Community and Lifestyle - Voices of Central Pennsylvania

9
July/August 2008
History comes alive in streets of Boalsburg
by Norah Shipman
Editor’s note: This is the first installment
of a three-story series to commemorate
Boalsburg’s bicentennial in October.
Christopher Lee begins the tour of the
Boal Mansion in a narrow hallway covered
with tan and yellow wallpaper. This wallpaper, Lee says, was originally hung upside
down, but the current wallpaper is a copy
and is hung correctly.
Family paintings from the nine generations of Boals line both walls, and Lee
explains the significance of each Boal
depicted in the portraits. From Captain
David Boal Sr., who fought in the
Revolutionary War; to David Boal Jr., who
opened the famous Boal Tavern, around
which the town was built; to George Boal,
who was part of the movement for education and a founding president of the Centre
County Agricultural Society, the Boal family has made a place for itself in the history
of not just Boalsburg, but the United States.
“The story of the Boal family is a story of
America, an emerging nation,” says Lee, a
Boalsburg resident and the museum CEO.
The Boal Mansion is located in
Boalsburg, which will celebrate its 200th
birthday in October.
“There is a keen sense of history in
Boalsburg because there is so much history,
and because the history is so representative
of America,” Lee said.
The history of Boalsburg began in 1804
with the Boal Tavern, located on “the king’s
highway, the highway to the west,” said
Boalsburg resident Debbie Simpson. The
village grew up around the tavern because it
was such a popular route.
On Oct. 9, 1808, Andrew Stroup finished
the first map of Boalsburg, originally called
Springfield because of the large spring to
the east.
The first lots were sold in May of the following year. In 1820, the post office was
officially established, and the town was
renamed Boalsburg after the second David
Boal, owner of the Boal Tavern.
Bypassed by the post–Civil War railroad
boom, Boalsburg avoided much of the rapid
growth associated with railroad towns, but
with the rise of Penn State University came
expansion.
The structure of the town, which is the
same today as it was two centuries ago, is
very important to Boalsburg’s sense of com-
munity, Lee said.
“Geography lends itself to community,”
he said. “The shape of the community lends
itself to how that community comes together.”
Boalsburg was developed around a central square, used both for markets and for
horses and wagons to turn around. The
houses along the streets are close to the
sidewalks, allowing residents to sit on their
porches and chat up passersby. The town’s
design, known as “traditional neighborhood
design,” combined with the current trend in
housing development, allows for a mixture
of residential and commercial.
Simpson said she likes Boalsburg’s
design because everything is within walking distance.
“Well, you know the nice thing about living here, I would say, is everything’s just
right here,” Simpson said. “You’ve got
Duffy’s (Tavern) here; you have a place to
eat. The bank’s down there. The post office
is over there. Specialty shops … It’s just so
easy.”
Boalsburg is also said to be the birthplace
of Memorial Day.
As the story goes, in 1864, Emma Hunter
and Sophie Keller went to the cemetery to
lay flowers on the grave of Hunter’s father,
a doctor during the Civil War. Along the
way to the cemetery, they met Elizabeth
Myers, who was going to lay flowers on the
grave of her son killed in the Battle of
Gettysburg.
They went together and decided that the
following year they would meet again to
place flowers on the graves of all those who
died in the Civil War.
They told their friends of the plan and
Memorial Day was born. Today there is a
statue in the cemetery commemorating the
three women.
Lee said the sense of community and the
history of Boalsburg are connected through
its celebration of Memorial Day.
“A township of 4,500 people welcomes
25,000 people in one day, celebrates its history, honors those who have put us where
we are now and comes together in the present as a community,” Lee said.
The sense of community, Simpson said,
makes Boalsburg an ideal place to live.
“When I was in grade school, I’d read a
book called Mack and Muff,” Simpson said.
“And there was always a family and a little
white picket fence and a yard. And the
Photo by Julia Sinn
A statue of Emma Hunter, Sophie Keller and Elizabeth Myers overlooks the Boalsburg Cemetery, where
the women first laid flowers on the graves of soldiers fallen in the Civil War.
daddy would come home and the kids and
the family would go eat. And that’s what
this seems like to people.”
Lee continues the tour of the Boal
Mansion, going first into the parlor, where
the family formally greeted visitors, then to
the more comfortable living room, and then
finally to what Lee calls “the most interesting room in central Pennsylvania.” This is
where visitors see, among other things, pictures with signatures of past presidents, a
lock of Napoleon’s hair and a signed photo
of the first landing on the moon.
This is also where visitors learn about the
family’s connection with Christopher
Columbus, wrought through the marriage of
Col. Theodore Davis Boal and Mathilde de
Lagarde, a direct relative of Columbus.
De Lagarde inherited the Columbus
Chapel, which was shipped to the United
States and placed across the yard from the
Boal Mansion.
The chapel contains a desk used by
Christopher Columbus himself, which, Lee
said, is the strongest connection to
Christopher Columbus in America.
All of this originates from a small pioneer
family in a rural town in Pennsylvania.
“If you learn one lesson from the Boal
family story, the lesson is that you shape the
culture that you’ve lived in,” Lee said. “If
you don’t like the way things are now,
change it. Things are what you say they
are.”
10
July/August 2008
Central Pa. vineyards offer quality wine close to home
by David Reinbold
Pennsylvania normally conjures up
images of railroads, Amish country and coal
mines—not French oak barrels and rows of
leafy grapevines.
But vineyards and wineries are springing
pros, such as California, Washington and
Oregon.
With more than 100 vineyards and wineries, Pennsylvania ranks fourth nationally in
quantity of grapes grown. State wine sales
have nearly doubled over the past decade,
whereas beer sales have remained steady.
With more than 100 vineyards and wineries, Pennsylvania
ranks fourth nationally in quantity of grapes grown. State
wine sales have nearly doubled over the past decade,
whereas beer sales have remained steady.
up all over the state, some even in our own
backyard, in Centre and neighboring counties.
I was curious to see what all the fuss is
about when it comes to Pennsylvania wines,
so I went directly to the sources to find out.
Before embarking upon my two-day journey to three vineyards in what I’ve affectionately dubbed Central Pennsylvania
Wine Country, I discovered some interesting facts. Turns out Keystone State wine
ranks among that of the country’s seasoned
Pennsylvania’s temperate climate is conducive to many native East Coast grapes,
such as the Catawba, a red grape used mostly for sweet wines; Niagara, the grape used
in most white grape juice; and Cayuga, a
white hybrid designed to be frost-resistant.
My first destination was Mount Nittany
Vineyard & Winery. The vineyard is located
in Linden Hall, on the south side of Mount
Nittany, which facilitates the growth and
flavor of the grapes grown there, tastingroom manager Sandy Alexander said.
Photo by David Reinbold
Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery’s five acres of land produce seven varieties of grapes: Cayuga,
Seyval Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, de Chaunac, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vineyard established its roots in
1983, when Penn State retirees Joe and
Betty Carroll purchased the five-acre plot of
land. By 1990, the vineyard was operational
and gearing up for the holiday season.
A tour of the facilities takes visitors past
massive 1000-gallon tanks—made of
see
Vineyards, pg. 12
11
July/August 2008
For freshness and flavor, local produce can’t be ‘beet’
by Angela Rogers
Last month, Lydia Vandenbergh wrote
about Bellefonte’s High Street Pub, which
uses local sources for its ingredients whenever possible. But eating local foods when
they are in season is something you and
your family can do at home, too. Now that
summer produce is at its height, it’s easy to
start.
When we first joined a community-supported agriculture program, I began to
rethink my approach to dinner. I used to
think, “I’ll have chicken for dinner; what
will go with that?” Now I think, “I have
cabbage, fennel and tomatoes; what can I
make with them?”
My weekly box of produce from
Groundworks Farms is a wonderful surprise
of new and familiar vegetables and herbs.
Groundworks delivers; others have pick-up
times, and you can select what you want.
Shopping at local farmers markets is
another way to try new local foods or experience favorites in a new way. The State
College farmers market on Locust Lane on
Friday afternoons
and the Bellefonte
farmers market in
front of the courthouse on Saturday
morning are two
that I frequent.
Some area supermarkets and smaller
specialty markets
such as Nature’s
Pantry and The Granary also carry locally
grown produce such as sweet corn, peppers,
green beans, apples and peaches. Look for
the display signs that indicate the name of
the farm. If your favorite store does not
carry local, ask the produce manager to
start.
Some local farms such as Tait Farm and
Way Fruit Farm also have pick-your-own or
harvest stores on the property. You can find
more local agribusiness by using the
AgMap at http://agmap.psu.edu/.
The Pennsylvania Association for
Sustainable Agriculture also provides information on local farms, and advocates for
LOCAL
Tidbits
local food through its Buy Fresh Buy Local
campaign.
PASA also conducts Centre County Local
Foods Week August 4 to 9. There will be
special events at all of the area farmers markets, and the week will culminate with the
Centre County Farm Tour Saturday, August
9.
This month, my CSA share box includes
beets. Beets are an ancient food, first cultivated by the Romans, and fresh beets are
really two vegetables in one. Of course
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see
Beets, pg. 13
Composed Beet Salad with
Parmesan Cheese and Olives
This beet salad serves four and is beautiful when composed on a large serving
platter or individual plates. The beets glisten like jewels, and their earthy
sweetness is balanced by the tart dressing and the saltiness of the other ingredients.
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there is the lovely red-purple round root,
prized for its high sugar content; but many
people don’t realize that the shiny beet
greens, which are also highly nutritious, can
be cooked like spinach or chard.
Beet roots provide many important nutrients, including folate, manganese, potassium, fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, tryptophan, iron, copper and phosphorus. A cup
of cooked beets contains about 75 calories
and has about 3 grams of fiber.
If your only experience with beets has
been the canned variety, you may wonder
what to do with fresh beets. When you bring
pounds beet roots
tablespoons olive oil
clove garlic
tablespoon lemon juice
pinch of salt
wedge of parmesan cheese
2–3 cups mixed leafy, peppery lettuces
10 kalamata olives, pitted and halved
To cook your beets, place them in a baking dish with some water. Bake at 350
F for 45 minutes for small beets or an hour for large ones. Once the beets are
tender, place them in a bowl of cold water. Remove the skins. Quarter the
beets and set aside while you make the dressing. Using a mortar and pestle,
mash the garlic clove with the salt until you have a paste. Add the lemon juice
and blend in the oil. Pour dressing over beets and place in the refrigerator for
an hour. When you are ready to serve, arrange lettuce on a large serving platter. Distribute the beets and their dressing on top. Scatter the olives around
and, finally, using a vegetable peeler, shave strips of parmesan cheese evenly
over the salad.
12
July/August 2008
Stoopid 50 brings mountain bikers back to Rothrock
by Fiorella Otero
While most people celebrated Father’s
Day by taking their fathers out for a nice
meal, more than 140 mountain bikers spent
the day pushing themselves to the limit in
Rothrock State Forest.
They were participants in this year’s
Stoopid 50 Mile Race, which covered the
vast trails between Penn-Roosevelt and
Greenwood Furnace state parks.
Part of a weekend of bike-related fun
sponsored by the Nittany Mountain Bike
Association and Shenandoah Mountain
Touring, the race took riders on some trails
never before used in events, among them
Pigpile, Shittaka and Brush Ridge.
Racers battled a blazing sun and buzzing
cicadas in addition to the grueling terrain.
There were cash and bike gear for the
winners and pint glasses for everyone who
participated.
The race was born when Mount Nittany
Wheelworks employees met to discuss the
idea of creating a camping weekend with a
bike race. In response to a proposed 50-mile
from
Vineyards, pg. 10
French or American oak or steel—used to
age wine, and a scaled-down version of a
bottling machine one might find in larger
production facilities.
Mount Nittany’s tasting room reminded
me of a quote by French scientist Louis
Pasteur: “A bottle of wine contains more
philosophy than all the books in the world.”
Among the wines that can be sampled are
award-winners like the Chardonnay
Reserve, a dry white, and Mountain Mist, a
sweet white made from Niagara grapes.
Tailgate Red, Nittany Mountain White
and Nittany Mountain Blush are the most
race, Nittany Mountain Bike Association’s
Kevin Bergman said, “I’m up for a mountain bike weekend, but I’m not doing your
stupid 50.”
This year’s turnout nearly doubled that of
last year, with racers coming from across
the country and across the globe. Rothrock
is known for its unique trails and challenging terrain, and the Stoopid 50 has helped to
popularize the area.
The format of the Stoopid 50 also makes
it unique. Most races have riders making
laps around a track.
“What people enjoy about the Stoopid 50
is that it’s a one-loop race,” said trail tsar
Frank Maguire, of Mount Nittany
Wheelworks. “People tend to like this better
because it’s different and not monotonous.”
Maguire, who competed last year, said
racing is a way of challenging himself. He
said he sings songs in his head to pass the
time during long races.
This year’s female winner was local
Michelle Stopper, who finished in five
hours and 34 minutes. Janel Demeter finished second in six hours and two minutes.
Christopher Beck, who came out in front
of the male riders, set a new record with a
time of four hours, 12 minutes and 55 seconds. In second place was last year’s winner, Brandon Draugelis, who finished in
four hours, 14 minutes and 35 seconds.
One out of the 20 women and 16 out of
the 125 men who competed in the race
dropped out. Fortunately, no riders were
injured this year.
Photo by Fiorella Otero
In July, Brian Burgess, above, and more than 140 other mountain bikers from around the country
and around the world descended on Rothrock State Forest for the second annual Stoopid 50 Mile
Race.
popular wines, according to Alexander, and
are available for sale in state liquor stores
across Pennsylvania.
After a discussion of the more than 20
wines that Mount Nittany has to offer, I was
eager to start tasting the Riesling,
Chambourcin, Bergwein and other wines
previously unknown to me.
After expanding my taste horizons, I purchased bottles of Bergwein and Merlot,
thanked Alexander and made my way to my
next destination.
Mount Nittany’s scenery and general
see
Vineyards, pg. 13
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July/August 2008
from
Vineyards, pg. 12
ambiance make it a perfect destination for
those seeking a more scenic locale to purchase their wine. Patrons can even purchase
a chilled bottle of wine and drink it next to
the pond while enjoying picturesque views
of the valley.
Oak Spring Winery—located off of
Interstate 99, just four miles north of
Altoona—is an easy-to-find one-stop shop
for all your wine needs.
“People know exactly what they’re getting when they walk out the door,” said general manager Scott Schraff. “At a state
store, you’re taking a chance because you
can’t taste before you buy.”
Schraff uses his more than 14 years of
experience to hone in on the flavor potential
of great wines.
He said many of the varieties at Oak
Spring remain stand-alone wines, whereas
other wineries ruin good grapes by mixing
different flavors.
“We try to stay away from blending flavors,” Schraff said. “You taste the true flavors. It makes for a cleaner wine.”
Oak Spring is no stranger to winning
awards, either, having taken home a gold
medal from the American Wine Association
for its Steuben, which is made from a grape
similar to Concord.
Schraff seemed oddly nonchalant about
the honor.
“Well, we’ve won a lot of awards, but
those judges are too critical,” said Schraff
with a laugh. “Judges are trained to find
something wrong with your wine when
there isn’t anything at all wrong with it.
They’re just being wine snobs.”
Oak Spring is for the wine shopper on the
go. With an easily accessible location and
sprawling showroom, you can bang out
your wine shopping in no time at all.
The last stop on my journey was Starr
Hill Vineyard & Winery, nestled deep in the
woods in Curwensville.
Although Starr Hill is only a few years
old, its president, Ken Starr, has more than
half a century of experience in the winemaking business. He learned the trade from
his father starting in 1952.
In the late 1960s, his interest in the
German style of winemaking took him to
Europe. Today, that Old World style of
winemaking infuses every bottle of Starr
Hill wine.
Awards are also part of Starr Hill’s pedigree. The winery won double gold at the
Keystone Wine Competition for its
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Traminette, a white.
Starr said there is a wine enthusiast in
everyone.
“We have over 34 varieties here,” he said.
“You’re bound to find something you like.”
Starr Hill, where Old World winemaking
meets New World grapes, is a must-visit for
central Pennsylvanians seeking good wine
close to home.
Local vineyards and wineries
Mount Nittany Vineyard & Winery
300 Houser Rd.
Centre Hall, Pa. 16828
(814) 466-6373
http://mtnittanywinery.com
Oak Spring Winery
Old Route 220 North
Altoona, Pa. 16602
(814) 946-3799
http://oakspringwinery.com
Starr Hill Vineyard & Winery
861 Bailey Rd.
Curwensville, Pa. 16833
(814) 236-0910
http://starrhillwinery.com
Beets, pg. 11
your beets home, first cut the greens off the
roots, with about an inch of the stem still
attached to the root.
Do not cut or peel the beet roots prior to
cooking, or they will bleed. You can store
the unwashed roots in the refrigerator for a
couple of weeks.
Separate the tender leafy parts from the
stems.
You’ll have a pile of the greens and a pile
of stems that look like red licorice. Place
the stems in your compost bin. The greens
will keep unwashed in a bag in the refrigerator for up to four days.
If you’re positive you don’t like beets or
their greens, try something else new this
summer.
Among the produce available locally in
July and August are cucumbers, summer
squash, lima and string beans, peppers,
tomatoes, eggplant, sweet corn, melons,
potatoes, onions, garlic and chard.
For cooking ideas, visit http://supercook.com, where you can enter the name of
whatever produce and ingredients you have
and get back a list of suitable recipes.
Enjoy!
State College Peace Center
www.scpeacecenter.org
“Cuba and Saving the Future”
a talk by Dr. Doug Morris
July 11, Friday, 7:00 PM
Webster’s Warehouse, 133 S. Allen St.
Stand for PEACE and against war
College Avenue and Allen Street,
Wednesdays 5:00-6:00, Saturdays 1:30-2:30
Donations can be sent to the State College Peace Center P.O. Box 483, State College, PA 16804
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