Last Weekend For Anglers At Opossum Lake

Oppossum Lake near Carlisle Pennsylvania is preparing for a reconstruction project that will take the lake out of commission for awhile. The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission has been drawing down water in the lake so that an earthen dam breast and spillway can be reconstructed beginning next fall. More than 1,600 fish have been relocated into Conodoguinet Creek. There is still 10 feet of water to draw down then the Commission can begin the next phase of the project.

This may be an inconvenience to local residents and people visiting the Gettysburg area, but when the project is completed it will be another amenity in this area that will prove to be a great asset and visitor draw. Many people come from Maryland and other areas of the state to hunt and fish. Oppossum Lake is an excellent location for fishing. You have until Sunday for angling at Oppossum Lake before the project is too far underway.

National Apple Harvest Festival Unharmed By Economy

I saw the story online in the Cumberland County Sentinel. The National Apple Harvest Festival, which takes place in Arendtsville Pennsylvania every year, saw a great turnout this past weekend and people were spending money. It seems they aren’t that worried about the economic downturn at all.

Does that mean John McCain is right when he says the fundamentals of the economy are strong? Well, you might be tempted to think so, but keep in mind that if people travel then they expect to spend money. People will generally not spend money they don’t have. If they don’t have the money to travel then they won’t be tourists. Gettysburg’s economy seems to be doing just fine.

That doesn’t mean the economy is doing well overall. Certain segments of it are doing just fine and depending on who you ask, the Gettysburg and Adams County economy are still thriving on tourism dollars.

If you like festivals and love apples then you’ll have a second chance to attend the National Apple Harvest Festival. The second weekend takes place this coming weekend and you’ll have all kinds of fun in one of Adams County’s most attended and beloved events.

Williams Grove Steam Engine Show And Flea Market

If you’re going to be in or around Gettysburg Pennsylvania this coming Labor day then I highly recommend a trip over to Williams Grove to participate in the Williams Grove Steam Engine Show. In fact, the show has already started and will run for nine full days.

Every year the steam engine show in Williams Grove features great entertainment, including:

• Operating Full Sized Steam Railroad
• A large assembly of operating Steam Traction Engines
• Model Railroad
• Gas Engines
• An Operating Steam Boiler House featuring several large stationary steam engines!
• Outdoor Saw Mill so you can watch logs become lumber!
• Gas Tractors of all ages and types
• Horse and Tractor Pulls
• Daily Tractor Parade
• Stone Crusher
• Threshing
• Bailing
• Shingle Mill
• Black Smith Shop
• Consignment Sale on the Saturday before Labor Day
• Flea Market
• Fantastic Food

Will that much entertainment, why would you go anywhere else?

For more information call (717)-766-4001.

4 Bridges In York And Adams Counties Are For Sale

The State of Pennsylvania is selling four bridges located in York and Adams counties. They intend to replace the bridges and want to get rid of the existing bridges, which are outdated. Which bridges are they? Here’s the short list (oh, pardon me, it’s already a short list):

• Bridge 193: 88 X 16 feet. Located on Bowers Bridge Road over Little Conewago Creek. The bridge was constructed in 1889.
• Bridge 64: Located on Bairs Mill Road and jumps over Kreutz Creek in Hellam Township. Size: 87 X 12 1/2 feet. Constructed in 1893.
• Gilbert Road/Hall Estates Bridge: Crosses Yellow Breeches Creek in Cumberland and York counties. 104 X 18 feet. Built in 1900.
• Wiermans Mill Road Bridge: This one’s a little closer to home. Located near York Springs in Adams County, it takes Wiermans Mill Road over Bermudian Creek. It’s 93 feet by 13.7 feet and was fabricated by the Pittsburgh Bridge Company.

If you’d like a bridge, contact PennDot. You’ll have to pay all expenses.

Take A Trip Along The Civil War Trail

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently installed 73 “wayfinding” signs along the Pennsylvania Civil War trail. The trail runs through York and Adams counties, Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Franklin and Lancaster counties.

If you see one of these signs you’ll know that you are following the civil war trail, the path of the civil war as it happened on the actual terrain of the events of that day. Along the civil war train in Pennsylvania, such sites as the battle of Gettysburg, the burning of Chambersburg, the place where the Union Army stopped the advance of the Confederate troops upon Harrisburg, the Old Carlisle Courthouse that was destroyed by Confederate artillery, the Harrisburg Cemetery where many Union and Confederate soldiers were buried, visit York (the largest northern town occupied by the Confederate Army), the site of the Battle of Hanover, which proved to be instrumental in the defeat of the Confederate Army, and various churches, museums, and other historic sites in the above-mentioned counties.

The Civil War Trail program is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission.