Only in York County

Thanks to everyone who has made this blog so much fun in 2010! As I mentioned earlier, in site traffic, number of comments and personal enjoyability, this year has been my best yet on Only in York County!

To celebrate, I thought I’d conclude 2010 with a list of highlights from the year, as well as a look back at a few 2009, 2008 and 2007 winners.

– Dec. 31: As of today, I’ve blogged every single day since Jan. 2, 2010.
– Nov. 24: The return of Gino’s to Pennsylvania garnered road-trip plans and news of a possible York Gino’s reunion.
– Nov. 19: I posted about a very special visitor to the newsroom – this might be the highlight of the year in blogging, at least for me!
– Oct. 25 and 26: My fall drive through southern York County (told in Part 1 and Part 2) was one of our family’s best local day trips.
– Oct. 19: The ABCs of York County poster, which came out of the ABCs of York County series from earlier in the year, became available for purchase. I promptly got one. That sucker is huge, and cool!
– Sept. 13 and 20: I tried to get hypnotized at the fair and saw a large rat and smushed-up cars. How can that not be a highlight?
– Sept. 15: Handwritten menus become the “sleeper hit” of the blog year.
– Sept. 7: My year of “new Joan” continued with the beginning of tae kwon do lessons (which later became a mom-and-daughter production at Borders).
– Sept. 3: The official York County, Pa., stores and restaurants of the past directory was launched.
– Aug. 24: Little Caesars returned to my part of York County. Oh my gosh, I was thrilled.
– Aug. 13: We kicked off what would later become a series on York County radio history.
– July 22: Summer trip to Brown’s, Graybeard’s Antiques, the Corner Stable and Handel’s Ice Cream. Uh, YUM?
– July 5: The final ABCs of York County winner is announced!
– July 1: Is it stuffing, filling or dressing? Stuffing seems to be winning, but the poll is STILL open.
– June 25: You guys sure had a lot to say about the North Mall!
– June 22: I made an attempt to sort out former and present seafood restaurants on Route 30. Who knew how confusing that would be?
– June 4: We remembered the Jay’s Restaurant (and much of the greater Weigelstown area) with about a half-ton of comments.
– May 11: Avalong’s was another popular entry in the unofficial “Do you remember” series.
– April 23: Dude. York County appeared in Star Trek.
– Feb. 16: Convenient, that Star Trek thing, since it seems we believe in aliens.
– Feb. 10: Thanks to my husband, I finally tried scrapple for the first time.
– Jan. 19: In more family news, my husband and I bought a few (thousand) books.
– Jan. 12: my husband makes yet another appearance, this time in his guest post about actor and Dallastown native Cameron Mitchell
– Jan. 5: We’re in a board game? No way!
– Jan. 3: We kicked off the “reader photos” weekly series.

– Nov. 30: We kick off the ABCs of York County series, which turns into darn near the coolest thing ever.
– Nov. 12: My garage becomes famous on a professional organizer’s blog.
– Sept. 26: The stuffing vs. filling debate began, later to be supplanted with the Great Dressing Addition of 2010.
– Sept. 17: I went to the fair, played I Got It against Todd Platts’ family and won a lasagna pan.
– Aug. 22: I became super-excited about Royal Farms coming to Dover Township.
– Aug. 12: They’re called “red-beet eggs. Not pickled. So there.
– July 15: I get deep and ruminate on how to best use empty big-box stores.
– July 9: And it’s grilled cheese, apparently, not toasted cheese.
– July 8: I talk about why my husband is amazingly cool. Yes, you should read this.
– June 6: Hubby and Sarah check out the street rods while I recover from what I later found out was not swine flu but felt like it.
– May 26: Libraries are awesome.
– May 13: I try to explain the fun of quarter auctions!
– May 12: They let me go visit people outside the office sometimes and I have fun. This trip was to meet the Southern York County Business Association.
– May 9: Meet Mitts.
– May 1: I go to Adams County on a Wednesday and most of it is closed. More reasons to stay in York?
– April 30: Spring cleaning, Concilio-Otto family style.
– March 31: Our family had a good time and helped by picking up litter in several county parks.
– March 29: This was the 30-year anniversary of the near-meltdown at TMI.
– March 20: Meet Mr. Bill and Stormy.
– March 19: I hate bridges, but I drive across one repeatedly anyway for the sake of a good blog post.
– Feb. 18: I have the world’s best cheeseburger. Seriously.
– Feb. 17: Fun with barter, or, how Joan could get a goat. People find this post from Google ALL THE TIME. I have no idea what they might be searching for.
– Feb. 13: Showbiz Pizza, where a kid can be a kid!
– Feb. 3: A free breakfast at Denny’s for the whole county draws a crowd. I know. Shocking.
– Jan. 7: You shared your favorite sweet-and-salty snack combos.

– Dec. 18: Special meat.
– Dec. 7: My favoritest-ever singer, David Byrne, sang at the Strand, and I reviewed the concert. Serious joy.
– Nov. 10: Love, love, love alpacas.
– Oct. 30: Rivels belong in chicken-corn soup!
– Oct. 16: I settled the Great Scrapple Uprising of Aught Eight. Or at least tried to.
– Sept. 28: I visit a nuclear power plant. Yes, go ahead and say it, “That explains a lot.”
– Sept. 25: Where in York County would you ride out a zombie apocalypse?
– Sept. 9: We found all 30 letterboxes in the library and park summer scavenger hunt!
– Aug. 30: I begin ruminating on a goat purchase.
– Aug. 28: We talk about the amazing prevalence of window candles in York County.
– July 19: The Smittie’s Pretzel “Shack” gets a makeover.
– June 22: We start a major family hiking hobby, mostly in the county parks.
– June 9: I celebrate my one-year blogiversary!
– May 7: I edited a whole book! It was about one-room schools.
– May 2: My hair is, briefly, purple and pink. Yes, you read that right.
– Feb. 9: I have fun experimenting with York slogans. No one does chicken like York does chicken, was one suggestion.

– Sept. 22: Redding up, which becomes one of many Yorkisms to get multiple blog posts, is first mentioned.
– Aug. 20: We talk about what “used to be” at Delco Plaza. Like Hills, and Pathmark, and a movie theater.
– July 3: Possibly my first hogmaw post. Really, can you get any more York County?
– June 26: We recall when Rutter’s was a restaurant and not only the convenience-store chain that seems to use half my paycheck.
– June 23: It’s all. All what?
– June 16: Awhile. Perhaps my favorite Yorkism.
– June 10: Meet Huggles. (Note: I fear I am averaging one “Meet my new cat” blog post a year. This is a concern.)
– June 9: The very first Only in York County post was about the World’s Greatest Yard Sale.

There you have it – a “best of” Only in York County to wrap up the year! Hopefully, if you’ve joined us more recently, you’ll spend some time on those previous posts – we have a lot of fun and I LOVE to keep the comments going!