Friday, July 30, 2010

Flinchbaugh's Orchard "Summer Fest"

Sorry this is so last minute, we were in North Carolina this week and I missed it, but today and tomorrow from 10am-4pm Flinchbaugh's Orchard is celebrating Summer Fest. It looks like a lot of fun for the kids, a four-acre corn maze, fresh peach sundaes (yummy!) and rides through the orchards and around the farm on big hay trucks. There are also tractor rides, face painting and a straw maze that might run you a dollar or two, but the money they raise is headed right to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey so spend away.

Make sure you pay Flichbaugh's a visit this weekend, they are a great local farm that is on their 4th generation of family farmers. The market will be open so you can check out their produce as well as cakes, breads, cookies......you know, the good stuff!

Flinchbaugh's Orchard and Farm Market is located at 110 Ducktown Road in Hellam, visit their website to find out more about the festival:

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Tomatofest!

If you have never been to Horn Farm in York (right outside of Hellam) this might be a great family outing to introduce yourself to a little slice of farming heaven. August 7th from 11am-5pm they are hosting an Heirloom Tomato festival, with a lot of tasting (yum) and games for the kids and garden tours for the whole family. The event is free, parking is free, and learning how to cultivate your soil and grow some awesome tomatoes next year saves you money!

The Horn Farm Center is the home base for agricultural history and education in York County and has been continuously farmed for over 250 years. It's a fun way to teach your kids about the wonders of gardening and the rewards of fresh fruits and veggies. Enjoy!

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Family Fun Paddle Tours~Shank's Mare

This coming Tuesday, the 20th of July, Shank's Mare is hosting a Family Fun Paddle Tour on the Susquehanna River. The tour is from 10am-noon and it begins with a lesson and kayak orientation, they are very open and excited to welcome first timers on these tours so if you have never kayaked don't be scared away. The kayaks used on the tours are two and three seaters, older kids that are familiar with kayaking are allowed to be in their own kayak. This trip is rated for kids 6 and up, moms and dads and grandparents too! The price is $30 for adults, $20 for children and includes a tour, guide and kayak rentals.

Shank's Mare offers a wide variety of classes, tours, and outdoor activites. If you haven't familiarized yourself with their programs and classes take some time today and check out their website, they are blessed with a beautiful location along the Susquehanna River and take full advantage of their surroundings.

Also, if you have kids aged 10-15, check out their camps. They still have 1 week available for both the Outdoor Discovery Day Camp and the Outdoor Adventure Week (think ropes course, cave exploration, kayaking, and Geocaching) !

For more information on Shank's Mare call 717-252-1616 or visit them online at http://www.shanksmare.com/index.html

Sleep in the Outfield~Sovereign Bank Stadium

This Saturday night, July 17th, is Family Sleepover Night at Sovereign Stadium. The York Revolution will be taking on the Newark Bears at 7pm, but after the game the "real" fun begins! This will be the 1st annual family sleepover event, the Boy and Girl Scout sleepovers were so popular that they have added this event for all families to attend. Families are asked to bring tents and sleeping bags, as you will be sleeping in the outfield, and breakfast will be provided by Stroehmann Bakeries.

For more information contact The York Revolution at 717-801-HITS (4487) or check out their website: http://www.yorkrevolution.com/index.cfm

Saturday, July 10, 2010

The North Museum~Big Bird's Adventure

I have written about the North Museum in the past, but now I am more excited than ever to take the ride over to Lancaster so that we can visit the planetarium and see Big Bird! This cool, 25 minute, show is designed for the 3-6 year old crowd as a way to introduce them to the Earth and the Moon and the differences between them. The cost for the museum and planetarium visit is $8.50 for adults, $7.50 for kids and free for the under 3 crowd. There is a $1 off coupon in Thursday's edition of "The Flip Side" (bottom of page 4) and it's good until September. If you missed the coupon this week, keep checking, my hunch is that they will run it again!

The only catch to this exciting show is the time, the show is at 1pm everyday and only at 1pm. The museum is closed on Monday, and is open at 10am Tuesday-Saturday. I think your best bet is to get there at 10am, see the 1pm show, and then pack up and head home at 1:30pm, you might be able to sneak back into your house by 2pm for a nap?! (I know, I never will understand why something geared towards toddlers would be at 1pm?!!)

For more information on the North Museum visit their website:


Thursday, July 8, 2010

Mason Dixon Fair

Starting Monday July 12th the annual Mason Dixon Fair is back in session. If you are in the southern end of York County you probably know all about the Mason Dixon Fair, chances are if you are north of Glen Rock you may have never heard of it! The theme of the fair is "Proud of our Heritage, Envisioning the Future" and the focus is on farming and farm live, current and for the next generation. There are livestock shows, tractor pulls and children's activities like a milk chugging contest and sack races.

The fair runs from the 12th-17th, Mon.-Friday the midway is open 5pm-11pm, Saturday 11-4pm and then again from 5pm-11pm, but check the events calendar for more daytime events. The fair is sponsored by and benefits the Delta-Cardiff Volunteer Fire Company! Go out and enjoy some family fun and reconnect with your country roots, it sounds like a lot of farm fun!

Click here for more on the fair: http://masondixonfair.com/index.htm
A new study was just released from The Environmental Law Foundation, a San Francisco based nonprofit, that screened 400 samples of products marketed toward children, such as juices and snacks, for lead. What they found was CRAZY, over 85% of the products tested contained more than .5 micrograms of lead per serving, which violates California Proposition 65, a law that requires companies to place warnings on any packaging containing traces of lead in kids drinks or snacks.

California is currently the only state that requires such labeling, which is why we here in Pennsylvania most likely haven't heard anything about this. I have done more research on this study and found that the FDA hasn't updated acceptable lead levels for food in over 20 years, so there in lies a different issue. With the recent flap over BPA's and other plastics this test is slowly making waves in pediatric medical circles. On the surface of things .5 micrograms doesn't seem like a huge number, but when given to babies and toddlers whose brains are still in development, even a little seems like too much. Another big hooptie-do over this list is the surprising number or "organic" or "natural" items from Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and other stores many moms consider safe.

On the other hand you have groups saying that there is lead in everything, which is true, anything packaged will have at least trace amounts of lead, even tap water; the key being "everything in moderation". Ugh, what's mom to do!! So I thought I would post two articles I found, and let you Mom's be the deciders, find new juice or stick with what you have. Either way, being more informed helps in making decisions, boycott the food system or stop freaking out about every study that comes down the pike.

Anyhow, here is the list of items that tested positive for having over the allowable amount of lead in children's snacks and juices.


Here is one article arguing for ignoring the study (and I LOVE this website):


Here is an article explaining the greater issues with lead in children's products:

Sunday, July 4, 2010

Mountain Adventures~Ski Roundtop


This past week my husband and I have both heard a lot about Roundtop Mountain Adventures, which sounds like a lot of fun, at Ski Roundtop. There are a host of activities, from climbing walls, zip lining, tubing down the hills and bouncing around in OGO balls (I didn't know what they were until I checked out their website)!

This is a great "adventure" for your older kids, most activities are 8 and up. The prices are a little steep, but if you can get a full day out of it than it's comparable to spending the money on Hersheypark. Make sure you watch the little video on their website, it explains what you get for your money, and check out the package deals when they are offered. If you have kids that like adventure and being outdoors this place looks like a BIG winner, check it out!