October 2007

COLUMNS & FEATURES

The Last Great Place
5  The Truth About Ruth By Michael Capuzzo
Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, loved the small towns, cities, and countryside of northern Pennsylvania and maybe that’s why he was a big hit here with the local folks.
 
Mountain Chatter
6  Tale of the Rail Trail By the Mountain Home staff
The Pine Creek Rail Trail gets longer, Wellsboro makes the grade, and a Lewisburg beekeeper has his hands full with media inquiries. Also, if you have two cloaks, give one to your brother.

Cover Story
8  Babe’s Big Bash  By Michael Capuzzo
George Herman “Babe” Ruth, barnstorming through Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, after a lousy World Series, hit a tape-measure shot in an exhibition game. And it took a 600-foot tape measure to measure it.  

Heart of the Mountain
15 Got Fermented Crab Apples? By Patricia Brown Davis
In Spain, you run with the bulls. Here in northern Pennsylvania, you can party with the cows. They may not be great conversationalists but they could tear up a karaoke bar.

Reading Nature
18  No Clear-cut Solution For Cougars By Tom Murphy
Though mountain lion sightings in the Twin Tiers are frequent, the possibility that big cats are prowling in our woods is pretty slim. In the West, however, the cougar is a fact of life and its coexistence with humans is tricky.

The Lunker  
19  Fowl Play By Fred Metarko
An odd duck starts a game of hopscotch with Lunker’s boat until he finally passes this daffy bird to another fishermen.

The Mountain Man
20  Brown is the New Black Robe By Roy Kain
Mountain Man meets a monk. But at first he thinks it’s bunk. 

Awakenings
21 The Three-fold Path By Reverend Bob Greer
In times of anxiety, the reverend suggests you rely on a simple plan and remember people, places and, passages. Counsel with friends, return to sacred spaces, and keep your Bible handy.

Yogamama Says
22  I’ve Got Rhythm By Kathleen Thompson
“Getting Your Goat” takes on a whole new meaning as Yogamama buys a djembe and gets down.

23 Highfalutin’ Brew By Cindy Davis Meixel
There’s a paucity of brew pubs in our area but that is quickly changing. Oh, and the beer sommelier will think you’re a dope when you order a “micro brew.” It’s now a “craft beer.”

24 In a Rut and Loving It By John Fulmer
Pennsylvania’s Elk and Cameron counties, as many of you know, are home to the largest wild elk herd east of the Mississippi. But how many of you have seen them up close when they’re getting randy?

On Stage Off the Wall
27 Octoberfeast of Fun
Mansfield University will hold tuba and oboe concerts that are heavy on the puns. A Polish choir will spin out ideal harmonies, also at Mansfield, and Tioga County’s Rajah of Refinement heads out of town on a theater excursion.

30  Hot on the Trail of Art By Dara Riegel
Naples, New York, is the site of the sixth annual Open Studio Trail, a weekend when almost two dozen artists and artisans give visitors a tour of their workplaces.

Looking Back
34 Jarheads By Joyce Tice
Tinsmith James L. Mason started a revolution in food preservation when he developed his canning jar in 1858. What he probably couldn’t foresee is that they’d become collectibles.

Shop Around the Corner
36  A Caffeinated Cafe By Tricha Martin
Fill ‘er up with high octane made from beans roasted on the premises. There’s decaf, too. Just look for The Heavenly Cup in Painted Post, New York.

Cooking Bachelor Style 
38  That Darned Scat By Terry Miller
Baby-sitting his nine-month-old nephew seemed like a piece of cake. Unfortunately, for our bachelor (and novice) volunteer it turned into a nightmare of out-of-control animals and burst pipes. 

Wine & Dine
40  Fun for Foodies By Holly Howell
It’s like The Food Network under one big roof. The New York Wine and Culinary Center in Canandaigua, New York, is a paradise of pleasure for food and wine lovers.

Ask Gary
45  Nuts & Bolts Advice on Screws By Gary Ranck
It’s somewhat of a theme column this month as Gary tells us all about fixing drywall screws, damaged heads on screws, and what to do when the screwing gets tough.