Only in York County

New online stuff

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:03:08 -0500

I've been fairly quiet on the blog front over the last few days... I'll have a longer update maybe tomorrow on some of my recent doings (including a hike into an old mine at Raab Park!) - but in the meantime, here's what I've been working on.

New health special section

Special series on DUI in York County

Picnic time again

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:05:52 -0500

You've heard me mention several times how much I love picnics.

Well, the Greater Dover Historical Society was kind enough to invite me to their annual picnic last week! Jo, a member, was kind enough to introduce me around, so I got to meet a lot of people who I'd heretofore heard of only in e-mails.

Oh, and there was food. FOOOOOOOOD. Did I mention food?

Here I am (center) talking with Madelyn Shermeyer, the GDHS president (right), and her daughter Lisa Bryant, who I had as a teacher in middle school!

Pretzel shop update

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:03:03 -0500

Intrepid photographer Jo checked in with this visual update on the Smittie's pretzel stand on Route 74 North. She took this photo last Thursday evening.

Looks like the new, lighthouse-style pretzel stand is getting closer to completion. That means no more pretzel "shack" soon!

Who would York Countians vote for?

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:08:28 -0500

If I decided to write in a cartoon character during any election, it'd definitely be Marvin the Martian.

Yet another "Only in York County" from one of our staff members' Sunday columns... you'll remember that last week, I directed you to read about business editor Cathy's possum.

Well, this week, if you want a good laugh, read "Voters send all kinds of messages with write-ins" by our political reporter, Tom Joyce.

Not terribly surprised that we'd write in Foghorn Leghorn, Mickey Mouse and more. I just wish Tom would've passed the list around the newsroom so we could see the truly inappropriate ones!

Wow, so it's not just me

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:52:26 -0500

Remember my recent rant on Internet spammers who couldn't even get my name right?

Well, a totally unsolicited news release in the ol' inbox this week (is THAT irony or what?) from MessageLabs, which bills itself as "the leading provider of messaging and web security services to businesses worldwide," claimed to have the year-to-date spam rates for individual states.

Guess what??? Pennsylvania's number 9! So I bet I'm not the only Yorker getting more than my share of spam, huh? (The full top ten is, as follows, Illinois, South Dakota, Oregon, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Indiana, Texas, Pennsylvania and Alabama.)

A wrapup of local favorites week

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 08:42:49 -0500

Thanks to all who've stuck with me during my attempt at "Joan's Local Favorites Week."

Today, to wrap up the week, I thought I'd hit a topic of reader request - soft pretzels!

Phil says there's nothing like a Smittie's soft pretzel. (He's also a fan of Mack's chocolate ice cream, which I can't fault him for.)

Now, for those of you who are true Yorkers, you know a Smittie's soft pretzel means this:

But, guess what? That might be changing soon. Why, you ask?

Some great local photographers

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:42:33 -0500

As part of "local favorites week," and since I was so keen on promoting our summer photo contest, I'd be remiss if I didn't devote one day to my favorite local photographers.

By Flickr user Napalm filled tires, this is the Ritz Camera Shop on Eastern Boulevard.

Other favorite local Flickr shooters:
countrycowboy026
Anthony Topper (Tony is our former web developer, but even if I didn't know him I'd love his photos.)
juliannL

Other favorite photographers:
Bil Bowden, YDR photographer extraordinaire, as well as Paul Kuehnel, Jason Plotkin and Chris Glass, who comprise the rest of our photo staff.
Edit: AND KATE PENN... I'm soooo sorry, Kate!!! Those of you who read the YDR online will especially want to check us out this Sunday, when Kate will have a photo story that takes you behind the scenes with the York Revolution.

And, last but certainly not least, loyal reader Jo, who shares my love of fireworks, Pinchot Park and all things York County.

More junk-food favorites

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 08:31:32 -0500

Today's post is an ode to my favorite sweet snack...

ICE CREAM!

I couldn't even begin to pick one local favorite. If I had to, it would extend slightly beyond York County's borders to Mechanicsburg, the home of Rakestraw's. Ohhhh, is that good.

Let's see... where else for ice cream?

Favorite snack

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:26:57 -0500

Local favorites week rolls on, and today I'm looking at my favorite local junk food.

Yep, that's them at right. Utz ripple-cut sour cream and onion chips.

The irony? For those of you who don't know, my part-time job is as a Weight Watchers leader, and I'm getting ready to lead a lunchtime meeting today.

That's just a special kind of irony.

Another favorite band

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 07:21:38 -0500

Yes, yet more local things I love for "local favorites week."

You should have been able to guess this one if you read my Blues Traveler concert post... my second-favorite local group is the Mark DeRose band, which opened for BT at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

Here's their guitarist... I don't have a shot of Mark himself, for some reason.

My favorite songs of theirs are "Satisfied" and "4 and 5".

(Oh, and since I didn't remember to list favorites from yesterday's Jellybricks post, my favorite songs of theirs are "Wash Away" and "Growing Girl."

Joan's local favorites week continues

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 08:21:17 -0500

Yes, more promotion of local things I like. Hey, it's my blog!

Today's topic? One of my two favorite local bands - The Jellybricks.

I can't believe it's been more than 10 years since I first heard them, when they opened for Live in Hershey during my sophomore year of high school.

Somehow, I managed to get a signed drumstick from them after that concert. And I've been a fan ever since.

I don't know exactly how to describe their style - pop, I guess, but a little more into the rock side of things. It's actually some of the more laid-back music in my collection; I'm normally a hard-rock kinda girl.

Anyway, if you get a chance, check out their site, where you can hear some of their music.

Tomorrow, more on my second-favorite local band.

Awesome clothes

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:15:44 -0500

Just because I can, I wanted to make a special post showing off the work of my friend Tiffypop, an East Berlin native who's roaming the country selling her way-cool, handmade clothes at shows and festivals.

(And, a little birdie tells me she's getting MARRIED this month, too!)

I was thinking of Tiffy today because I'm wearing one of her "swirly skirts," patterned after some hippie classics. The picture is Tiffy on the beach, wearing one of the swirlies.

Shameless promotion: Check out her Etsy store if you want to order any of her homemade goodies yourself.

No, she's not paying me to do this. I'm just soooo comfy in this swirly today that I wanted to share the love.

Calling all photographers

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:11:04 -0500

Since I happen to know that at least a few of my readers are also pretty stellar photographers, I thought I'd point out that there's still time to enter our 2008 Summer Photo Contest.

Here's one of my favorite shots so far:

"Gobble, Gobble" - Reader Julie says this is a pet Narrangansett turkey who says YAY for vegetarians!

Want to enter yours? Click here to submit your photo. (And here to read the rules.)

Happy snapping. I'll post more of my favorites as the contest deadline nears. I'm in no way an official judge, though, so impress the photo staff, not me!! :)

A real 'only in York County'

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 22:08:18 -0500

I haven't had a good "Only in York County" for a while now, and thankfully, providence has provided in the form of one of my friend and fellow editor Cathy's ridiculous dogs, Scully.

Guess what kind of wildlife Scully dragged in?

Dear Internet spammers

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:36:04 -0500

Dear spammers,

I really don't mind that I get more messages from you than I do from the entire YDR staff. Really. And I don't mind that half of your messages are in Cyrillic - because I never read them anyway, so it doesn't matter.

But please, please, may I make one simple request? Can you at least get my name right? It was cute at first that all my spam started coming addressed to Granville Mcclain. It made me think of my hero, Bruce Willis, in Die Hard - John McClane.

But, really, I'm starting to get an identity complex. And I wish the real Granville Mcclain would come take his spam back - including the ads for certain "enhancement" products that would be of MUCH more use to him than to me.

So, in closing, I humbly ask that if you're going to call me names, at least make them - and your messages - appropriate for someone of the female persuasion. Is that too much to ask?

Yours truly,
Joan (NOT Granville) Concilio (NOT Mcclain)