Expanding Suburbia: Route 39 In West Hanover Township Primed To Grow Over Next Several Years

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s hard to miss the signs pointing to Route 39‘s future north of Hershey in West Hanover Township.

Some of them are quite large and aligned toward the road.

While the names are all different — High Associates, Brownstone, Landmark Commercial Reality, among them — the message is pretty standard: “Available.”

In West Hanover Township, Route 39, also known as Hershey Road, is open for business.

What used to be rural farmland and rolling green hills is once again quickly becoming dotted with new developments and “For Sale” signs as two lines of force converge along Route 39.

Read more:  http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/06/expanding_suburbia_route_39_in.html#incart_river_default

Former Pennsylvania Governor George Leader Honored At Funeral Service

Standard of the Governor of Pennsylvania http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us-pa.html#gov (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

HERSHEY, PA – Douglas Yeboah first met George Leader about eight years ago while working as a chaplain at the state prison in Chester.

Leader had sponsored a program at the prison to provide guidance and mentors to inmates, giving them a second chance. He believed in second chances and he believed in helping people in prison, people others had discarded or forgotten.

Not long after that, Yeboah retired from the prison system and moved back to his native Ghana.  He kept in touch with Leader and the former governor would often ask about Yeboah’s work.  The work, he always told him, was hard.  There was so much need in Ghana, so much pain and suffering.  Yeboah told him that children lacked medical care and that many of their maladies were preventable, if only they had access to clean drinking water.

Leader asked what he could do and in a short time, a drilling rig to dig wells for clean water was on its way to Ghana.  Yeboah mentioned to Leader that he hoped one day to build a children’s hospital, but it was out of his reach.  Leader told him he could do it, he could make it happen.

Read more:  http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_23259461/gov-george-leader-laid-rest

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Triumphs At Giant Center

I attended the 4:00 pm Trans-Siberian Orchestra show at the Giant Center in Hershey, PA this afternoon.  I have always been a big fan of TSO but have never been to one of their concerts.  Now I am an even bigger fan!

The concert lasted two hours and 35 minutes.  It’s divided into two parts.  Their new Christmas production, The Lost Christmas Eve and then after an introduction of the band and singers, they played a string of their songs from previous albums.  They ended with their Carol of the Bells/God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen mash-up (which gets played on the radio a great deal this time of year).

Musically, I think they are superb.  Their level of talent is phenomenal and the music speaks for itself.  What you miss out on by not seeing them live is their incredible stage production.  All is can say is, WOW!  Lasers, strobes, fog, fire, pyrotechnics, elevated platforms and musicians running through the audience playing, is just some of what you can expect.  It is sensory overload, but in a good way.  I just saw Australian Pink Floyd at the Sovereign Center in Reading, PA last month.  They have an amazing stage production and laser light show but it was nothing like what we were treated to by TSO!  This was Pink Floyd on steroids!

The crowd was into it and TSO really fed off of our energy.  They were doing a second show at 8:00 pm!  People were waiting to get in as we were leaving.  I bet they get an equally great show.  You can tell this group of musicians loves what they do!  They were having a great time entertaining us.

The tickets were very reasonably priced and my friends and I felt we got great value for our money based on the length of the show, the stage production and quality of the music.

I give two Roy’s Rants thumbs up to TSO and highly recommend you go to one of their concerts if you are a fan.  You won’t be sorry!

To check out TSO tour dates or learn more about the group, you can visit their website here: http://www.trans-siberian.com/

Wyomissing Wins State AA Football Championship

Wyomissing defeated Aliquippa 17-14 to win the PIAA Class AA football championship today at Hershey.

Read more:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=436335

Related story –   Spartan pride swells for state title game:  http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=436220

Map of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States Public School Districts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hershey Restaurants Roll Out Savory Food And Good Beer

Chocolate Kiss streetlight on Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Great publicity for Hershey, Pennsylvania from the Philadelphia Inquirer!

A giant Hershey bar brushed past me, waved, and stepped onto the escalator – and I’ll admit I did a double take.  It was morning.  Hadn’t had my coffee.  And the prospect of breakfasting with a cast of human-sized Kit Kat bars and York Peppermint Patties at the Hershey Lodge was only just coming into focus.

Of course there were walking Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups here: Central Pennsylvania’s cocoa capital, a playland of amusement rides, endless sweets, and candy-themed attractions that run straight through the holidays, is where every kid’s chocolate fantasies can almost come to life.

The possibility, though, that there might now be something just as wonderful for the grown-ups to eat and drink around Hershey – Craft beer!  Artisanal charcuterie! Genuine country cooking! – would be my most enduring double take from this family trip.

Never would I have guessed such a thing possible from our last visit eight years ago, when we found little more than a soulless gallery of national chains.

Read more:

http://www.philly.com/philly/food/20121129_Hershey_restaurants_roll_out_savory_food_and_good_beer.html

Farm Aid Sets The Stage In Central Pennsyvlania

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Dauphin County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For just over a quarter-century, Farm Aid has used pop music to try to help fix some of the problems in American agriculture: the disappearance of family farms, the corporatization of food, and the widening gap between producers and consumers.

The nonprofit organization will bring its annual fundraising concert to Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 22, to once again share its message in a very public way. Performers will include founders Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp and Neil Young, as well as Dave Matthews, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Kenny Chesney, Jack Johnson, Pegi Young & the Survivors, and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real.

The show came to Pittsburgh in 2002, and organizers say they are excited to be bringing it back to Pennsylvania.

“We looked at Hershey before,” said Carolyn Mugar, Farm Aid’s executive director. “It’s right in the middle of some the best farm country in the region, and the size is perfect. We’re going to change out all the concessions to be homegrown and regional, and it is really going to feel like the venue is ours that day.”

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/735399_Farm-Aid-sets-the-stage-in-central-Pennsyvlania.html#ixzz26jwvan7p

Pennsylvania State Police Ranks Thinning

If Pennsylvania State Police troopers started disappearing from the roads, would anyone really notice?

Last week, State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan told a joint House-Senate panel that there aren’t enough new cadets in training to fill the vacancies anticipated by veteran troopers retiring.

Noonan said that when the current class of cadets graduates from the State Police Academy in Hershey this summer, the ranks of the troopers will still be down by 10 percent of 4,500 capacity.

Each class of the academy can produce 115 new state troopers.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=377182

Hershey Chocolate Fest 2012 – Sunday, January 29th

Sample tastes of mostly chocolate creations by area confectioners, restaurants, hotels and caterers. Enjoy the live entertainment, silent auction, children’s activities and the impressive cake competition.

Location
HERSHEY Lodge
West Chocolate Ave. & University Dr.
Hershey, PA 17033

Reception and Sessions Schedule

Premiere Reception
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
$50.00

Session #1
1:00 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.

Session #2
3:15 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Session Ticket Prices
$20.00 in advance
$25 at the door (as available)
Children 5-12, $5.00

Events
• Host: Jere Gish, WGAL 8, WINK 104
• Tastes of Chocolate
• Silent Auction
• Entertainment
• Children’s Activities

How to Purchase Tickets

By Phone
717-232-7509

In Person
Boscov’s (at select locations)
The Hershey Lodge
Giant Food Stores (at select locations)
Metro Bank

Chocolate Fest benefits Keystone Human Services: http://www.keystonehumanservices.org/

Hersheypark To Open On Saturday!

Image via Wikipedia

A week after flood waters from Tropical Storm Lee crested over portions of Hersheypark, the Derry Township amusement park said it will be open for business this weekend.

Hersheypark WILL BE OPEN Saturday and Sunday, September 17 and 18.  The park has been closed since last weekend.  Both Hersheypark and ZooAmerica will open at 10 a.m.

http://www.hersheypark.com

http://www.zooamerica.com/

Thomas Hylton Tells Derry Township How To Be All They Can Be

Image via Wikipedia

From the Derry Township website:

Speaker to Kick-Off the Review of the Comprehensive Plan

Pulitzer Prize winning author of Save Our Land, Save Our Towns and Smart Growth leader, Tom Hylton, will kick-off the Township’s Comprehensive Plan survey, Your Vision for Derry Township, on Monday, September 12, at 7 p.m., at the Hershey Public Library. (The survey will be available online at www.derrytownship.org in late August.)

Hylton won the Pulitzer Prize for a series of articles he wrote about Smarth Growth issues in Eastern Pennsylvania.  He also authored and produced a documentary that showed on WITF.  He will discuss Smart Growth, Walk to School Programs, and how to make a community the best that it can be.  (Because it has worked so well in Pottstown)

The September 12th event is free and open to the public.  However, seating is limited. To reserve a seat, email SandyBallard@derrytownship.org and she will mark a seat(s) with your name on it until 6:45 PM and notify you via email if the event needs to be moved to a larger location.

Visit saveourlandsaveourtowns.org for more information on Tom Hylton.  Funding for the presentation is being provided through a Dauphin County grant. (Money for glossy mailers in November)

All I can say to the nice folks in Derry Township is, before you go getting all in a lather, come to Pottstown and see Mr. Hylton’s handiwork first-hand.