Saturday Reads - Lancaster

Today's Saturday Reads focuses on Lancaster PA. The book, After the Fire: The Destruction of the Lancaster County Amish by Randy-Michael Testa follows one man's travels through Lancaster County in the late 1985 (the same summer as The Witness was released). With that said, the book is out-of-date, but due to the quirky nature of Lancaster County, it is still very much in date.

I picked the book up through my library system for some research. Having grown up in the area, I knew more than the average visitor might know, but I never had any Amish friends. I knew the Amish the way one knows about America - the culture permeates the world in ways that we don't readily recognize.

The book was an enjoyable read, more travelogue than anything else. We follow Testa as he talks, visits and travels around Lancaster County. Here, we see the initial reaction to the film, The Witness which basically set the Amish community on the world stage.

They haven't left the stage yet.

For me, it was interesting to read a book about Lancaster Pa, during a time when I lived there. As an adult reading it, I found insight into the culture that I wouldn't have otherwise. If you're looking for something that goes beneath the surface of Lancaster County, this is a good book. I also recommend reading books by those who have left the Amish community ... but those reviews are for another day.

By the way, it's warm in Western NY, and Lancaster County has dug itself out of the snow. Spring is a month away, and hopefully, this will be all the snow we receive until December.

One can only hope.

Saturday Reads - Lancaster

Today's book is based in Lancaster County, and is probably the book that helped put Lancaster County on the radar of most people. For some people it is also the best and worst of Lancaster Co. It is everything kitsch, and it is what defines Lancaster County.

The Shunning follows the story of Katie Lapp, an Amish woman who longs for more, but because of her Amish community, feels constrained. As the series progresses, the character learns she is not Amish by birth, but by adoption, and she proceeds to seek her birth mother ... and find herself.

The story follows, in essence, the standard coming-of-age storyline where the main character must find herself both inwardly through her desires and dreams, and outwardly through her community and chosen path.

To that end, the story is an enjoyable read. It isn't a mystery with dead bodies, but it is an exploration of what it means to be English and Amish. The author, Beverly Lewis, is from Lancaster County, so she writes about a world she knows.

I first read this book while in high school. Oddly enough, I finished a good portion of the Amish romances before they became what they are. For me, the books by Beverly Lewis, the author of The Shunning, was a whiff of home while I was away. Many of the books, The Shunning and its two sequels, The Confession and The Reckoning came out in the mid-nineties, just about the time I moved from Lancaster area to Western NY. My personal favorite series, Summerhill Secrets, is currently out-of-print, but I will discuss that series at another date.

As I said before, The Shunning practically defined the Christian Amish romance genre: main character is Amish, may or may not remain Amish, but the romance is chaste, and the apple streudel fresh from the stove. The ones who are not Amish find peace and healing among the Amish community, and while they rarely become Amish, they feel as though they have discovered family.

I stopped reading most of the Amish romances about the time they started kicking off among the rest of the Christian community. For me, they had become predictable, and if there is one thing to be said against the genre, is its predictability. We know that the main character will ultimately remain among her people (unless of course, like Katie, her people aren't her people). In The Shunning and The Redemption of Sarah Cain, Beverly Lewis does a good job of exploring the relationships between the two peoples: Amish and non-Amish, whom they call English. I'll discuss The Redemption of Sarah Cain later. Beverly Lewis has written several books set in Lancaster County, so you'll hear about her often.


One other aside about the Amish genre: many of them take place outside Lancaster County. In fact, a good majority of them only refer to Lancaster in passing. Part of the reason is that the Amish community is moving away from Lancaster (this has always been a problem, and is nothing new), but if you want to find the heart of Amish country, Lancaster is still your best bet. You can visit it through the novels by Beverly Lewis, or you can visit if physically ... or find the film at your local bookstore or library

Visit Local; Reach Global

When I lived in Lancaster County area, much of the tourist activities were there, but not the greatest. There were a few places to find buggy rides, visit Amish farms, and the ubiquitous quilt trails, but we tended to remain away from them. On a funny side note, I've done most of the tourist things (Maid of the Mist in Niagara Falls, quilt trails in Lancaster) while living in the other location.

One place which did not exist when I lived in Lancaster area was HOPE International. This company works with communities and individuals in developing countries to build their economic infrastructure through microloans and community banks.

Headquartered in Lancaster PA (actually northwest of the city), they offer a walk through display called Pathways out of Poverty.

Screenshot from Pathways out of Poverty website

Last March, while back in Lancaster for a book signing, my mom and I took the opportunity to visit the display. It's free-of-charge, but they do recommend you sign up before you arrive. The website has a form you can fill out and someone contacts you to finalize the days.

Having been to Lancaster a multitude of times, I thought it would be easy to find the building ... not so much. While HOPE has a large sign facing Route 30, you can't reach the building from 30, but have to take the next exit, turn around and go in that way. That being said - make certain you have directions.

Once inside HOPE's offices, they staff is helpful. The Pathways out of Poverty consists of an audio recording which has someone explaining the gallery for you. The first room is a community in Kenya, and the guide is the daughter who lives in the house. This proceeds around the world from Kenya to India to Belarus, to the US, to South America. In each location, you learn about a different part of the world and how poverty looks.

Personally, I thought I had a good handle on world poverty ... until I walked through the display. One thing that surprised me was the smell. Somehow, they had managed to incorporate the scents of places, not the olfactory overload, but the scent that comes from items from those locations.

If you're visiting Lancaster area, and want an indoor activity, but not with bonnets and buggies, this tour is something that might interest you.

Happy Holidays

Today is both Thanksgiving Day in the United States, and for Americans around the world; and Hanukkah for the Jews and those who celebrate the Biblical holy days around the world. I hope all you have time to reflect on what these holidays mean: thanksgiving and rededication.

Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Hanukkah

Foodie Friday

One of the things that I love the most about my two hometowns is the food. After all, I come from a Baptist, German influenced, Southern family. Besides, when you start looking at all the food places that come from the area (and surrounding areas), you can't help but enjoy a taste here and there.

My actual hometown (and the one I claim) is Oxford, PA on Route 1 which takes travelers from Maine to Key West. South of Oxford is a smaller town called Nottingham PA, the home of Herr's Snack Foods.

Personally, I am not a big potato chip fan, but Herr's chips are probably the only brand that I will eat. The company started in 1946 in Lancaster, but eventually moved to Nottingham by the 1960s. Whenever my family has the chance to visit Pennsylvania, we always stop for Herr's chips to take home to New York, since I rarely find them this far north.

Part of my enjoyment of Herr's chips come from it being in my hometown area, and the memories of traveling past the Herr's Factory every school morning for nearly six years. The aroma of fresh potato chips hovered over the immediate area of Nottingham PA. The factory is near the Route 1 Bypass that goes around Oxford and Nottingham, but when the wind was right, the scent of the chips wafted to the bypass area as my mom, sister and I traveled to school.

Tours are offered for anyone who wants to see how the potato chips are made, and if you have the chance, go visit. If you don't have time for the tour, you can always stop into the visitor's center and look around, purchase some snacks and go visit another location.

Welcome

This blog is dedicated to the two regions I call home: the Greater Niagara region of Western New York, and the Pennsylvania Dutch Country centered around Lancaster County. As the blog progresses, I'll add itineraries, getaway days, little known facts, and interviews with people from the areas.

Having lived in both places for more than a decade each, I know both locales could learn some lessons from the other. I also know that there are more than a few connections between the two places beyond my family.

So, are you looking for a guide to the Niagara region and Lancaster County?
Are you from those places, and would like to see what else is out there?
Come wander the paths with me.