Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

what's your favorite color crayon?


On my way back from visiting family in Pennsylvania last week my sister decided to surprise my nieces and stop at the Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.  The Crayola Factory is a hands on discovery center where you can not only learn about the Crayola brand, but there are dozens of interactive activities and projects using the Crayola products offering hours of fun and enjoyment.  There is even a demonstration showing how the world famous crayons are made!  On the third floor, you can visit the National Canal Museum where there are 4 hands on galleries created to help teach their viewers about the importance of canals to our country's early development of commerce.   Inside the gift shop (among all the take home goodies), you can see the world's largest crayon!  It is made from 123,000 recycled blue crayons!  Crayola is also going GREEN!  I was very happy to get a free new black barrel marker (made from recycled bottle caps) with one of the tokens you receive upon admission to the factory.  Crayola recently built a solar farm and is now producing 1/3 of their products with solar electricity.  Markers and crayons are being produced with a little help from the sun...go Crayola!


view from the elevator

crayon coloring center...everyone loves to color!

a very busy craft room!

Crayola is going GREEN ♥

the world's largest crayon! DOB October 11, 2003
made from 123, 000 recycled blue crayons, weight: 1,500 lbs
length = 15 feet, diameter = 16 inches

what's your favorite color Crayola crayon?

In 1903, when Binney & Smith first introduced Crayola crayons there were only 8 colors: black, brown, orange, violet, blue, green, red & yellow.  Now there are 120 colors to choose from!

almond, antique brass, apricot, aquamarine, asparagus, atomic tangerine, banana mania, beaver, bittersweet, black, blue, blue bell, blue green, blue violet, blush, brick red, brown, burnt orange, burnt sienna, cadet blue, canary, caribbean green, carnation pink, cerise, cerulean, chestnut, copper, cornflower, cotton candy, dandelion, denim, desert sand, eggplant, electric lime, fern, forest green, fuchsia, fuzzy wuzzy brown, gold, goldenrod, granny smith apple, gray, green, green yellow, hot magenta, inch worm, indigo, jazzberry jam, jungle green, laser lemon, lavender, macaroni and cheese, magenta, mahogany, manatee, mango tango, maroon, marvelous, melon, midnight blue, mountain meadow, navy blue, neon carrot, olive green, orange, orchid, outer space, outrageous orange, pacific blue, peach, periwinkle, piggy pink, pine green, pink flamingo, pink sherbert, plum, purple heart, purple mountains' majesty, purple pizzazz, radical red, raw sienna, razzle dazzle rose, razzmatazz, red, red orange, red violet, robin egg blue, royal purple, salmon, scarlet, screamin green, sea green, sepia, shadow, shamrock, shocking pink, silver, sky blue, spring green, sunglow, sunset orange, tan, tickle me pink, timberwolf, tropical rain forest, tumbleweed, turquoise blue, unmellow yellow, violet (purple), violet red, vivid tangerine, vivid violet, white, wild blue yonder, wild strawberry, wild watermelon, wisteria, yellow, yellow green, yellow orange: information obtained from Crayola website 

so many colors...but everyone has a favorite.  what's yours?

Friday, August 13, 2010

the county fair


My family reunion in Pennsylvania every year is scheduled around the biggest summer event in the area...The Huntingdon County Fair.  My aunt and uncle have a beautiful house on the lake and invite all the relatives to come stay the week and of course at least one day is spent visiting the fair.  The fair is a huge event and has been going strong for over 100 years.  This fair is "known as the premier agricultural exposition in Pennsylvania".  You can find everything from the largest head of broccoli, to the best kept farm animals, to all kinds of baked goods, educational exhibits, and local businesses advertising their wares.  The fair of course also has the usual carnival rides and food booths, music and dancing, and for those looking for added excitement, you can't miss the demolition derby!   It is also a great place to go and learn about the area and all that it has to offer...including the farm animals (my niece even got to milk a goat this year!)  Awards go out for the best veggies, flowers, and animals, along with the annual crowning of a fair queen and her court.  The sleepy town of Huntingdon, PA really comes alive with the growing traditions they keep going, year after year!


off to see the animals!
judging pen (youth/4H market lambs)

monkey bread...a delicious fair treat, a must have!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

the simple life

I'm off in PA for a week for our annual family reunion.  I haven't been able to make it for a few years due to my graduate school studies and work schedule.  Every year there are a few places the family has on the list to go.  I was pretty excited this year to make it back to see some of  favorites.  Today I went to Peight's Country Store with my sister and two adorable nieces.  Peight's is an Amish country store with two locations, one in Belleville, and the one we went to, in Mount Union.  I love buying things in bulk...especially candy!  In NY, when I was working on the Martha show, we would frequent Economy Candy for all kinds of bulk candy to dress the set with at great prices.  Peight's has bulk candy pre-packaged for prices that actually beat Economy!  The store is not limited to candy however.  It is a true country store filled with fresh, local, fruit and veggies, homemade pastas, dried goods, home goods, and also an in store deli serving the family favorites of fresh ham salad and sweet lebanon bologna...just to name a few of the other things you will find as you browse the isles of this gem of a store.  If you are ever driving through this part of Pennsylvania I suggest you drop in to check out (and sample!) some of the pure and simple life at Peight's Country Store.


Mount Union is a sweet, sleepy old town.  My sister was a great tour guide and stopped along the way so I could snap a few photos of the sites.


i "heart" these old coca-cola signs

bridge into town

the convert hotel...not sure it is still in business 

on the way into town...top's diner was super busy for lunch!

cute car wash outside of town

peight's booty!