MARSHA ANN CHESS
Mercer Co. Correspondent
MERCER (Mercer Co.)
Three hundred dozen eggs, nearly
a ton of sugar, gallons and gallons
of cream and milk, not to mention
1,000 pounds of strawberries, and
cases of chocolate sauce, what
kind of recipe is this? At the
Northwestern Pennsylvania
Guernsey Breeders Association’s
annual Guernsey Ice Cream So
cial, this is the recipe for fun and
enough ice cream to serve be
tween 3,000 and 5,000 people all
they can eat complete with straw
berries and/or chocolate syrup on
top.
The 1998 Social was a hit with
approximately 3,200 visitors en
joying the cool summertime treat,
meeting dairy royalty, and spend
ing time with family and friends.
Longtime visitors reminisced
about days gone by and children
got to meet a Guernsey calf.
The ticket line for the event,
which is held at the Mercer Coun
ty 4-H Park near Mercer, was of
ten hundreds deep. Some people
waited in line nearly a hour, but
when they got to the end of the
line servers armed with garden
trowels and tables full of cake
were ready and willing to make
sure no one went away hungry.
The Guernsey Ice Cream Social
started back in the early 1950 s as a
social event for the Northwest Pa.
Guernsey Breeders, but it was
soon opened to the public and
grew into a successful fund raiser.
Over the years it has grown and
changed, according to current
chairperson Bill Cannon. The
event outgrew the facilities at
Brandy Springs Park, Mercer, in
the ’6os and was moved to the
Mercer County 4-H Park at that
time.
Money raised at the Ice Cream
Social is used to fund Guernsey
Youth activities including gifts for
every child who shows a Guem-
State Preservation Board
Approves 12 Farms
HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.)
Agriculture Secretary Samuel
E. Hayes Jr. recently announced
that the Agricultural Land Preser
vation Board has approved ease
ment purchases for 12 farms
across th<* Commonwealth, in
cluding the first farm approved in
Sullivan County.
“The addition of these farms
demonstrates that Gov. Tom
Ridge’s commitment to the future
of the agricultural tradition in
Pennsylvania is steadfast and
strong,” said Hayes, who chairs
the board.
Created in 1989, the Pennsylva
nia Agricultural Land Preserva
tion Board is responsible for the
oversight of the state Farmland
Preservation Program.
The program allows the state
and counties to purchase develop
ment rights, referred to as ease
ments, to guarantee that farms will
remain as agricultural land.
Including one county-owned
easement accepted, the Farmland
Preservation Program has pro
tected 950 farms in 40 counties
encompassing 120,486 acres.
The 12 properties, including
owner, township, acreage and pur
chase cost, include:
In Berks County: David and
Guernsey Ice Cream Social Cool Summer Tradition
sey in the Northwest District and
helping with travel expenses for
district and state shows. The
money is also used to subsidize
the cost of the banquet at the
NWPGBA annual meeting. Final
ly, donations are made to the Mer
cer County 4-H Development
Committee, Mercer and Crawford
County Dairy Princesses, and the
local Jaycees.
The ice cream mix is made by
members of the NWPGBA at their
annual mixing day and frozen by a
local ice cream maker. Although
the sight has moved many times
over the years as family run dair
ies closed down, companies
changed hands, and the social
grew. Currently, the mix is made
at Richard Fisher’s in Portersville
and the Ice Cream is Frozen at
Jam’s Ice Cream in New Castle.
Most of the milk is donated by
NWPGBA members and all labor
is voluntary. The Mercer County
4-H members and leaders and
Northwest Guernsey Breeders
serve the ice cream and cake and
wait tables and the Jaycees help
with parking.
“I don’t think there is anything
like this in the state,” says Can
non. Who has been actively in
volved over the years. At one
point the ice cream was mixed at a
small processing plant at his farm
and he has been actively involved
in perfecting the secret recipe.
“You have to have a good prod
uct to succeed,” says Cannon, "the
hardest part is getting started, but
once you do word of mouth soon
spreads.”
The Guernsey Ice Cream Social
is in many way a dream come true
for kids young and not so young,
after all it’s one of the few places
you can get all the ice cream you
want and some people even just
consider it supper. “I go every
year,” says Diane Brest, “I think
it’s just the idea of getting all the
ice cream you can eat for just $4.”
Lisa Manbeck, Heidelberg Town
ship, 73 acres, $145,520; Dennis
and Margaret Manbeck, Heidel
berg Township, 117 acres,
$233,880.
In Blair County; Harry I. Al
bright, Tyrone Township, 106
acres, $74,267.
In Bucks County: Charles W.
Livezey Jr., Buckingham Town
ship, 71 acres, $650,900.
Butler County: Donald K. and
David K. Thompson, Buffalo
Township, 95 acres, $189,540.
Centre County: Murry C. Mc-
Junking, Spring Township, 112
acres, $123,014.
Columbia County: Lloyd E. and
Frances J. George, Franklin
Township, 142 acres, $142,217.
Lancaster County: Lloyd M.
and Marlene N. Reiff, Warwick
Township, 56 acres, $250,970.
Montour County: Albert R. and
Kathryn Heebner, Limestone
Township, 50 acres, $35,000.
Sullivan County: Harvey and
Mary Vough, Forks Township, 55
acres, $49,520.
Westmoreland County; Hein
nickle Farms Inc., Hempfield
Township, 500 acres, $1,237,596.
York County: A. Joseph and
Phyllis K. Gamer, Washington
Township, 282 acres, $329,416.
Waiting In line for a cool treat on a perfect July evening becomes a social event.
1
“Daisy” the Guernsey Calf is a hit with the kids at the
Guernsey Ice Cream Social.
Make mine vanilla with chocolate on top.
Now that’s a scope of ice
Cream, on the trowel of one
of the many volunteers who
help make the Guernsey Ice
Cream Social a success. The
Guernsey Breeders use gar
den trowels because regular
Ice cream scopes can’t take
the strain.
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