Ask Joan: Don’t eat the dip edition
My mom and I were the unfortunate sufferers of what seems to be food poisoning this past weekend. I’m doing a lot better… just a little tired, but she’s still really under the weather. Send good thoughts her way! (And stay away from the potato-chip dip. You can bet we will be!) And take a good look at Question 3 today… which I’m sharing in honor of my weekend of misery!
What’s inside
1. Where to get authentic fastnachts
2. Two questions about horseback riding
3. Seeking name of Hanover drugstore
1. This one time I don’t have an answer and hoping maybe you can help. A woman at church was asked by a relative where he could get genuine, authentic fastnachts, not the ones like are made in the bakery, but those made by churches. I thought you might have access from stories that come into your office. Thanks for any direction you can give.
– Bill Schmeer
Bill is an amazing resource, offering comments on many topics on Only in York County, and I LOVE that we’ll be able to help him out.
One place to try, Bill, is the York County History Center, whose “freebies” on Fastnacht Day (Fat Tuesday; Feb. 21 this year) are well-known.
Some other places I know from previous years are Pleasureville United Methodist Church and the Stewartstown Senior Center. Haven’t had anything else come across my desk YET – but I hope these few ideas will be a place to start!
2. Our second question today is actually two questions that might be related. First, from Donna, I received: “Can’t figure out exactly where Heindle’s horseback riding was off Mt. Zion near the jail.” Then, in another letter, Penny Bupp asked, “Does anyone remember Hielder’s farm where you could rent a horse and go riding? Not sure if the spelling is right but I used to love that when I was a kid.”
I’m just guessing, but my thought is that both ladies are remembering the same place. Does anyone else have any details to share that might provide clarity on that, or memories of the same? We’d all appreciate it!
3. When we were kids, my Grandfather would go to a drugstore in Hanover & buy “Mountain Oil”. If you had an upset stomach, they would mix a small amount of it with water and you drank it. It definitely made things better. Mountain Oil had a distinct peppermint taste, was clear and a bit on the oily side. My Dad went to the same drugstore and tried to purchase it and was told they didn’t know what it was. (He was wearing a suit jacket & tie. Grandpa didn’t.) Would like to know what this was. It worked better than a lot of today’s meds. Unfortunately both my Father & Grandfather are deceased, so no one knows the drugstore name.
– Connie Pickard
Connie’s story made me think there might have been a little moonshine in the mountain oil! 😉 Just kidding, mostly, but I’d be very interested to know more about this remedy and about the drugstore name as well. Any ideas that anyone can share with Connie?
Got any questions? Ask Joan using the form at right. I’ll attempt to answer them in a future “Ask Joan” column on this blog. I get a large volume, but I will feature three each week and answer as many as possible!
