Dutch Wonderland turned 50 years old this past Monday! The “kingdom for kids” was founded by potato farmer Earl Clark in 1963. When it first opened can you believe it was only 18 acres and had 4 rides? Now DW has added on 30 acres and has 34 rides that little ones and their families can both enjoy. Along with these attractions, visitors can see live shows, play mini golf, or splash around in Duke’s Lagoon, an interactive water park with plenty of seating for parents and grandparents to relax. With all of the new and exciting additions throughout the year, plus fun holiday events such as Happy Hauntings for Halloween and Dutch Winter Wonderland for Christmas, it looks like Dutch Wonderland is here to stay!

On Thursday night, I visited Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre for the first time for the opening night of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s beloved musical, CATS. Being a secret musical theatre lover myself, I was very excited to see a production of the second longest-running Broadway show in history. I’ve heard nothing but good things about the show (and dinner!) so I couldn’t wait to go!

My boyfriend and I enjoyed a delicious dinner before the show started. He got the baked chicken, and I tried the barbecued pulled pork. Everything was fresh and delicious, and we definitely went to the dessert bar after our meals were finished! From the peanut butter pie (my personal favorite) to the ice cream sundae bar, there is something for every sweet tooth.

When the lights dimmed to signal the start of the show, a voice told us that there might be cats crawling around in the audience. They weren’t kidding; one of the actors came up right behind me and jumped over the balcony! From the start of the show, I could tell that this was going to be very different than any theatre experience that I had before. The cats are a part of the Jellicle tribe who are getting ready for their annual ball, in which the oldest cat, Old Deuteronomy will pick one cat to go to the Heavenside Layer and come back in a new life. There is no spoken dialogue, only singing and chanting (and lots of meowing and purring in between). It was also a very physical show, with lots of show-stopping dance numbers and acrobatics, which I loved, being a former dancer.

All of the cats had very different names and personalities, from the Rum Tum Tugger, a fickle feline all of girl cats love, to Bustopher Jones, the well-to-do fat “25-pounder”. My favorite musical number, “The Old Gumbie Cat”, featured a cat named Jennyanydots (played by Emily Grace Tucker) who was a wonderful tap dancer. The crowd favorite of the night had to be the mischievous antics of Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer (played by Kerry Lambert and Jessica Humphrey). Their acrobatics and perfectly in-sync dance number had the audience cheering. Of course the classic song, “Memory”, sung by Grizabella the Glamour Cat (Annie Freres) had everyone enraptured with her beautiful voice.

Overall, my first show at Dutch Apple was a pleasant one, and I hope to return soon!

On Friday night, I had the privilege of going to see Broadway: Now & Forever at the American Music Theatre. The show included music from both new and old Broadway shows, including Chicago, Mary Poppins, Mamma Mia, CATS, Wicked, Billy Elliot, Les Miserables, Evita, The Lion King, and many more.

This show has become one of my favorites of all the AMT Original Shows that I’ve seen over the past few years – the really have outdone themselves on this one. The dancing and singing was amazing, and I’m always happy to see some of my favorite cast members from previous shows. While I haven’t seen the show Wicked on Broadway, I loved the songs they performed, and now I want to see the show! Of the shows that I’m more familiar with, they pulled out some of my favorites.

Oh, and the costumes!! I can’t forget to mention that. So, some of my favorites were from the Disney performances, The Lion King, and Beauty & the Beast. What girl wouldn’t dream of wearing an elegant, beautiful ball gown!! (See Christine from Phantom pictured above)

So, the dancing, the vocals, the costumes, and the full, on-stage orchestra were all amazing. If you love Broadway, you definitely don’t want to miss this ultimate Broadway showcase – it’s one you’ll never forget.

We arrived a bit before our train was scheduled to leave, so we rode on the Pint-sized Pufferbelly, which is a their miniature steam train ride. It used to be called the Cagney, but they’ve really expanded the route for it – it took a little over 20 minutes, and we got to see the engine use a turntable to turn around at one end, we went through a “tunnel,” and pretty much across the whole property. Definitely a great addition to our day.

Then we got on the big steam train, and every time the whistle blew, my son would get very excited and say “choo choo!” He loved seeing the horses and cows on farms that we passed, and interacting a little with the other children on the train.

I would definitely recommend a ride on the Strasburg Rail Road – they have a ton of options for types of ride this year – the Great Train Robbery, Hobo Lunch, Dine with the Amish, Steampunk unLimited, and of course, Thomas the Tank Engine will be back this year! See their website for more details on all of these great events.

The Baltimore Sun recently printed a great article highlighting all that Columbia has to offer – “swap your car’s steering wheel and bumper-to-bumper gawkers for a kayak paddle and a quiet float on the Susquehanna River.”

The article highlights great places to visit, like the Turkey Hill Experience, National Watch & Clock Museum, John Wright’s Factory & Store, and more. It also highlights the town’s tie to this year’s 150th anniversary of the Civil War – the Columbia/Wrightsville Bridge, where residents helped burn “the world’s longest covered bridge” (more than a mile) that linked Columbia & Wrightsville, halting Confederate plans to advance on Harrisburg, Lancaster, and Philadelphia.

Read more at the Baltimore Sun here: http://www.baltimoresun.com/travel/mc-columbia-pa-travel-0407-20130406,0,1669343.story

There is no PA Dutch word for “dating,” but the Amish use the English word when they need it.

The Amish consider romantic relationships to be private, so courtship is practiced secretly, while parents look the other way until the couple comes to ask their permission for marriage.

Amish young people can choose whoever they want for their mate, but if they want to remain Amish themselves, they need to marry within the faith (or date someone who has intentions of joining the faith). Very rarely, a non-Amish person might join the Amish church to be able to marry an Amish person.\

Dating often starts with a boy offering to take a girl home after a Sunday evening sing, which is one of the places young people socialize. When a couple is more serious, a boy can visit the girl at her house after her parents have gone to bed on a Saturday night when there’s no church on Sunday. They sit in the living room, where most parents require a light to be on, and visit, sometimes with other couples.

Whether it is their artisan wines, the spell of the old Farmhouse or the little piece of heaven by their natural spring pond, you will be captivated by your visit to The Vineyard at Hershey. From whimsical and refreshing whites to bold and flavorful reds, The Vineyard at Hershey handcrafts every bottle of wine for the enjoyment of new and and the most experienced of palates.

In the Tasting Room in the Farmhouse you will be invited to taste five of our wines for $3.00. No reservation is necessary. They also offer VIP Tour & Tasting packages and One-on-One time with their Winemaker (call for reservations). And, if you are not in a rush, you should plan to have a glass of wine and wander around the Vineyard or sit out on their deck and enjoy the beautiful view.

Along with handcrafted wines, they also offer a selection of locally made cheeses from September Farms. Each batch of September Farms cheese is made on their Honey Brook farm following time proven traditions for the hand crafting, hand waxing and aging of artisan-style cheese.

The Tasting Room is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11AM to 6PM. I hope you visit soon!

Zip Line Canopy Tours at Refreshing Mountain Camp has got something new for you this year – The Aerial Excursion Tour. There are 7 zip lines, 3 sky bridges, and a surprise at the end! It’s over 3,500 feet long, and is guaranteed fun four approximately 2-3 hours.

What is a zip line canopy tour? It’s a series of cables and platforms that take on on an exhilarating tour through forests and wildlife. You get harnessed to a pulley that rides the cable and will “zip” from platform to platform through the canopy of trees through which the course is built.

If you’ve never done it before, or would like a shorter tour, they also still have their Challenge Adventure  Course, which has 5 zip lines, a 9 element challenge course, and will take approximately 1-2 hours. You can book either tour online now on their website at www.refreshingmountain.com/canopytour.cfm.

Did you know that the week of March 4 – March 10, 2013, more than 40 restaurants in the City of Lancaster will offer special menus and promotions in the theme of “2013″ during Lancaster City Restaurant Week? Below, we’ve highlighted some of the specials. For a full listing of specials, see their page on Facebook here.

• Carmen & David’s Creamery | 25 N. Prince Street
  Show your receipt of $30 or more from a Restaurant Week participating restaurant and receive a prepacked pint of vanilla, milk chocolate, cookies & cream, or chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream for only $2.13 – that’s 60% off the normal price! Available only during Restaurant Week, limit one per customer.
• Gibraltar Restaurant | 931 Harrisburg Pike
  Lunch: 13% off lunch checks
  Dinner: 3 courses for $35.13
• Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant | 781 Harrisburg Pike
  3 courses with beer for $35.12
  3 courses without beer for $28.13
  • 1st Course: Corn Relish Salad – mesclun greens, cornbread croutons, Monterey jack and cilantro-lime vinaigrette. Served with Munich Helles Lager.
  • 2nd Course: Pan Seared Pork Loin – sautéed spinach with bacon, garlicky yukon smashed potatoes and a red wine demi. Served with Vienna Red Lager.
  • 3rd Course: Chocolate Espresso Pot de Creme – creme friache and chocolate shavings. Served with Pig Iron Porter.
• Isaac’s Downtown & the Pickle Bar | 25 N. Queen Street
  2 for $20.13 Meal Deal
  2 cups of soup, choice of any 2 regular-size French Bread Sandwiches, and a Hot Fudge Sundae to share!
• John J Jeffries | 300 Harrisburg Ave.
  2 courses for $20.13
  3 courses for $30.13
• The Red Rose | 101 E. King Street
  Three course Prix fixe dinner menu for $20.13
  • 1st Course: Choose one - tomato basil bisque, Caesar salad, or house salad
  • 2nd Course: Choose one – Psari Plaki, Seafood ala Greco, or Kotopoulo Lemonato
  • 3rd Course: Choose one – Baklava or Chocolate cake

Mud sales are annual auctions/sales held at a number of local fire companies. These sales attract thousands of locals looking for bargains on anything from Amish quilts and antiques to local produce, buggies and lawn equipment.

March is typically the start of mud sale season in Lancaster County, but this year we’ve got the first one this Saturday – February 23 – the Strasburg Spring Consignment & Mud Sale. While there are always plenty of us “English” in attendance, we are generally outnumbered 2 to 1 by folks from the Amish community.

Enjoy roaming the grounds because there will be several auctions going on at once (for buggies, livestock, fresh produce, farm equipment, quilts and more), as well as tons of food to purchase. Local favorites like sausage sandwiches, Amish baked goods, homemade pretzels, and freshly made donuts. So if you’re looking to experience a bit of the Amish culture without being invasive, a Mud Sale is a great experience to try! Just make sure you wear your boots.

You can see a full listing of Mud Sales on our website here.