84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, January 20, 2001 30 Years Of Dedication Recognized At Folk Festival HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Francis “Skimmer” Wil son and his wife Mary have missed only one Farm Show in the past 30 years and only be cause the Governor declared a state emergency due to inclement weather. The Wilsons’ commit ment to teaching and their love of folk dance was recognized at the Square and Folk Dance Fes tival and Contest, as part of the 85th Pennsylvania State Farm Show. ly as her students performed; she was thrilled when they were awarded a blue ribbon. Four Generations, the team name for the Wilsons, also won a blue rib bon at the competition. When not teaching their weekly folk dancing lessons or traveling to a demonstration, Mary enjoys doing genealogy work for friends, family, and churches. She also enjoys gar dening. According to Mary, “Skimmer” goes to breakfast with his friends three times a week and is in charge of the citation to the Wilsons. State housework. The special recognition all began as a dream during last year’s Farm Show. The family decided that it would be a very special event if four generations of the family all danced together this year. The dream was real ized when four generations of the Wilson Family, ranging in age from 10-years-old to 77-years-old, walked into the Large Arena in the magenta col ored costumes they designed. John Gianelli, a representative from State Senator Robert C. Ju belier’s office, presented a special Representative Dick Hayes also sent a certificate of recognition for the couple. County extension agent, Dwayne Hay, who works with the Wilsons through 4-H, presented a woven blanket as a thank you on behalf of their 4-H folk dance students and Bedford County. These Belgians competed in the draft horse hitch 'T St' \d? Phi • Michelle R' ~.k Pennwoods Percherons, this year’s champion draft horse hitch, came from Centre Hall. Photo by Michelle Ranck [jP The Homeopathic Medical Society 11 of the State of PA * presents HEALTH FROM THE GROUND UP MARCH 1,2,3.2001 MIDWAY RECEPTION CENTER. LITITZ, PA Homeopathic Medicine and Dentistry, Organic Farming, Practical Nutrition. 15 Speakers Organic Meals Workshop Leaders: Steven Kayne, Ph D Will Taylor, M.D Sally Fallon Ed Arnold Roman Stoltzfoos For Information 1-800-811-1266 1 or 1-814-427-5004 Jr E-mail - alchemy@penn.com ffgj The Wilsons are the heart of folk dancing in Bedford County. Their self-started 4-H club pays a monthly dues of a $l, which goes toward refreshments at les sons. For years, the Wilsons have been providing costumes and transportation with the help of the Friends of 4-H to all the students interested in participat ing in the program. Last week, their 4-H’ers entered in the Divi sion B (15- 25-year-old catego ry). Mrs. Wilson watched intent- Jason White of Selinsgrove, Snyder County, was also rec ognized at the festival. White is a 95-year-old dancer who began dancing at the young age of 87. Before his division’s final dance, the announcer asked him to take a bow. NEED YOUR FARM BUILDINGS PAINTED? Let us give you a price! Write: Daniel’s Painting 637-A Georgetown Rd. Ronks, PA 17572 (or leave message) (717) 687-8262 Spray on and Brush in Painting Raising rabbits is a family affair for the Pajak family who have more than 100 of the furry purebreds. Chelsea, 17, is the state rabbit queen, her sister Julia,ll, is princess, and another sister Kylie (not available for photo) was a former rabbit queen. Parents Fred and Darlene Pajak and Alia, 14, are also involved in promotion and showing. Rabbits Inject Calming Influence (Continued from Page B 2) istrar for shows, which helps her gain knowledge and learn . Both sisters are appalled at the lack of knowledge many visi tors reveal at places like the Farm Show. Again and again, they need to prevent people from picking up rabbits by the scuff of neck. “That breaks the skin away from the muscle,” which is a neg ative when it comes to showing Luzerne County Teen Crowned Draft Horse Queen HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Carrie Martin of Dallas, Luzerne County was crowned Draft Horse Queen by the Penn sylvania Draft Horse and Mule Association at the 85th Pennsyl- An obstacle course pro vided challenges to both horses and drivers alike as the teams navigated over boards, backed through and weaved around cones, or eased around a bar rel. Photo by Michelle Ranch rabbits. Unfortunately many pet care booklets teach people to pick rab bits up by the scuff of the neck. “Pet care is different than show care,” Julia said. The rabbits are raised outside year-round. “Some people think that is cruel, but rabbits actually prefer cold weather over heat. It would be like us sitting around in fur jackets in 80-degree weath er,” Chelsea said. To cool the rabbits during vania State Farm Show. During her time as Draft Horse Queen, the. 17-year-old daughter of Wendy Martin plans to promote the draft horse indus try and to assist in a number of draft horse shows and fairs, es pecially the Keystone Interna tional Livestock Exposition. Carrie is a junior at West Side Area Vocational-Technical School. Upon graduation, she would like to seek a career as ei ther a physical therapist, special izing in therapeutic riding for physically challenged children, or as a member of the Mounted State Police. summer months, they are given ice bottles. Water freezing during the winter months does not pres ent a problem, as the rabbits eat the ice. Chelsea and Julia are active members of the Pennsylvania State Rabbit Breeders Associa tion (PA-SRBA). Chelsea also holds the title of National New Zealand Rabbit Queen, and she placed third in national competition for Rabbit Queen. She has spent four years driv ing draft horses through 4-H, winning state draft horse compe titions in 1998 and 1999. Mar tin’s favorite breed to drive is Percheron, preferring to drive “Tanner Dan” in Single Cart, and “Tanner Dan” and “Skye view Andre Did It” in Youth Team competitions. The Draft Horse Queen com petition involves writing a re sume and essay explaining what each contestant would do as queen. The writings are then evaluated by a panel of judges from the board of directors of the Pennsylvania Draft Horse and Mule Association.
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