Part I: Emlenton's Got Talent
Part of the Emlenton Summer Festival this year was a non-competitive talent show called Emlenton's Got Talent. This show took place on the stage in the Crawford Center, which used to be the local school where our family's previous generation of Pennsylvanians went to elementary and high school.
Of course, Suzuki violin students always welcome the opportunity to perform, so Benny and Sadie played their polished pieces.
Sadie playing Andantino:
Benny playing the Veracini Gigue:
The kids made lots of friends and had a great time -- the whole show was very charming, the organizers were very supportive and loving with the kids, and it ended up being a very cute evening.
Part II: Emlenton Festival Duathlon
Dan came up from Virginia for the weekend, and competed in the Emlenton Duathlon. The running half of his team was a high school student from Ohio. They won! Here's Dan's race report, at his cycling team's web site.
Our neighbors also competed. They own and run a maple syrup company, homeschool their four children, and they do biking and jogging in their spare time! That's Alethea on the left with her husband Joseph, and then one of her sisters and one of her brothers, who made up another racing team. Dan's in the middle, completing Team Geiring Road:
Alethea and Joseph won their respective categories -- they both did the running and the biking.
The winning duo, with their trophies:
More of my pictures are here.
Part III: Kids' Bike Races
These bike races were fast, dangerous, and pretty much a disaster for the Netzer contingency. However, I did get some cute pictures:
A wild time in Emlenton.
Part of the Emlenton Summer Festival this year was a non-competitive talent show called Emlenton's Got Talent. This show took place on the stage in the Crawford Center, which used to be the local school where our family's previous generation of Pennsylvanians went to elementary and high school.
Of course, Suzuki violin students always welcome the opportunity to perform, so Benny and Sadie played their polished pieces.
Sadie playing Andantino:
Benny playing the Veracini Gigue:
The kids made lots of friends and had a great time -- the whole show was very charming, the organizers were very supportive and loving with the kids, and it ended up being a very cute evening.
Part II: Emlenton Festival Duathlon
Dan came up from Virginia for the weekend, and competed in the Emlenton Duathlon. The running half of his team was a high school student from Ohio. They won! Here's Dan's race report, at his cycling team's web site.
Our neighbors also competed. They own and run a maple syrup company, homeschool their four children, and they do biking and jogging in their spare time! That's Alethea on the left with her husband Joseph, and then one of her sisters and one of her brothers, who made up another racing team. Dan's in the middle, completing Team Geiring Road:
Alethea and Joseph won their respective categories -- they both did the running and the biking.
The winning duo, with their trophies:
More of my pictures are here.
Part III: Kids' Bike Races
These bike races were fast, dangerous, and pretty much a disaster for the Netzer contingency. However, I did get some cute pictures:
A wild time in Emlenton.
Labels: cycling, emlenton, pennsylvania, summer festival, travels
Stone Skipping Tournament in Franklin, PA 2009
0 CommentsBy Lostcheerio on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 11:48 PM.
Is there, no kidding, a professional stone skipping tour? Yes.
You mean that grown-up people throw rocks at a river and count how many times the rock jumps and compete against each other to see who can skip the most times? Yes.
Does this alleged "pro tour" include several former Guinness World Record holders, including the current one? Yes.
Can kids play too? Yes.
Last Saturday, Benny dragged us to the International Stone Skipping Pro Tour (stops include Mackinac Island, MI and Franklin, PA and... well, that's it) down at the river side in nearby Franklin. Benny is a big fan of the Guinness Book of World Records. Franklin is hometown to Russ Byars, current world record holder (51 skips!) and a man who carries his own signable cardstock pictures, and isn't afraid to get his feet wet helping a kid with his technique. Benny brought a rock from our creek for him to sign, which he did. He told Benny that skipping stones is all about spin and speed. Sounds logical. Easier said than done, though! Benny's top score was 3.
ESPN was there. Those white little legs under the green shirt are Benny's, partially blocked by the guy with the boom mike. Maybe he was leaning in to catch the THWACK of the rock as it hit the water? Or would that be the gerplunk:
A crowd gathers to see a man dressed as Edwin Drake (who discovered oil in this region, 150 years ago) throw out the ceremonial first stone:
Here's Benny studying his rock carefully:
Here's running from the camera crew:
I didn't take enough pictures of the crowd, or the festival that surrounded it, nor did I take video of the goofy announcer entertaining us, or the pro competitors taunting each other, the enthusiastic cheers when someone made it over 30 skips, or the polite golf claps when someone "gerplunked."
One of the competitors was an anchorperson from CBS Sunday Morning. Between that camera crew and the ESPN people, it felt almost surreal. Franklin, PA is not accustomed to such scrutiny, of late.
This one had a good time:
This one is still practicing:
For more of my pictures, click here: the unlikely but entertaining Franklin PA Stone Skipping Tournament.
Here's a page of official pictures, to give you a better idea of the scene, the crowd, the pros, and the river madness in general: Pa Stone Skipping Tournament
You mean that grown-up people throw rocks at a river and count how many times the rock jumps and compete against each other to see who can skip the most times? Yes.
Does this alleged "pro tour" include several former Guinness World Record holders, including the current one? Yes.
Can kids play too? Yes.
Last Saturday, Benny dragged us to the International Stone Skipping Pro Tour (stops include Mackinac Island, MI and Franklin, PA and... well, that's it) down at the river side in nearby Franklin. Benny is a big fan of the Guinness Book of World Records. Franklin is hometown to Russ Byars, current world record holder (51 skips!) and a man who carries his own signable cardstock pictures, and isn't afraid to get his feet wet helping a kid with his technique. Benny brought a rock from our creek for him to sign, which he did. He told Benny that skipping stones is all about spin and speed. Sounds logical. Easier said than done, though! Benny's top score was 3.
ESPN was there. Those white little legs under the green shirt are Benny's, partially blocked by the guy with the boom mike. Maybe he was leaning in to catch the THWACK of the rock as it hit the water? Or would that be the gerplunk:
A crowd gathers to see a man dressed as Edwin Drake (who discovered oil in this region, 150 years ago) throw out the ceremonial first stone:
Here's Benny studying his rock carefully:
Here's running from the camera crew:
I didn't take enough pictures of the crowd, or the festival that surrounded it, nor did I take video of the goofy announcer entertaining us, or the pro competitors taunting each other, the enthusiastic cheers when someone made it over 30 skips, or the polite golf claps when someone "gerplunked."
One of the competitors was an anchorperson from CBS Sunday Morning. Between that camera crew and the ESPN people, it felt almost surreal. Franklin, PA is not accustomed to such scrutiny, of late.
This one had a good time:
This one is still practicing:
For more of my pictures, click here: the unlikely but entertaining Franklin PA Stone Skipping Tournament.
Here's a page of official pictures, to give you a better idea of the scene, the crowd, the pros, and the river madness in general: Pa Stone Skipping Tournament
Labels: field trips, franklin, pennsylvania, stone skipping, travels
