That's a Whole Lot of Bananas!

Just three miles from the inn lies a food lover’s dream. 

Shady Maple. 

It’s the largest smorgasbord in Lancaster County.  In a county that has quite a few PA Dutch restaurants, that’s saying something!  Here are the numbers:  40 items on the salad bar, 7 meats, 14 vegetables and over 25 desserts.

Each day of the week features a different highlight.  Tuesday is seafood night – a favorite of our guests. 

Our advice is to go hungry and get the roast beef, broasted chicken and dried corn.  We can’t get enough of these!  A smorgasbord is also an opportunity to try some Pennsylvania Dutch foods that you might be curious about – like chow-chow, chicken-corn chowder, pepper cabbage, and shoofly pie.

Though it’s big – I recently learned that it’s the largest one on the east coast, (last year they fed 1,345,000 people), they do a great job of keeping it very clean.  And you’ll never feel rushed.

Shady recently earned a plaque from Sight and Sound Theaters announcing that they are the dining choice of their customers.  Speaking of numbers, that’s a lot of folks as well!

Our guests not only enjoy the enormous buffet, but the gift shop and farm market too. 

And what a farm market it is.  Shady makes its own sausages - we serve the sundried tomato and basil chicken sausage at breakfast.  It has a large bakery section (try the gourmet peach bread) and even carry gluten-free whoopie pies.  Shady buys fresh local produce from our local farmers auction (just outside of Terre Hill).   

And, best of all, Shady Maple is very good to the community, supporting a lot of local charities.  So the money stays locally rather than benefiting some huge company out in Arkansas. 

I was at a luncheon recently and learned that Shady’s two biggest sellers are donuts (they sold one million last year) and bananas -  over 600,000 lbs. - that’s more than the 30,000 in Harry Chapin’s song!

So the next time you find yourself in Lancaster County and craving either a banana or donut, you now know where to go!

Jonah – it sounds like a whale of a good time in Lancaster County

Two weeks ago I attended a preview of the 2012 show at Sight and Sound...Jonah.  It promises to be the most interactive show the theater has ever produced – and these folks have been in the business for 35 years.

Jonah is one of the shortest stories in the Bible, and Sight and Sound admits they took some liberty with this story, expounding on the personality of the character of Jonah. They’ll use lots of symbolism and humor during the play. From what I saw, Jonah is a bit like his house – rigid and straight and strictly adhering to the laws, and God would like him to be just a bit more forgiving. Ah, the lessons this show will hold for all of us.

We met an absolutely adorable skunk – just one of the animals being trained for the show opening in March. We met the donkey as well – one that Jonah thought was a bit, ah, stubborn. As I said, lots of symbolism on this set.

And what a set it is. If you’ve never been to this Lancaster County theater, the stage is all around you – and this show promises to bring you underwater AND inside the whale. Just how they will do that is a secret that won’t be revealed until showtime. What isn’t a secret, but is just as amazing, is that the sets are controlled by GPS!

Kids are especially going to love Jonah...there are bubbles that float out and over the audience and cute little crab puppets for sale.

It’s going to be a great show...we can’t wait to see it. If you can’t wait, call us – The Artist’s Inn  is a participant in their hotel program, so we can purchase tickets at a discount to any Sight and Sound show.

Joseph Arrives at Sight and Sound

We were invited to the Premier showing of the new show at Sight and Sound Theatre in Strasburg last night. It was a grand affair. There were men in tuxes, ladies in glitter and heels, hors d'œuvres throughout the lobby and excitement in the air.

Politicians, business owners and friends of Shirley and Glen Eshelman (Owners of Sight and Sound) mingled while scores of cast members – Egyptian soldiers with spears, bright green dragons and women dressed in incredible costumes - paraded through the crowd.

This cake was made by Charm City Cakes – you may know them as Duff Goldman from the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes. I once saw Duff at a food show and can only imagine how much fun it must have been to be involved in the cake process.

This long-awaited show has been three years in the making. When you see the sets, you’ll know why. Some of them soar 30 feet high and the village and palace scenes are incredibly complex. Joseph’s dreams take him high into the theatre – impressive indeed. True to their other shows, Joseph also delivers in the live animal department. There are horses, goats, camels, mules, donkeys, a raven, sphinx cat and even a rat or two.

A few rows behind our seats, Don Harper signed autographs. He created the contemporary score that is surpassed only by the incredible voices of the cast.

So hold on to your seats - this is a huge performance – almost larger than life. The only thing that comes close to being so huge is the message that it delivers: to learn the power of forgiveness.

Lancaster County is truly blessed to have this theatre – both in helping the local economy (they employ 500 people and all sets are made on site) and in the spirituality exemplified in everything they do.

This is, in our opinion, the best show that Sight and Sound has produced so far and we highly recommend it. You can catch Joseph from now until October 30 – stay at The Artist's Inn and we’ll be happy to get your tickets at a reduced price.

Lions and Tigers and Christmas in Lancaster County

Recently I had a chance to go on a lion hunt in Lancaster County. And they were joined by zebras and tigers and bears too. Find that hard to believe? I was in the storage rooms of the Millennium Theatre of Sight and Sound – a Christian Theatre in Strasburg. I had gone to the offices of the theatre for training – The Artist's Inn will be listed on their website for lodging. We can also order tickets for all shows and behind-the-scenes tours at a discounted rate.

If you’ve never been to Sight and Sound, you’re in for a real surprise. It is big, seating 2,000 people, and is the dream of Glenn and Shirley Eshelman. Built upon the site of their former theatre (it burned when a spark from a welder’s torch caught fire backstage), it opened in 1998. Performances feature live animals and animated ones that look and act so real you’ll have a hard time telling them apart. The original theatre began in what is now called Living Waters Theatre – a smaller 600-seat theatre on Route 896 next to the Millennium Theatre.

The buildings to support the theatre include animal quarters and production facilities for elaborate sets. Everything is locally made and every detail, from the minute you walk in the front door, to the last act of the show, is both professional and well organized.

We visited on a day that the theatre was closed and employees were decorating for the Christmas season. Even the bows for the 30-foot high tree were lined up, waiting to take their place …not unlike the actors awaiting their cue.

My favorite show has always been Noah, but there’s nothing like the Miracle of Christmas at the Millennium Theatre or the Voices of Christmas at the Living Waters Threatre to put you in a holiday mood.

There’s a lot of excitement this year as a new show opens on March 6 – the story of Joseph. Don’t wait too long to get your tickets – whether it’s for the Christmas season, Joseph, or a back-stage tour….we know you’ll enjoy the shows and tours – just as so many guests of The Artist's Inn already have.