GAIL STROCK
Mifflin Co. Correspondent
MCVEYTOWN (Mifflin Co.)
When Kathy Phoenix of Mc-
Veytown, Mifflin County, gets up
in the morning, she plugs in four
crackpots. No. she’s not expecting
a crowd for dinner. She’s melting
scented wax to make candles.
Kathy’s candles caught the at
tention of shoppers at Country
Memories Day in McVeytown
this jmt summer. So she made
Christmasy versions for the
“Christmas in the Park” craft
show last month at the Mifflin
County Youth Park in Reedsville.
‘This is the easy way,” Kathy
says of using crackpots. “You
have to be careful of fire when
melting wax in a double boiler.”
But what makes Kathy’s can
dles unique? Herbs and ever
greens.
“I mold a candle, then dip some
herbs, evergreens or berries in
wax and stick them around the
outside of the candle. Then I redip
until they’re covered. The ones
with arborvitae greens, trailing
pine, barberries and holly look
nice for Christmas.”
Kathy makes another land with
decorated harder wax on the out
side and a softer wax and wick in
the inside. When the inner candle
wax bums away leaving a hollow
core, Kathy tells customers to in
set a votive candle.
Kathy also pours wax into de
corative painted flower pots. As
the wax hardens, she pushes into
the wax to remove any hollow
areas. She refills again and again
throughout the day until the wax
stays level with the top of the
flower pot It’s a five-hour pro
cess, but Kathy doesn’t sit around
waiting for wax to harden. She
and her husband Frank are busy
preparing for the spring opening
ink and Kathy Phoenix built a garden and gift shop on
their 50-acre Twin Ponds Hereford farm in McVeytown, Mif
flin County. The couples’ handiwork Includes molded can
dles, wooden garden gifts, and living wreaths.
Candle Crafting Makes
For Garden Treasures
of “Garden Treasures.”
Kathy and Frank have built a
24x44-foot garden and gift shop
with an 8-foot porch along the
length of it It sits near their house
on their 50-acre Hereford farm
called Twin Ponds. The Cum is lo
cated back a long lane off the Fer
guson Valley Road near McVcy
town. They plan to nil their gar
den and gift shop with unique
garden decorating ideas, crafts,
and possibly plants.
“I*ve. always loved gardening,”
reflects this Clinton County na
tive. “We’ve built the shop our
selves except for the electrical
work.”
With her husband’s woodwork
ing skills, he and Kathy will spend
the winter finishing the inside of
the building and making wooden
garden gift ideas for the grand
opening. They plan to make
everything themselves for the first
year or two. They’ve even built a
workshop on the end of the build
ing.
Kathy often clips ideas from
magazines, shows them to Frank,
then he creates their own version
from wood. He makes wooden
toolboxes, birdhouses, birdhouse
planters, Christmas trees and
wheelbarrows. Kathy then fin
ishes them with a worn country
look, adds a flower here and there,
or tole paints them.
“My mother took a tole painting
class, then taught me. I started ’
painting the flower pots through
last winter. My mother sews too.
She makes doll santas, bears, and
lambs in linen dresses.”
Kathy also makes living
wreaths. She wires two wire
wreaths together, fills them with
soil then wraps them in sphagnum
moss. Then she plants pansies or
pink or white alyssum plants in
side. If watered every day, they
£*yf b t
Frank and Kathy Phoenix built a garden and gift shop on their 50-acre Twin Ponds
Hereford farm In McVeytown, Mifflin County. The couples’ handiwork Includes
molded candles, wooden garden gifts, and living wreaths.
grow full and beautiful. Someday,
she’d like customers to enjoy a
cutting garden too.
So when the snow drifts their
lane shut this winter, preventing
Frank and Kathy from attending to
the businesses they own in Lewis
town, they’ll keep busy preparing
for the opening of their garden and
gift shop, stopping every once in a
while to refill an aromatic candle
or two.
For more information about
candles or garden treasures, call
Kathy at (717) 899-7787.
4-H Tractor Safety Club
The Lebanon County 4-H
Tractor Club is once again gear
ing up for this year’s program.
Del Voight, Lebanon County
agent, alerts interested individ
uals to the start date of Tuesday,
Jan, 6, at 7:30 p.m. at the
Lebanon Valley Agricultural
Center.
At the meeting, 4-H’ers will
be filling out necessary forms
and breaking into separate
units. All are invited to attend.
The 4-H Tractor Program gives
youth an opportunity to “learn
by doing.”
The course, beneficial to
youth operating agricultural
equipment as well as lawn and
garden implements, will meet on
consecutive Tuesday nights from
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Instructions start Jan. 20.
At the meeting you will learn
that better and safe tractor care
results in longer tractor life,
more power, and lower operating
costs. When you learn how to do
many small but important trac
tor maintenance jobs, you will
gain better production from
farm units and you will cut
down on costly breakdowns.
bfonw
‘Scents’
Poured flower pot candles and candles with cinnamon
sticks make a great aromatic gifts for any home.
Older members will learn
machinery maintenance and
repair.
While you are learning how
to care for your tractor, you
should also learn how to be a
safe operator. Another impor
tant goal of this program is to
help you form good safety habits
so you can think and act safely,
at all times. Equally important
with learning tractor care and
safety is the 4-H goal of helping
you to become a sound thinking
citizen. The training you receive
in your 4-H program will be ben
eficial to you throughout your
lifetime.
May you or someone you
know is interested in working on
a farm this summer. If so, it’s
important that you become a
certified tractor operator. One
segment of the 4-H program, the
occupational hazard course,
offers 13-15 year-olds the train
ing required to be certified to
operate farm machinery. This is
the only time the course and
examination will be offered, so
tell your friends and neighbors.
The course is operated by
screened volunteers and it is a
sacrifice of their time and would
be helpful for them to have more
members to train and give their
knowledge to.
For more information, call
Del Voight at (717)270-4391.
Kelly Pike Wins
4-H Clover Award
Kelly Pike, Quakertown, won
the 4-H Clover Award the the
Bucks County 4-H Achievement
Night dinner held recently at
the Lenape Valley Presbyterian
Church. Kelly is the daughter of
Jack and Shirley Pike. The
Bucks County 4-H Clover Award
is presented to 4-H'ers who have
outstanding citizenship, leader
ship, and personal development
records. Kelly excels in these
areas while being very active in
4-H, school and community
activities.
Kelly is 16 years old and a
10th grade student at
Quakertown Community Senior
High School. This is her eighth
year as a 4-H member. She is
president of the sheep club and a
member of the Bucks County 4-
H Voices and Action Team. She
has also attended regional and
state 4-H events such as Capitol
Days in Harrisburg.
Kelly is also very active in
her school. She is involved in
student government, Executive
Committee for the Class of 2000,
SADD, German Club, and the
Debate Team. She is also the
treasurer of FBLA. Her high
school guidance counselor calls
her "a natural bom leader who
is willing to make Quakertown
High School a better place to
be."