What's With The Endless Mountains?!
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Lot's of fun, that's what! The Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania covers the four counties of Bradford, Susquehanna, Sullivan and Wyoming. The opportunities for outdoor recreation are, in a word, endless. Hiking, camping and fishing in World's End State Park is truly an outdoor enthusiast's dream.
With four state parks and one state forest and gorgeous vistas everywhere, the Endless Mountains just scream nature. But they also scream something else: "Loosen up! We don't take ourselves too seriously around here!" Oh, I'm sure if you look hard enough you can find that guy that finds cow-pie bingo, outhouse races and toilet seat painting to be extremely crass, but when I looked, he was in a board meeting. Hey, now there's a surprise. (No offense to any board members or those who attend board meetings, whether by choice or coercion. I've attended a few myself, and I know they are necessary. No emails please).
So, if you're looking for something a little different and quirky, pack up the kids and the camera and head north. Here are just a few of the slightly offbeat events going on this year.
July 11 is Laceyville Community Day, where you will find all the normal festival-type activities like entertainment, food, a bake-off and lots of kids' stuff. But my personal favorite is the Turtle Race. Again this year, organizers are expecting the very best thoroughbreds at the top of their game to come out and put on a show never seen before. Sorry, no mint juleps this year; it's the economy.
Just a short drive (unless you're a turtle) down the road in Black Walnut you can play bingo. Ordinarily, there's nothing too odd about that, unless of course you're playing cow-pie bingo. Yep, I said cow pie bingo. Basically, a grid is painted in the grass, and spectators pay for a particular space on the grid. Then they let the cow go out on the grid and do what cows do best. If the bovine decides to relieve itself on your square...Bingo! You win! I recommend up-wind seating. The event sponsored by American Legion Post 510 is usually held near the end of July, but the date for this year's event has yet to be determined.
The good people of Dushore sure do know how to throw a party. On Aug. 8, they will celebrate the 150th birthday of Dushore with normal stuff like delicious food, a pet parade and lots of vendors. But this event is also chock-full of silliness with roll-a-keg races, toilet seat painting (that one can be a little scary, I think) and everyone's favorite Outhouse Races! Just register your outhouse (apparently everyone in Dushore has one), dress it up a bit, get your crew together and roll. Well, it may be a bit more complicated than that. Just ask team Super Septic Suckers, OHR champions for the last two years. Jimmy Johnson and his crew have nothing on these guys. In fact, this crew doesn't work on the engine, they are the engine!
This popular event draws a huge crowd every year. You can find numerous You Tube videos of past events. This year's Dushore Founder's Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
County Fairs are known for food, rides, animals and competitions. We're all familiar with them: 4-H students showing their prized goats and women from the community entering their prized jams and quilts. That's great, all very Americana. But, that wasn't good enough for some. I think a bunch of guys got together and decided it was their turn to show off their skills. Hence, the Wyoming County Fair Lawnmower Races were born. This is their chance to live out their NASCAR dreams. Ladies, you have to know that when they're out mowing the lawn your husbands are fantasizing about taking the checkered flag at Daytona. You've seen the way they corner.
The fair takes place Sept. 2 through 7, but the date of the lawnmower race is yet to be determined, so check www.wyomingcountyfair.com for updates.
I think it's clear that if you're looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, you need look no further than Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains. The people are friendly, fun and surprisingly familiar. Oh, and yeah, there's all that beautiful nature stuff too.
For more information on all the amazing things to do in the Endless Mountains, click here and plan your trip using our online itinerary.
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