Clt—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 8,1981
4-H'ers experience
life in New England
BY DEBBIE KOONTZ
LANCASTER - Fresh red
lobsters, juicy, squeezy cran
berries, Plymouth Rock, pilgrims,
quaint little fishing villages
smelling of sea weed, and ocean
roars became a way of life for 26
Lancaster County youths last week
when they journeyed to
Massachusetts as part of a 4-H
exchange program.
From 11 clubs the 26 came,
unpacking their goods in Plymouth
and Bristol counties and traveling,
4 out of the 6 days planned, to sites
throughout the state.
An entire day was devoted to
famous Cape Cod, in Barnstable
County, with highlights being a
boat ride and an afternoon at the
beach.
On Tuesday the travelers visited
Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, a
bright part of the vacation ac
cording to Nancy Meyers, county
agent and tour member, because
“We were able to talk to the people
who live at this plantation who live,
act and talk as if they are
Pilgrims It was really fun and
very interesting because they
would only eat what they could
raise or grow, and they never leave
the plantation They called us
witches because we told them we
travel on planes and buses ’’
Meyers laughed
On Thursday, the now weary
travelers took a jaunt to Boston on
the “T,” the city’s subway system -
Friday and Saturday was free
time to spend with the host
families, a must for this trip since
the visitors plan to host their new
friends from Massachusetts next
summer
When asked to comment on the
trip, Meyers said, “I think a lot of
the kids enjoyed the historical
aspects this is where America
started,” she replied
“Massachusetts has a lot of
‘firsts’ to offer the traveler. They
have the first concrete bridge ever
built in the country in Plymouth
and the first divided highway also
This highway is very interesting
because it is divided by trees in
stead of concrete,” she explained.
This new Massachusetts fan
went on to describe the state as “a
real nice blend between green
forests and blue ocean scenes ”
An interesting aspect of the trip
might be the fact that none of the
host families were from farms, a
switch for 4-H’ers from a county
that is predominately agricultural.
“This was a new experience for
the farm kids especially,” Meyers
said
And according to the travelers,
the farm scenes were few and far
between
“You don’t see many large farm
operations in southeastern
Massachusetts - just a lot ot
cranberry bogs,” Meyers ex
plained She also noted that
Massachusetts is a leader m the
production of cranberries.
“We were able to see how they
grow cranberries. They are grown
in areas called bogs a little below
the normal walking ground They
have wet and dry harvesting
methods. We saw both The wet
keeps the cranberries wet and so
these berries are used for sauces
and such and the dry are used to be
frozen,” she said
“In the winter they flood the
area with water and the kids can
go ice skating on it The berries are
on vines, so they never have to be
replanted, but the farmers do have
Sk
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Cape Cod offers beautiful sites
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iy of this county's 4-H’ers was
the subway system. Photos supplied by Nancy
to spend their time with insects
and water problems ”
And every trip lends itself to a
new experience this one sup
plying a first in the consumption of
‘ ‘quahogs’ ’ for the curious 4-H’ers
Quahogs are a relative of the
clam and we’re assured they are
delicious
Hopefully next year will be a fun
learning experience for the
Massachusetts visitors when they
too journey to a lifestyle com
pletely new to them This trip is
one 26 youths will never forget
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Above and right are scenes
from Piimoth Plantation in
Plymouth.
Left, resting in the Atlantic
is the famed Mayflower 11.
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Meyers, county agent am
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trip meml
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Above, “Just got to get my
feet in it!"