Caving (Continued from Page Dl4) nerves and you wind up with a polished, semi-precious stone.” She explained that the onyx in their cave is the color of honey, rather than the black onyx most people are familiar with. The black onyx, she said, is only found m New Mexico Demonstrating its tran slucence, Theresa held her Need... HUY STRAW UR CORN PEANUT HUU.S Buy Now and Save! More and more farmers are buying from us for better value and all around satisfaction. DELIVERED—ANY QUANTITY Phone Area Code 717-687-7631 ESBENSHADE TURKEY FARM PARADISE, PA. At Farm Credit, we can help you get that new tractor. Or planter. Or tiller. Or spreader. Or whatever it takes to bring your equipment up to strength And we find ways to make your Farm Credit loan especially attractive. WE’LL HELP WITH LOW RATES. Look around. Check prevailing interest rates. Then check in at your Farm Credit office. If you shop for your equipment loan as carefully as you shop for your equipment, we think you’ll see the ad vantage of a Farm Credit loan. YOUR PAYMENTS WILL FIT YOUR INCOME PATTERN. At Farm Credit, we always try to schedule your payments around your peak income periods So you pay us when your crops or livestock pay you. LET’S TALK ... YOUR PLACE OR OURS. You’ll always get prompt attention at your Farm Credit office. And if you’re too busy to make the trip m, give us a call. We’ll come to you. Most of us were brought up on farms, and we know how tough it is to break loose sometimes. It all comes down to this. Whether you need money for equipment or any other farm-related need, chances are, Farm Credit can help Drop by or give us a call You’ll find that we’re your kind of people FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL COUNTY OFFICE. ® flashlight against an onyx stalagmite which let the light shine through its semi transparent shape. Theresa reassures her touring guests that they are safe when inside the cave. She tells them geologists claim nothing has moved naturally inside the cave for 3500 years. To add credibility to her statement, she beams her flashlight to a fallout shelter sign deep within the cave This sign, she said, was placed there by the civil defense so she knows she’ll be safe inside the cave in case of a nuclear attack. Theresa is a delightful tour guide, answering questions about the cave with mystery and humor. When explaining about the 125 foot long natural bridge that angles through the cave, she tells her guests that the bridge is strong enough to support the weight of an elephant.. .“but who ever heard of getting an elephant mto a cave, much less up there.” And at one point in the tour, she let the cave visitors get a feel for how dark the cave actually can be without lights. After they’re con vinced that they can’t see their hands waving inches in front of their faces, she hauntmgly says, “It cost you $3 to get mto the cave— what’s it worth to get out? ” As her guests laugh ner vously and give sighs of relief as she switches the lights back on, Theresa tells how the water level inside the cave fluctuates with the weather. She relates that in dry spells, the water ac tually dries up and the cave becomes dormant. When Hurricane Agnes went through, she said, the cave was completely filled with water. “When the cave is dor mant and there is no water dripping from the ceilings, the cave formations cannot grow. If the water never comes back, over the years the formations will begin to flake away and disin tegrate ” As the tour ends, Theresa explains that since their family took over the cave they have done something special at Halloween—they ‘haunt’ the cave. Using colored lights and other special effects, the cave takes on an eerie glow, just right for the special mood of Halloween. “The first year we tried it, we only had it haunted for two weeks,” she said. “Now we have it haunted the whole month of October. ” Onyx Cave is open 7 days each week from May to Labor Day in September. The hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. They ate open weekends during the months of September through November, and March through May. Admission charges to tour the cave are: adults, $3, and children under 15 years old, |1.50. Children under the age Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 21,1980—D17 Leaning against a stalagmite, Theresa tells the cave visitors about the various cave formations, like the 125 foot natural bridge behind her. of 6 are free, and senior citizens are only charged $1.75. Ann Rizzo pointed out that if several families want to tour the cave as a group of at least 15, the admission charge is: adults, $2 and children under 15, $l. She pointed out advanced reservations are needed for groups. If you follow the signs for Onyx Cave, found scattered around the Hamburg- Kutztown area, there are generally signs marking the way to Crystal Cave nearby. Less than 5 miles east of Onyx Cave, near Kutztown, the cave enthusiast can take a look at a slightly different type of cave. If you think when you’ve seen one cave, you’ve seen them all, you’re in for a big surprise. SUMMER SfZZLERS Blue Ball Machine Works P.O. Box 176 Blue Ball, PA 17506 As you turn your car into the parking lot of Crystal Cave, you’ll notice a dif ference on the spot—a spacious, paved parking area, large office, food and souvenir shops, Indian tee pees, and a picnic grove give the visitor a more com mercial ‘hello’. A strenuous hike up several flights of steps to the cave’s entrance keeps the tour guides in tip-top shape and lets the cave guests know they’re not as fit as they used to be. Crystal cave is somewhat older than the 140 million year old Onyx Cave—the tour guide explains that Crystal is estimated to be 190 million years old, still a ‘baby’ in geological years. Like Onyx Cave, Crystal was found on November 12, (Turn to Page D 18) ETI4” UIOSAW Reg. $499.00 SPECIAL s 37s°° rids July 31,1980 JBS-14
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers