neck. They needed to let people know that there was stuff to buy before they got there. I am happy to be part of the SRP at our local library this year once again but I am not going back to this event.  Check out these photos of our day at the Rev Stadiums Summer Reading Program kick off.
          
          
                                           
Go to the library and get your Summer Reading Program started now! Let me know how many minutes your kids are up to and the rewards they get. Post the comments here on my blog for all to see your bragging rights. I know I will!