It was a Boon of a Time at the Boone Family Reunion!

It has been said that Daniel Boone was Berks County’s “gift to the west” for it was just a few miles from Reading where the pioneer woodsman was born and raised. Today, the Boone Family Homestead is perfectly preserved and a wonderful place to learn about this important contributor to American history and experience the life of early English and German settlers in Eastern Berks County. The homestead includes the Boone House, Blacksmith Shop, Barn, Bertolet Log House, Sawmill, Visitor Center, picnic area and trails…all of which sounds like a wonderful place for a family reunion!

And so it was as Explore PA joined in the festivities of the Boone Historical Society’s bi-annual reunion, which held its first ever reunion at the Pennsylvania homestead this summer. For the adventure, Explore PA followed Rexene and Richard Ornauer from Dover, Delaware. Rexene is a direct descendant of the Boone family and together she and her husband have been active members in this historical society. Needless to say, they were very excited to tour the beautiful grounds…and take part in some additional adventures we threw their way.

From my own personal experience, the Homestead was just beautiful and as with most of my Explore PA adventures, it’s a place I had never visited before. Aside from being incredibly picturesque, the Homestead also employs many knowledgeable guides who explain the history of the Boone family, give tours of the property, and help give you a great idea of what the Homestead was like back in the day of Daniel Boone.
Aside from visiting this new place, it was also wonderful to meet our travelers, the Ornauers. They were such a lovely couple and they were more than happy to be part of our adventure (including a plane ride!). But more than that, Rexene and Richard had terrific personalities...let’s just say that more than one camera take ended in laughter! It was such an honor to be a part of what was a very important part of their family’s history and we thank them for allowing us to capture every moment.

Extra! Extra! Explore PA hits the Road to Gettysburg, Meets a Talking Elephant and Makes Guests Jump Out of a Plane!

Once again, Explore PA has taken me to another brand new place I had yet to discover which is why I love being a part of this show! For this “Spirit of Independence” episode, we hit the road to Gettysburg and explored places rich in history while of course stopping to see some local treasures.

The wackiest of all local treasures was certainly Mr. Ed’s Elephant Museum. Literally a wall-to-wall collection of all-things elephant, Mr. Ed’s makes you realize how a simple hobby can become a lifelong career! The Museum has received much media coverage over the years, and it’s totally unique – especially with a talking elephant greeting you at the door! But aside from the vast collection of elephants, there’s also a great candy shop…that I of course had to visit too!

On this show, we also sent our travelers skydiving! Now, we don’t ordinarily throw our travelers out of moving objects, but Monica and Edwin were up for the challenge! I had been skydiving a few years ago, so I knew that they would love it…that is, once you get your mind around the idea of jumping out of a working plane at 15K feet. The footage is great and I’m sure it will be an experience they will remember for many years to come.

The historical side of the adventure took us to the battlegrounds of Gettysburg. Similar to Valley Forge where I live, Gettysburg is well preserved and a popular place to visit. It’s hard not to imagine what it was like in the Civil War as the knowledgeable rangers share the history of this historical landmark.

Another historical landmark we visited was the Fairfield Inn, which is where the defeated Confederate troops stopped while retreating south. The Inn was built nineteen years before the Declaration of Independence is one of America's oldest, continuously operated Inns! When you visit the area, it’s a great place to stop for a great meal and learn about its incredible history from it proprietors, Joan and Sal Chandon.

Finally, we discovered to true meaning of “hot off the press” with a visit to the Public Opinion Newspaper in Chambersburg. Like many things in our daily life, we tend not to think about all it takes to get things, like a newspaper, on our doorstep. Well, one visit here, and you can see what a big team and heavy machinery it takes to print the news. Truly impressive!

All in all, it was another great adventure on Explore PA and I have yet another location to check off my list of places to visit!