ANDY ANDREWS Lancaster Farming Staff NORTH CORNWALL (Leba non Co.) When you attend a When you attend a rodeo, you are “rodeoing,” said Rebecca Shirk, newly crowned Lebanon Fair queen. Rebecca, 20, is the daughter of Wendy and Den nis Shirk, Palmyra. • Made of 13 gauge Steel • All welded seams • Gravity Flow or Auger Free Estimates Also - Steel Roof Trusses for Buildings - Portable Hog Buildings - Bucket Elevators - Grain Augers Distributors - Flow Pipes & Accessories We Sell, Service & Install Ph: 717-345-3724 Fax: 717-345-2294 STOLTZFUS WELDING SHOP Owner - Samuel P. Stoltzfus RD 3, Box 331 Pine Grove, PA 17963 ‘Rodeoing’ Delights Lebanon Fair Queen rodeo, you are “rodeoing,” said Rebecca Shirk, newly crowned Lebanon Fair queen. On Tuesday at the fair she spoke about one of the favorite events she likes to attend with her friends from 4-H. She also spoke about what it was like to finally wear the crown. Rebecca, 20, daughter of Wen dy and Dennis Shirk, Palmyra, often dreams about what it would be like to own a small farm and raise horses, in addition to other livestock. That’s what draws her to being a Lebanon Fairgoer. Last Saturday, some of her dreams woe realized when she finally wore the coveted crown. Rebecca, a 1997 graduate of Palmyra High School, works as a food preparer at Basket Deli in Pal myra, creating some great sandwi ches and deli treats. She has dreamed of wearing the fair tiara and the spotlight it provides since You don't have to mimic ready-made porch pots or hang ing baskets to have a-lovely eye catcher for your front stoop. In fact, the plants you choose is a reflection of your own creativity. There are a few pointers to keep in mind* though, The guid ing principle for creating con tainer displays is to select and mix plants that will thrive in their final location, said Connie Smith, an Ohio State University horticulturist. So, pots in a sunny locale should have plants that like sun; pots in the shade should have shade plants. Knowing this simple guideline will help you avoid another com mon beginner's mistake-mixing sun and shade plants together is a definite no-no. she ran for the first time last year, only to be bested by Jessica Wat son, state fair queen first runner up. Last year, her attempts to become queen didn’t go too well. "I went into it blind,” Rebecca said. This time, Rebecca knew what what to expect. She remembered the stomach butterflies. She remembered how nervous she was, how ill-prepared she may have been to the questions posed by the master of ceremonies, and the impromptu answers that were expected. At the competition last Satur day, Rebecca contributed in a big way. “I helped calm the other girls down, because I know what it was like,” she said. “We get pretty nervous.” This year, she answered an impromptu question: What would she do about racism? Living in a town with few minorities, she learned from her How To Plant Front Porch Pots Herbs, such as golden lemon thyme, make ideal low-mainte nance fillers for pots in sunny locations, Smith said. Plus, they mix very well with scented gera niums for an unusual scented pot. As an added bonus, herbs are tolerant of mild drought-from when you forget to water them. Another good filler for sunny location pots is the colorful por tulaca or moss rose. Verbena, calendula, snap dragon, geranium, alyssum and dianthus are at the top of Smith's sunny location, no-work annuals. They need very little deadheading (pinching back the flower head so the plant remains full) and also are forgiving to the forgetful waterer. For height in sunny locations, try blue salvia, such as the Strata or Victoria varieties. Petunias are great for color - in or out of pots -but have to be pruned. Smith prunes back her petunias when she plants them, on the 4th of July and again on Labor Day to increase their flowering and keep the stems from growing out of control. For filler in shaded pots, try lobelia, which has a pretty blue color. As for accent flowers, impatiens are a tried-and-true standard for shade. But, take a .^3 Since 1972... The Original & The Largest POURED SOLID _ CONCRETE Iploalists ARE YO MANU PROBL KNEE DEEP? If so, call Balmer Bros. ■ Poured Solid Concrete Steel Reinforced Walls. ■ The Wall Is Only As Good As The Material Used. • Manure Pit Walls • Hog House Walls • Chicken House walls 1 ms ufflw Roid Bffllmei* Bros, (717) 73M353 noAM-anni CONCRETE WORK, INC. town h Ou*f V •» WW LmtAUhtmt • Concrete Decks • Silage Pit Walls • Retaining Walls (717) 159-2074 AhwMONl parents and her church. Gravel Hill United Methodist, about tolerance and patience and understanding. She already has seen racism firs thand. Her answer was, “to put everyone in a room and turn the lights out and learn how to talk to each other. People are more than the color of their skin,” she said. “It is important to look beyond the personal appearance.” Another answer was a five minute speech about why people should come to the fair. Rebecca’s answer. “I would advertise for the fair,” she said. “I would talk about the different events at the fair, what the family could do here.” She said her speech centers on the family. “The fair is more fun when you see kids with their mom and dad,” she said. “I like the atmosphere of the fair the peo ple, and just being here.” Rebecca said she enjoys talking with people and getting to see the different events. Her favorite is rodeo, but she enjoys line dancing lock at the different varieties of impatiens available. Some impa tiens look like miniature roses, and the New Guinea species offers dark green, broad-leafed foliage. For height and unusual leaf color and texture, consider planting brightly colored coleus Don't overlook standard houseplants, Smith said. Spider plants are great in hanging plants, as well as the trailing form of dusty miller and many forms of ivy Sweet potato vine also offers a different leaf tex ture than the standard vinca vine. (Trailing vines add fullness and depth to your pots, so don't forget to include them) You can plant a porch pot in anything you like, from terra cotta pots and plastic or wood containers to an old shoe or an interesting bucket. Just be sure the container has a drainage hole - and if it doesn't have one, drill it yourself Don't use garden soil or top soil in containers. These heavy soils retain too much moisture which causes root rot. And the soil gets hard as rock with watering. Your potting soil should be a soilless mix of ingre dients that helps hold moisture, yet won't become waterlogged. Ready-made mix is conve nient to buy, but if you have a lot STEEL BALE BOXES izes Available - • Also will fit sides onto your flat wagon Farm Gates Made To Your Specifications gap hill farm wagons 5549 Lincoln Hwy. - Gap, PA 17527 717-442-9489 Call Bet. 8:30 & 9:00 A.M. and “learning about different ani mals,” she said. Someday, she said, she wants to live on a farm. “I am saving money to buy some land, to maybe buy a little farm with a couple of animals, some acres, maybe with some horses and beef cattle, lambs a little bit of everything,” she said. Rebecca spoke about how when she was younger, she remembers how much farmland her town con tained. Now, it’s all built up. “And the kids in school com plain about how it smells the smell was part of growing up in a farm town,” she said. Rebecca is 4-H leader with the Little Critters 4-H, which has show rabbits. But horses and rodeos fill her dreams. Rebecca recalls with delight the 4-H Rodeo at the Farm show Com plex during Farm Show Week. “I love rodeoing,” she said. of pots to fill, you can make your own. A typical recipe is one part peat moss, one part perlite and three parts sifted compost. This works well for balcony and rooftop gardens because -it's light, but perlite can be costly If weight isn't a consideration, substitute coarse sand for the perlite. The trick is to create a happy medium between a well-drained pot that doesn't hold excessive water and a pot that needs to be watered every single day, Smith said She puts a cut-up piece of sponge or a clean, disposable diaper in the bottom of contain ers to hold moisture Also, when using terracotta pots, she coats the inside lightly with vegetable oil so moisture evaporates more slowly Finally, container planters are the one place where you can ignore spacing recommenda tions. Pact the plants in tight, Smith said, to help retain mois ture. 16’, 18’, 20’with or without running gear * Tandem Rake Hitches •
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