Labor Day 2009: A Visit to the Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region - Part 2

It was Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend, and with no professional football scheduled yet, I had no problem getting inspired to get up and plan Day 2.

Largest parrot I have ever seen (and this wasn't even the funniest sign I saw throughout the weekend).

Meadville

I hopped into the car and headed 40 minutes northwest to Meadville. I knew a bit about the town’s history and Allegheny College there, but wanted to check it out for myself.

Because it was a Sunday morning, Meadville, like many Pennsylvania towns, did not have many shops open. However, the town was so easy to get around, that I enjoyed just walking the streets downtown.

Meadville's Academy Theater, Diamond Park and Market House

After taking in some of the sites, I stopped in the The Artistist's Cup Cafe, an intriguing coffee house and internet hot spot that also sells local art. While waiting for my beverage, noticed the following pin:

After some research, I learned about a project in town called Make It Meadville, a local initiative to preserve, promote and improve the unique historic character, arts, culture, and educational opportunities of downtown and act as a catalyst for economic development. With a $3 donation, you can purchase the pin, and when wearing it, you can get discounts at stores and restaurants throughout the city. The locals should be commended for their proactive effort to keep their community thriving.

The Wilhelm Winery
By mid-afternoon, I was back in the car and on my way to the Wilhelm Winery in Hadley, which was holding its Tenth Annual End of Summer Winefest that weekend.

(Sidenote: Some interesting artwork outside of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation building in Meadville. Very creative use of street signs).

After a leisurely drive with some good tunes, all of a sudden I noticed that the GPS was telling me I was approaching my destination, despite the fact that I was surrounded by fields of...well, not much.

I thought that perhaps I was asking too much of my navigational device, but then out of nowhere, a sign appeared...

As I was parking, I initially thought that this was a family gathering and not actually open to the public. It felt very much like a community, but I guess when you hold a free picnic and wine tasting every year for a decade, it tends to bring people together (although based on a straw poll, about 70% of the people there that day had never visited the winery before).

First things first. Head into the winery and start my “research.” Very impressed by the selection of wines, as well as the knowledgeable staff. They were having as much fun serving as the patrons were having consuming.

After 20 minutes, I decided to take a break and take a look at the small museum they had that consisted of techniques and tools used by previous generations for making wine.

As I was looking at the antiques, an announcement was made that a tour was about to commence. Despite all the action going on, Gary and Trish Shilling, the husband-and-wife owners of the winery, took time out of their schedule to show a group around the century-old house. To my surprise, the entire winemaking process (from crushing to bottling) takes place in three rooms in the basement. It seemed a little strange, but between the information that was shared and sampling that I drank, they were clearly doing everything right.

Once the tour was over, I decided to take one more sampling of my three favorites (the Fredonia, the Delaware and the Sunrise Blush) before choosing a bottle to purchase. The last sips confirmed what I had decided earlier, and I quickly went to the front and requested a bottle of the Delaware, a nice white wine, before heading back to my car and hitting the road.

The Great Stoneboro Fair
To continue my trip south, the Great Stoneboro Fair is something that peaked my interest. Festivals and fairs had been a staple of my Labor Days throughout my life, and based on the description and history I read about this particular one, I definitely wanted to check it out.

Once again, after a very relaxing drive, I arrived at the fairgrounds to see the event in full effect. For $10, I got to park and was told that I had access to the whole grounds (didn’t really understand what a great deal that was until later).

Before I started, I needed to “carb-up” (especially with the heat and the wine I just consumed), so I grabbed a quick gyro (without the sauce. Have many a fair story involving wearing messy food) and started taking everything in. The carnival section was going strong. and while I wasn't in the market for a composter, combine or subsoiler, based on the selection they were showing off, I thought that perhaps I should be.

Needing a quick break from the heat, I sat down in a little barn with some benches. All of a sudden, four guys with instruments appeared on stage. It sort of happened suddenly, so I thought it was an impromptu jam session (which wouldn't have surprised me in the slightest), but one guy showed up with a double-bass, so it couldn’t have been too spur of the moment.

The gentlemen (2 of whom were brothers. The 2 in the middle, I believe) spent a little over an hour playing an array of bluegrass music. Bluegrass is not a style of music I grew up with or I would consider a staple on my mp3 player, but I appreciated that they were having a great time playing together and the audience was having a great time listening (and singing along in some cases).

When the performance was over, I went to grab some homemade ice cream and people-watched for a bit when I noticed a large of group headed toward some stadium seating. Now, the one complaint I had about the fair was the lack of availability to an itinerary. I wasn’t sure what was happening at at all, so, I just followed the crowd most of the time.

As I approached, I noticed a huge banner with the name Chuck Wicks on it, which was sitting next to a tour bus, also with the name Chuck Wicks on it. Based on this information, and the number t-shirts I saw people wearing with the same name on it, I deduced that Chuck Wicks was nearby. The problem was, I wasn’t really sure who Chuck Wicks was or what he did. I assumed, based on the stage and the CDs that were being sold, he was a singer of some sorts.

However, that didn’t stop me. I headed towards the seats (which were free with admission. Great job, Stoneboro Fair!!!), where it became clear that I was the ONLY one who had no idea who Chuck Wicks was. Most of the people knew him as a touring country music star, while others knew him as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Either way, the crowd was in a frenzy waiting for him to appear, and when he did, it erupted.

Now, I don’t listen to a lot of country music either, but I found myself rather impressed with not only Chuck Wicks’ talent, but his stage presence and his ability to keep the crowd riled up. It was a very entertaining show.

After the concert, I decided to grab a quick bite and stake out the best place to watch the fireworks. While I was waiting, I started up a conversation with a gentleman that had been coming to the Great Stoneboro Fair for 56 years. I asked him about how it has changed in that time, and his response was simple: It hasn’t. Sure, some of the carnival rides are different and some of the farm equipment is more technological and the types of food that is sold is more expansive, but overall this Labor Day event has stayed the way it has since he had been coming, and probably well before that.

Sitting on my car, watching the fireworks explode into the sky with the full moon as a backdrop, I thought about the gentleman's comment and what a comfort that must be. Life can throw curves at you at every turn, but for the people in this community, they have known that every September, for 142 years, the Great Stoneboro Fair has been there to entertain them and help them say goodbye to summer. It is tradition, which was a common theme to everything I saw throughout the region that day.

It had been a long day, and so I headed back to my hotel to sit back and relax. I still had one more day to go, and I was determined to make the most of it.

Labor Day 2009: A Visit to the Pennsylvania Great Lakes Region - Part 1

Summer was coming to an end, and with the stresses of life hitting as they usually do when summer comes to an end, I needed a place to escape to just for a bit. However, I didn’t want to travel for the sake of traveling. I needed to go someplace specific:

• I wanted to be able to relax, but didn’t want to be just lounging around.
• I wanted something that could be educational, but wasn’t only educational.
• I wanted something that was away from the grind, but not away from the human race.
• Oh, and if it wasn’t too expensive, that would be ok.

A friend of mine suggested the PA Great Lakes Region. Now, he is a bit biased (he does some promotional work for the region), but he said it was the exact kind of place I may be looking for.
I decided to give it a shot. Why not? It is only three days, and if I get bored, I know how to get home.

However, it became clear early on that three days was far too little to see everything I wanted to see…


The Drive
I drove from Harrisburg on Saturday, leaving as the Penn State game was starting because I knew I would be driving in that direction and I wanted to avoid all semblance of traffic that usually comes with a home game.

Driving towards Beaver Stadium. Penn State was winning 31-0 at this point

It was about a 3 ½ hour drive up to the northwest region, and one of the easiest 3 ½ hour drives I have ever done.

Much of the trip was on Route 322, which spans a large majority of Pennsylvania. I have traveled on parts of 322 in a number of different counties in Pennsylvania, and I must say that Venango County has some of the prettiest strips of the route I have been on.

I set up my homebase in Cranberry, a nice town that is home to the Cranberry Festival (being held on September 19th and something I'm going to be sorry to miss based on the agenda). Plus, it wasn’t too far from any of the spots I wanted to visit.


Oil City
After getting to the hotel and getting caught up on football highlights, I headed out to do some exploring. Oil City, being only 8 miles away, was my first trip. Oil City’s heritage is pretty well documented, so I won’t go into the history that I learned, but the place is like a blast from the past. Crossing the bridge over the Allegheny River into the historic district, it was like entering the back lot of a movie set, with train tracks that ran through the town like Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I took a nice walk around and enjoyed both the architecture and art while enjoying the afternoon turn to evening.

A quick collage I call "Sunset in Oil City"

Franklin
Too early to head back to the hotel, so I followed signs to Franklin, which I had also heard good things about. Unfortunately, it was too dark to take quality pictures, so you are going to have to trust me when I say that the Main Street of Franklin is quite intriguing, again, with many retro-style storefronts, as well as a beautiful park.

One thing I did want to highlight was the meal I had. At the suggestion of a colleague, I was told to try out Bella Cucina, a fine dining establishment - serving everything from seafood to steak - right in the heart of town. I decided to sit at the bar and enjoy their chicken caesar salad (a house specialty I’ve been told) while talking with some locals about the area. A tremendous meal with tremendous atmosphere.

Clearly, by the number of people there, it is a favorite of the locals, but if I wasn’t looking for it, I probably would not have noticed it. Unfortunately, they don’t have a website, but for more information, you can email them here.

By this time, I had no trouble calling it a night. I had a full schedule the next day and I wanted to be ready for it….