Magical Mystery Tour – Boyertown

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24 hour Bait Shop in Boyertown!

It was a wet, but enjoyable trip with light rain and mist most of the time, but not enough to dampen spirits. We visited:

In Boyertown we saw:

In and around Pottstown we visited:

 

Maker Faire NY Followup Part II

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IMG_3196First of all if you didn’t make it to the 2013 NY Maker Faire plan to go September 20 and/or 21 in 2014. You can even come with us one of those days. I hope to get a van or bus together again probably on the 20th. Email me for details as they unfold.

Secondly even if you weren’t there you couldn’t catch everything, so here’s a second chance at it:

Watch video presentations from the Innovation Stage here.

Or the Live Stage here.

Maker Faire NY Followup

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The Robot and I wore red.

The Robot and I wore red.

Here are some highlights from World Maker Faire New York 2013:

  • More than 75,000 attendees visited the event — an increase of 36% over 2012
  • Over 650 makers and presenters shared their projects, inventions, and creations
  • More than 38% of makers were first-time exhibitors
  • 56% of attendees were first-time visitors to the Faire
  • U.S. attendees came from 46 of the 50 states; others represented 40 countries from across the globe
  • More than 750 students and 100 teachers visited World Maker Faire onThursday, September 19, for Education Day and the Teachers meet-up to learn more about making and to witness the inner workings involved in creating World Maker Faire
  • New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed the second annual “Maker Week,” September 16-20, in honor of World Maker Faire
  • Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) announced new legislation to create a grant program supporting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) proficiency for girls, minorities, and economically disadvantaged youth
  • World Maker Faire saw a 60% increase in cardboard diversion and 35% increase in diverted food waste compost collected through the efforts of GrowNYC, Build It Green!NYC, and NYC Compost Project Local Organics Recovery Program (a program hosted by Build It Green!NYC). Build it Green!NYC also arranged to haul away leftover materials and structures from the Faire exhibits. Overall 11,057 lbs of items were diverted from the landfill this year.

Platen Press Museum in Zion Illinois

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golding-rotary-officialNot that I get in the area much, but would love to visit this museum. In lieu of getting on a plane and going there you can view a slideshow of many types (pun intended) of letterpresses in this guy’s collection. There ARE actually some models I could fit in my basement… or my pocket for that matter.

If you find you HAVE to see one in the flesh come on down to the corner of Oak and Main in Ephrata, PA on a Saturday morning between 9 am and noon and we might even let you take one for a spin.

Check it out at the Platen Press Museum.

Conestoga Press – AAPA Bookmark

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Jeff, Print Shop Committee Chair (left) and Randy relax between visitors during the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley Christmas Tea.

In December I was able to print bookmarker’s with a lincoln quote, an interesting cut I found in the Historical Society’s collection, and an arrangement of borders into a design that was probably put together by Harry Stauffer, founder of the Conestoga Press. Copies were given away at the annual Christmas Tea and a special edition was printed and provided to the American Amateur Press Association and be mailed in packets to their over 200 members. For those who have followed the web address on the back to this site, welcome and feel free to comment below.

History of Printing in Lancaster County

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There’s a great site about printing in Lancaster County called THE BLACK ART located at www.lancasterlyrics.com which includes valuable information about Harry Stauffer (shown here) and his Conestoga Press which I now help operate at the Historical Society of the Cocalico Valley.

(Image: Harry Stauffer at the Ephrata Cloister, Lancaster County.  With Joseph Bauman’s Ouram Printing Press.  Photo by Mel Horst. From BLACK ART site.)