Friday, July 23, 2010

Dog Days of Summer


Whew! The summer of 2010 is definitely going into the record books as a SCORCHER! We have topped 90 degrees just about every day in July, with no let up in sight. Molly thought that was a bit much, so we took a drive into the mountains and found a stream for her to take a dip in (it does get really hot wearing that fur coat all the time, we understand). We couldn't resist the urge to cool off a bit ourselves, the water was clear and beautiful and SO refreshing! It definitely rejuvenated us and got us ready to jump back into the busy season here in Gettysburg.

There are literally dozens of activities going on in the National Military Park right now. The daily Ranger Programs are in full effect, with some really interesting Battle Walks scheduled every day at 3:30. These in-depth programs are 2-3 hours long and let you actually follow the Ranger as you walk in the footsteps of particular regiments during the Battle action. If the heat is too much for you, we suggest one of the evening Campfire programs also offered by the Park Rangers. These are hosted nightly at 8:30 pm at the Park Ampitheater, no sun and plenty of seating! Click here for the full schedule of topics being offered in the coming weeks.

This Saturday (July 24th) features an exciting new educational program by local historian Deb McCauslin. Deb has done extensive research on the Underground Railroad in Adams County and is very knowledgeable about the history of African Americans in this area. Kitty Payne and her children were enslaved in Virginia, given freedom, lived in Adams County for 2 years freely but were kidnapped July 24, 1845 by 5 men in the middle of the night. This Saturday (the 165th anniversary of the kidnapping), you can see a mini-reenactment of the kidnapping, meet some descendents of those involved including Kitty's great, great-granddaughter and witness local history as a wayside marker is dedicated in remembrance at today's Elkhorn Inn in Bendersville, PA. Begins at 4 pm.

Both the Adams County Winery and Hauser Estates Winery are treating guests to free outdoor summer concerts in the coming weeks. Bring your lawn chair and your wine pallette as you sip and sit under the stars. Visit each winery's website for a full listing of dates and scheduled performers. Also new this year, family owned Reid's Orchard & Winery located in Orrtanna now has a tasting room in downtown Gettysburg inside the historic Jennie Wade birthplace on Baltimore Street. Our little town now boasts THREE distinctive tasting rooms from our local wineries, mention your interest in this to your innkeepers and we will give you a map with walking directions so you can check out all three!

As always, please visit our local Convention & Visitor's Bureau website where you can always find an updated Calendar of Events with all the latest happenings as you plan your time in Gettysburg. We hope to see you soon and remind you that the Air Conditioning is always crankin' here at the Inn, so come sit a spell and wait out the steamy summer with us! In the meantime we're going to follow Molly's lead and stay cool.


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