Enjoy Summer 2009
Schuylkill County Style
By Keri A. Johnson, Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau
The days of summer are here and excitement can be felt everywhere in everyone. Schuylkill County offers a variety of activities and events that bring out the inner child in all of us.
The time to explore your own backyard is now and with many new events happening in Schuylkill County this summer you’ll be sure to find something everyone will enjoy. Take a trip back in time at a number of car cruises and community festivals. Watch birds of prey soar overhead at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Visit America’s Oldest Brewery or enjoy delicious homemade ice cream at Heisler’s Dairy Bar. All this and more await you in Schuylkill County this summer, a region that includes picturesque towns, great outdoor recreation in our rolling countryside and stunning mountain views and five distinct wineries.
The Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau works hard to keep everyone aware of what’s going on around the County. We’ve complied a list of some things not to miss this summer. We couldn’t list everything so visit our website and check out our Calendar of Events page at www.schuylkill.org. We strive to keep our Calendar of Events updated and new events are added as soon as they are received. With that said, if you have an event you would like added to our event list give us a call at (570) 622-7700 or stop by our office at 200 East Arch Street in Pottsville.
From all of us at the Schuylkill County Visitors Bureau, have a great summer!
June 6
Quilting in the Valley’s Fourth Anniversary and Quilt Display
9 am - 5 pm, Quilting in the Valley, 243 Fountain Road, Hegins. A day long celebration which will include demonstrations, outdoor quilt display, special sales, door prizes, and refreshments. Call Marie at (570) 682-1008 for more information.
June 14
Necho Allen’s Tavern Trek
1-5 p.m. with hike volunteer John Domalakes. Hike into the backcountry of the Broad Mountain to see the over 200-year old site of Necho Allen’s Tavern. Hike starts in the south side parking lot behind Sears at the Schuylkill Mall along the mall entrance road. (six miles –
challenging). Poor weather cancels and participants should dress for comfort. For more information visit: www.schuylkillonthemove.com or email: porcupinepat@yahoo.com or (570) 622-4124 x 113
June 20
Gordon Community Music and Arts Festival
12 noon till 11 pm, Gordon Town Park. A day long family oriented festival held in the beautiful Gordon Town Park. Musical performances of different genre every hour. Arts displays by local artists and exhibits till 7 pm. Food, ice cream, and all the fun a town park has to offer. Free admission handicap accessible. (570) 875-4044.
June 20 & 21
4th Annual Winebration
11 am - 5 pm, Stone Mountain Wine Cellars, 1615 Panther Valley Road, Pine Grove. 3 miles northwest of Friedensburg, follow the signs to Jersey Acres Market. We’re celebrating 4 years of wine making. Join us to enjoy free wine tastings, wine specials and great snacks. And our delicious strawberries will be ripe! Call (570) 739-4418 for more information or visit www.stonemountainwinecellars.com
June 21
19th Annual Tamaqua Summerfest
Sponsored by Tamaqua Historical Society. Largest street fair in the area, featuring crafts, ethnic foods, free musical entertainment, Tamaqua Street Machine Association antique/classic car show, historic site tours, and much more. Fun for the entire family - a great place to spend Father’s Day with the family. Contact Tamaqua Historical Society at (570) 668-5722 or visit www.tamaqua.net for vendor registration or festival information.
& Collectibles Museum
Now celebrating twelve years as a local tourism stop for automotive and memorabilia enthusiasts, Jerry’s Classic Cars & Collectibles Museum opened for the 2008 Memorial Day weekend, and will be open through the end of October.
What’s new? Jerry has added many new displays and items of interest to captivate history buffs. A new display of 1950’s and 60’s cars has been added.
The Museum is located at 394 South Centre Street, Pottsville, PA and has hosted groups and car clubs from over 30 states and 6 countries. Jerry’s Museum is available for small functions, civic clubs, bus tours and car clubs as a meeting place and serves as headquarters for the Great Pottsville Cruise, one of the areas largest events held the second weekend in August.
For more information and reservations call 888-802-6605 or 570-622-9510. Log on to jerrysmuseum.com. Open Saturdays and Sundays, Noon to 5pm, weekday by special appointment.
Morris W. Heisler founded Heisler’s Cloverleaf Dairy in 1924 as a retail milk delivery business. Milk was delivered fresh each day from the family farm. As the business grew a small plant was constructed on the farm to pasteurize milk produced by the herd.
In 1957 the business was moved 1/4 mile to their current location at 743 Catawissa Rd. in Tamaqua. During that year the recipe for their ice cream was developed. Heisler’s still manufactures their ice cream mix, milkshake mix, and ice cream from that original recipe. Today they offer 40 flavors of ice cream everything from banana flavor to vanilla fudge. They also have frozen yogurt and ice cream sherbet available. They operate a “Dairy Bar” that serves ice cream and a delicious hot food menu. Don’t forget about the 18-hole Miniature Golf, Driving Range, Waffle Shop, Game Room, and Gift Shop.
Heisler’s Dairy is continuing today under the direction of Morris Heisler’s nephew Leonard Ostergaard and his wife Ann. They serve approximately 100 stores with half gallons of their ice cream and a novelty item called the “ CMP® SUNDAE “. The CMP is chocolate, marshmallow, and peanuts on top to vanilla ice cream!
Now that summer is here make sure to visit Heisler’s and enjoy a round of miniature golf and an ice cream to kick out the winter blues. For information on seasonal hours and directions, visit them on the web at www.heislersdairy.com
or call 570-668-3399.
Pioneer Tunnel is located at 19th & Oak Streets in Ashland Pennsylvania. Pioneer Tunnel was open in May of 1963 as a place where visitors could experience a real anthracite coal mine. The Tunnel affords visitors an opportunity to learn how anthracite coal is mined. It shows how a vein of coal lies between rock and strata; it has a gangway, manways, and chutes.
Visitors ride into the Tunnel on mine cars rebuilt to carry passengers; the motive power is provided by an electric mine motor. Deep inside the Tunnel, guests alight from the cars to follow their guides as they give an explanation of deep-mining methods. Another featured attraction is a narrow gauge steam train ride aboard the Lokie Henry Clay. Henry Clay is a steam saddle tank engine of 30 tons used years ago to haul coal cars. Now it pulls passenger mine cars 3,000 feet along the side of Mahanoy Mountain.
Between your tours, get a bite at the Lunch & Snack Bar, stroll through the Playground and Park, and check out the Outdoor Mining Displays. This year Pioneer Tunnel celebrates their 45th Anniversary, so be on the look out for new and exciting things happening this summer!
The Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine souvenir and gift shop offers fine handcrafted jewelry, books, apparel, coal-related novelties, and displays of interesting mining memorabilia .
For more information on Pioneer Tunnel and “Pioneer Day” on August 18, visit them on the web at www.pioneertunnel.com or give them a call at 570-875-3850.
Who would have ever thought there would be a campground built on the side of a mountain! Rosemount Camping Resort has been family owned and operated for the past 43 years. Rosemount is located in the beautiful Lewistown Valley. The campground takes pride in the natural setting and surroundings; the sites are always kept natural and very appealing to anyone who has the please of visiting. Along with the camp, there id a five-acre stocked fishing pond that our campers can enjoy.
The campground is family oriented and there are many activities for both young and old. For the outdoor type, there is ping-pong, shuffleboard, and basketball, or just sit and relax by the pool! For those indoor people, we have bingo and ceramics, just to name a few. Scheduled activities from April though October.
There are sites available for tent camping and sites for trailers and if you don’t have any camping equipment, there are even cabins available for rent! Of course we have all of the amenities from home, cable television is available on the sites, so you won’t miss your favorite game or the big race for the weekend! Come and enjoy the fun! Rosemount would love to have you come and see what we have to offer. Call 570-668-2580 for more information.
The Schuylkill County Fire Museum, located at 105 South Jardin Street in Shenandoah, is housed in the former Columbia Hose & Steam Fire Engine Co. #1 station in Shenandoah. The Columbia, organized in 1870, utilized the fire station for over 125 years before relocating to a new facility. The building also served as borough hall, police station, Gamewell fire alarm system and jailhouse for the borough of Shenandoah for over 100 years. The Schuylkill Historical Fire Society currently maintains an interesting collection of antique fire apparatus in the museum. The oldest piece on display is the 1809 Pat Lyons hand pumper, owned by the Friendship Fire Company #1 of Orwigsburg. The Pat Lyons pumper was built in Philadelphia and was the first piece of fire apparatus used in Schuylkill County.
The fire society has set up numerous displays and exhibits of fire equipment and memorabilia for visitors throughout the building. Displays include over 150 year of fire helmets, parade uniforms, a historical display of fire nozzles and breathing apparatus, an in-house Gamewell Alarm system, and a photo wall of Schuylkill County’s most serious fires. The Schuylkill Historical Fire Society is open for fire department, school and private tours. There is no charge for tours, but donations are accepted. Interested groups should contact President Michael Kitsock at (570) 628-3691 or Vice-President William Kline at (570) 622-3678 to schedule a tour. Membership inquiries are also welcome.
The Leesport Farmers Market is a third generation Berks County treasure. Grandfather, LeRoy J. Weist, raised the first building in 1947, and his sons LeRoy and John expanded and improved the market over the years. 55 years later, we continue to add and grow with the times, but we have never lost sight of our granddad’s commitment to bring to market the best of the areas farmers, growers, craftsmen, and merchants.
Every Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. the market grounds explode into an endless variety of plants, produce, and paraphernalia. Our indoor market buildings feature fresh country meats and cheeses, deli items, poultry, fish, baked goods, candies, fabrics, clothing, books, collectibles, furniture, stoves, health foods, and even a barber shop. In the outdoor sheltered area covering over 48,000 sq.ft. you will find an overwhelming selection of garden fresh vegetables and produce (many farmed locally), along with a tremendous display of garden items - bedding and vegetables plants, spring bulbs, fall mums, cut flowers and gardening tools. You will also discover antiques and collectibles, household goods, grocery items, baked goods, clothing, and almost anything else you can imagine. Our flea market gets rolling at sun-up and the farmers market runs from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m., with a livestock auction starting at 1 p.m.
For a list of upcoming events for more information about the Leesport Farmers Market check them out on the web at www.leesportmarket.com
