Category: Dig it, Write It.

Nationwide, sales of electric bikes (or e-bikes) grew by 145% in 2020, outpacing sales of all other bike styles. I was one of those people who jumped on an e-bike that year. I endured the naysayers claiming my ride was not a “real bike” or that I was “cheating.” Now, e-bikes are everywhere. With its fat tires, leather grips and bulky frame, my bike still turns heads and prompts questions. So, I thought I would write an e-bike primer and get caught up on the newest trends from two Lancaster County e-bike specialists.

The origins of baseball are unclear and undocumented. Historians can point to early stick and ball games in many cultures around the world. The roots of the Americanized game are found in amateur men’s clubs in New York City in the first half of the 19th century. Today, the MLB is the pinnacle of professional baseball, which has reached worldwide popularity. The places where MLB games are played are testaments to history, shrines of sports idolatry, and just a wonderful place to spend an afternoon or evening.

Deep in the onset of the pandemic, when we could not even leave our homes, I sat in bed one evening scrolling through Instagram on my phone, double tapping to create hearts on posts I liked and flipping past advertisements until one caught my eye. A cruise. A cruise was just a dream in a world where disinfecting packages delivered by newly anointed essential workers had become the norm; even a simple trip to the grocery store was an apprehensive adventure. A cruise was next level. 

Starting in November and up until Christmas Day railroads invite guests to reimagine and relive the idea of an old-fashioned experience by climbing aboard a holiday train. During their peak as mode of travel, trains became synonymous with Christmas as families traveled home during the holidays. Acknowledging this connection, small, historic railroads in Pennsylvania offer Christmas-themed trains for both young and old visitors. Each train is different, whether a spinoff of new Christmas celebrations or takes on classic Christmas tales. Here is a selection of railroads who deck the halls of the railroad cars for the holidays and spread the magic of the Christmas spirit.

My assignment was to shadow the bovine-inspired mascot for the afternoon and learn what goes into being the living symbol “en caricature” of an Atlantic League baseball team. Cylo, who claims to be a “distant relative” of the Phillie Phanatic, was accompanied by the Barnstormers’ marketing coordinator, Carlynn Adams. 

From tall case clocks to Amish furniture, woodworking has been engrained in the persona of Pennsylvania for centuries. A melting pot of influences has shaped the craft since the foundation of the original colony and, while today Pennsylvania ranks only in the middle of labor statistics for employed woodworkers, it is one of the most lucrative regions for those who make their living carving, joining and surfacing wood.

On a gray and slightly overcast morning on the Eastern Shore, oysterman Tucker Terry grabs a trusted employee and jumps in his maroon pickup for a short drive across the Delmarva Peninsula to the seaside town of Wachapreague. Terry leases water rights in Bradford Bay to “salt up” his bayside-grown oysters at Nandua Selects Oyster Farm.

Architect Ben Samberg can feel the pulse of an idea. A certain je ne sais quoi speaks to him through dimensions, aesthetics and history (or lack thereof) of a particular space. In his own words, architects “create in a sea of limitations where each enterprise is a new experiment.” This is why he loves what he does.

Lancaster County’s history of watchmaking is not solitary in its importance. Cities like Waltham, Massachusetts, and Elgin, Illinois, rivaled Lancaster’s reputation for watchmaking. However, the movement of this “uniquely American way” of watchmaking gained heady steam here and created an industry that’s still respected by collectors and historians alike.