Jay D Weaver's Thought for the Week - An Evening in Conestoga

An Evening in Conestoga

Our Conestoga Home

Conestoga is a small village in Southern Lancaster County in Pennsylvania. Mary and I raised our kids there. We lived in a split foyer house on Good's Road from 1968 until 1994. Conestoga lies on a shale ridge a few miles from where the Conestoga River runs into the Susquehanna River. The Conestoga Indians were a peaceful tribe who were the remnants of a warrior tribe called the Susquehannock's. The Susquehannock's were driven from the area during the early colonial period. The Conestoga's returned and the last remnants of the tribe were massacred by the Paxton Gang when they broke into the jail in the basement of the Fulton Opera House where the Conestoga's were being held for their protection that night.

Well, tonight Mary and I went back to Conestoga to attend a fire company festival. These festivals are a true part of Americana. The local fire police are there, directing you to a parking place. We exchanged greetings with them since they were old friends, "Hi Dale; Hi John, how's retirement?" “Oh, pretty good,” they replied. The smell of greasy french fries fills the air. Boy, are they good. Of course the main food offerings is Chicken Corn Soup. If you've never eaten chicken corn soup, you've missed something special. Those egg rivels make it absolutely delicious. Of course, you must have a hamburger. But, I never understood why those guys take that spatula and press every last drop of juice from the meat. You put it back in the form of lots of ketchup and/or mustard.

After supper we joined the other overweight grandpas and grandmas sitting in lawn chairs to hear some loud rockabilly group try to imitate Willie Nelson and Roy Orbison. There are the 10-year-old girls chasing the 10-year-old boys, little tykes dripping ice cream all over themselves, goldfish in little plastic bags being carried by wide-eyed youngsters, my wife playing bingo, cigarette smoke thick enough to gag a maggot, and between sets by the band, a cheap loudspeaker blaring Bobby Vinton songs.

It was good seeing old friends and neighbors. There was a lot of good conversation. Well, it's 9:00 PM and time for old folks to go home to bed. So long, Conestoga. See you next year.

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