Dutch Wagon Amish Farmers Market

     Friday, January 24, 2025: I have been to different Amish markets in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in these last few years, but on the date above, I visited an Amish market in Burlington County, NJ that I have never been to before: Dutch Wagon Amish Farmers Market, 109 Route 70, Medford (609-654-1414). As we pulled in to park, I notice several storage sheds (At last. A house I can afford. HA! HA!), outdoor wooden furniture, playground structures, and small outdoor structures for containing small farm animals. Nevertheless, because it was cold outside, I only glanced around before moving inside the main building. Here, I browsed, and sometimes bought, different kinds of foods, much of it sold by the Amish: fresh meats, lunch meats, and baked goods, as well as salads, jarred foods, fried & barbecued poultry, candies, etc. Toward the back of the building, I saw a cafe with a limited menu. While this market looked smaller compared to the Amish markets I’ve seen elsewhere, the aisles were tight because Dutch Wagon was packed with many kinds of edible merchandise. In fact, during better weather, this location would make a good stop for buying picnic foods on the way to the NJ Pine Lands or the NJ Shore. 

Philcon 2024

     Friday, November 22, 2024: It was Philcon or the Philadelphia Science Fiction Conference time again at the Double Tree by Hilton Hotel in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the first place I headed to after registering was 1) the Convention Suite or Con Suite. As in other years, in a living-room setting, I ate some snack foods, drank some soft drinks, and conversed with other science fiction (SF) fans. Meanwhile, similar to other Philcons, this SF con offered many different tracks of programming: animation, art, and costuming, as well as fandom gossip, filk music (mostly folk tunes with SF or fantasy lyrics), gaming, horror, literary SF, media SF, and science. The con also included writing workshops, exhibits, and other fixed functions for three days. Back down on the main floor, I attended my first panel: 2) Let’s Design a New SF Television Show where James Cambias, Bjon Hasseler, Jim (Straton) Reichert, Bob Hrannek, and Christopher Stout gave their opinions and listened to the opinions from the audience on what kind of SF TV show they would like to see. Some of the topics they talked about had to do with characters, settings, and plots, as well as reminding people that there have been differences when producing a TV show with actors vs. an animated series. They also covered the who, what, where, why, when, and how of the stories (the five W’s and H in journalism); and what the viewers would learn at the end of the story. Someone also mentioned how accurate the science should be and how much made up science should be in the story depending on whether it would be a hard SF story, soft SF story, or science fantasy. At the next panel, 3) A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Con… Roberta Rogow, Michael A. Ventella, and Ian Randal Strock told of mishaps, awkward moments, and other unusual stuff that happened at past SF cons. Some of the subjects covered involved fire alarms going off at the hotel (I am well aware of this myself.), trying to talk with SF fans born after 1977 (another thing I'm familiar with), Harlen Ellison stories, as well as stories of hookers looking for “big spenders” at conventions, fanzine stories, costume stories (wardrobe malfunctions), and so on. Some of the stories became very risque. 

     Saturday, November 23, 2024: Just like the year before, I started Philcon’s busiest day by visiting the 4) Art Show. Here I noticed that about 90% of the art presented fantasy art, and the rest showed SF and space art. Around three-fourths of the art on exhibit were paintings and drawings, and the remaining art on display included other mediums: jewelry, sculptures, tote bags, pillows, pottery, etc. Then, I listened in on the following panel: 5) How Real Does the Science in SF Have To Be?--where Barna William Donovan, Melanie Moyer, James L. Cambais, Lawrence Krammer, and Inga Heyer asked what would have made the made-up science in SF believable? If it was a comedy, did the made-up science have to be believable? They agreed that even if the main emphasis were on the characters, the made-up science should be believable, and the rules of this made-up science should be consistent. How much made-up science would be in the story depended on whether the story was hard-SF, soft SF, or science fantasy. (In hard SF, such as stories found in Analog Magazine, most editors only allowed one or two made-up science rules: the rest of the science had to be real. Soft-SF stories, such as Star Trek, allowed for more made-up science, but most of the rest of the science had to be real. For science fantasy, such as Star Wars, much of the science was of the made-up kind.) Next, I sat in on the 6) Bias Automation panel. Thus, Bob Hranek, Jazz Hiestand, Odele Pax, and Gill Cnaan talked about using artificial intelligence or AI in learning. They also mentioned that currently AI could not think for itself. Another topic discussed was ChatGDP and that in legal matters, it was only accurate 40% of the time. Overall, many of the abilities in AI that people have been concerned about, as of the date above, have been impossible—until it does become possible!

     Saturday Night: After I changed for the evening, I went to the following panel: 7) Socialization vs. Privatization of Space. On this panel, Earl Bennett, Tobias F. Cabral, Inge Heyer, Joseph Haughey, and Mark Roth Whitworth conversed about the pros & cons of government backed space missions vs. private companies backing those space missions. One of the pros with government: People have had a better say about the missions, but the cons included the government working slower. Thus with a private company, people had less of a say, but the private company could be quicker. Some missions would be too big for a private company to handle, but many small missions could be run by them. Nevertheless, it depended on the fuel used. Nobody wanted private companies running anything with nuclear power. This panel also talked about using one ship to go into space and then, assembling another, bigger ship in space; and getting rid of space junk in lower Earth orbit (LEO). (LEO is below the Van Allen Belts.) Someone suggested a government-run large space station where private companies could set up their equipment, but overall, perhaps it would be best to have some government control over the private companies in space, especially for worker safety and rights. Later I saw the 8) Masquerade. This masquerade only had 11 entries, and all except for one entry, they wore fantasy themed costumes. The SF entry was a “One Eyed, One Horned Flying Purple People Eater.” Finally, I watched what was supposed to be the half-time show in the Masquerade while the judges decided on the winners. However, because the Masquerade was so short, the judges were quick in deciding who the winners were. Therefore, the winners received their prizes, and the half time entertainment became the 9) After Masquerade Entertainment. I would have preferred a film or a filk singing group or singer, because in my opinion, the comedy was so-so. It was a set of questions given to a group of people as to why he or she was the best person to steal James Cameron’s Titanic. 

     Sunday, November 24: The last day of the con has mostly been low-key and this day was no exception. I started the day by going to the following: 10) What the US Navy Taught Me About Starfleet, presented by Christopher Weuve. By way of PowerPoint, Weuve compared how Starfleet differed from the Navy. After telling us the history of the Navy and how its vessels served in the different wars, he explained how battles on water were a lot different from battles in space, or what worked on water (or in water with a submarine) wouldn’t work in space. In addition, it had been mentioned in ST that Starfleet personnel have not been warriors first, unlike the current military. In his opinion, Starfleet has been closer to being similar to the Coast Guard than the Navy. Next, I went to spend some money in the 11) Dealers’ Room. Unlike other years, there were even more dealers selling reading materials: about two-thirds of the dealers sold books, magazines, comic books, and so forth. The remaining one-third sold other merchandise: jewelry, artworks, and t-shirts, as well as tote bags, holiday ornaments, mugs, web design services, games, etc. I ended up buying a book about the craft and business of writing. Before going home, I sat in on one more panel, 12) Set Phasers to Roast. Earl Bennett, Bob Hraner, Chris Weuve, and Jazz Hiestand mentioned examples of the worst weapons in SF and why. For example, in ST, a bolt of energy would come in pulses like the photon torpedoes, not a continuing line like the ship’s phasers. Somebody also said that Gene Roddenberry decided to call the weapons on ST phasers because lasers at that time were still in the early stages of development. Thus, in later years, when lasers developed more, he didn’t want someone looking back and saying that ST’s lasers couldn’t do this or that. By called them phasers, they remain fictional—at least for a long time. What I found most interesting was the panel explaining the differences among the type #1, type #2, and type #3 civilizations: type #1 used the Earth’s resources, type #2 used the resources of the solar system, and type #3 used the resources of the galaxy. Anyway that summed up Philcon 2024 for me. 

Greenfield Hall

      Friday, October 4, 2024: The Indian King Tavern wasn’t the only historical place in Haddonfield (Camden County), New Jersey. Another place has been the headquarters of the Historical Society of Haddonfield: Greenfield Hall, 343 Kings Highway East (856-429-7375). While I have been to the Indian King Tavern many times, this was the first time I had ever visited Greenfield Hall. The founder of Haddonfield, Elizabeth Haddon Estaugh, gave this property to her cousin, John Gill, in 1728. Years later, another Gill family member, John Gill IV, had the current house build in 1841. From then until 1914, the house belonged to the Gill family. After 1914 to 1960, different owners lived in the house. Finally, in 1960, the Historical Society of Haddonfield made it their HQ. Nowadays, the Historical Society has offered tours of different rooms furnished with furniture & items from the 1700s and 1800s. The rooms upstairs usually displayed temporary exhibit themes, but when I was there it wasn’t opened. On our visit, a very enthusiastic guide showed us about a half dozen rooms while she told us the history of Haddonfield, the people who lived in this house, Haddonfield’s past industries, and so forth. Throughout the year, the Historical Society plays host to special events, especially near Christmas, and they offer tours of the town. Therefore, if you are ever in Haddonfield, NJ, in addition to the Indian King Tavern, Greenfield Hall is also worth a visit! 

Barclay Farmstead Museum

      Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Back in the 1990s, I had visited the following place during a Christmas event: Barclay Farmstead Museum, 209 Barclay Lane, Cherry Hill (Camden County), New Jersey (856-795-6265). On Wednesdays and on first Sundays of the month, this 1816 farmhouse has been opened to the public for tours. During my last visit, I didn’t tour the house, but this time I did. Our very informative guide told us about the history of this house and about the families who lived there through the years from the 1816 Thorn Family to later private owners up into the 20th century. In 1974, the Township of Cherry Hill acquired this house and property. Anyway, on two floors, I noticed that the rooms, except for an upstairs bedroom, looked the way it might have looked in 1816. The Thorns were Quakers and the interiors reflected their simple tastes. As for that upstairs bedroom, that was the exception, another owner bought the house in the later—1800s, and he had the house furnished in Victorian-Gothic. Therefore, that one bedroom included most of the furniture and items he owned. In the rest of this house, many of the furniture and items were either from the 1810s, or the restorers displayed reproductions of that decade. Our guide also told us, via the furniture and items in the house, the origin of such terms as “sleep tight,” “toaster,” “gridiron,” and so forth. Overall, I learned a lot more about this house than I did during the last visit. Meanwhile, the special events held throughout the year, especially near Christmas, have been worth attending. In addition to this house, I glanced at other farm outbuildings: a springhouse, a barn, and a corn crib, as well as other sights on this 32-acre property: a kitchen garden, a community garden, some nature trails, a playground, a picnic area, etc. If you are in Cherry Hill, NJ, stop by and see one of the oldest places in this township opened to the public!  

Camden County Farmers' Market

     Thursday, August 15, 2024: Last year, I visited the Burlington County (New Jersey) Farmers’ Market and I wrote about it in my blog (September 9, 2023). This year, the Camden County, NJ, Commission decided to start a farmers’ market: Camden County Farmers’ Market, 508 Lakeland Road, Blackwood (856-225-5576). While I didn’t expect it to be anywhere near as large as the farmers’ market in Burlington County, I also didn’t expect it to be a “work in progress” either. First, the county commission held the market on a weekday (Thursdays in July and August from about 3 PM to 7 PM), and second, they had it in the middle or late afternoon. This was usually the time of day when the worst weather happened. I missed going there twice because of weather issues: super-hot one week and excessive rain the next week! (Thus, I wondered whose idea it was to have the farmers’ market on that day and time.) When I arrived, I saw only one vendor, and he was with one of the sponsors of this market. Therefore, he told me that they sometimes have as many as a half dozen vendors, but on the date above, it felt more like a farmer’s market instead of a farmers’ market. He then informed me that other vendors who had been there sold produce, jarred foods, honey, and so forth. Anyway, this vendor sold some very fresh-looking and colorful produce, and I bought some of it. Nevertheless, if you happen to be in or near Blackwood, NJ, on a Thursday afternoon in July or August in decent weather, a stop here will be worthwhile.         

Burlington County Farm Fair

      Thursday, July 18, 2024: After being a bit disappointed to learn that Camden County, New Jersey, wasn’t going to have a county fair for 2024, I decided to go to the Burlington County Farm Fair, 1960 Jacksonville-Jobstown Road, Columbus, NJ (609-784-8389). (It was located in the same place as the NJ Renaissance Faire back in May.) Anyway, back in 2012, I had been to the Warren County, NJ, Farmers’ Fair, and I was aware that their fair had been voted a few times as the best county fair in NJ. Therefore, I didn’t try comparing Burlington County’s Fair to it. Nevertheless, I did enjoy my few hours in Burlington County’s fair, and yes, it was smaller than Warren County’s Fair, but I would recommend seeing Burlington County’s fair—once. Of course, if you have been the kind of person who enjoyed nighttime entertainment at these kinds of fairs such as rodeos, musical events, amusement rides, and so forth, as well as seeing exhibits, you could easily have spent the whole day here. I mainly attended to see the many exhibits in different tents, and outside I saw a tractor parade and a wood carver carve decoy ducks. Inside the tents, I noticed many exhibits of animals: cows, goats, and sheep, as well as rabbits, alpacas, chickens, and a few other critters. Other tents displayed plants, produce, eggs, crafts—especially quilts, artworks, and other items too numerous to mention. I also observed that many of these exhibits of animals, plants, and other things had been the work of the local 4H Club and the Future Farmers of America. Meanwhile, the fair provided plenty of activities for children as well. Finally, to round out the fair, many vendors sold a plethora of merchandise, other vendors sold food, and I glanced at groups promoting their causes. If nothing else, I got entertained and educated at the same time!   

Downtown Haddonfield

     Tuesday, June 25, 2024: It was un-Christmas day, and I decided to celebrate by spending a few hours in Downtown Haddonfield, Camden County, New Jersey. (June 25th is exactly six months after the previous Xmas and six months away from the next Xmas. I can’t stand those “Xmas in July” sales and TV specials. I guess some people can’t read a calendar.) Once I arrived in town, I noticed that scaffolding covered the Indian King Tavern, the most historic place in town. (I wrote about it in an earlier blog entry.) Nevertheless, the staff kept the building opened for tours. Because I have been there several times in the past, and it was lunchtime, I headed to the British Chip Shop, 146 Kings Highway East (856-364-0204). Opened six days a week, the public could experience a touch of the United Kingdom by eating British and some American foods while watching overseas sports on a big video screen, especially international football (what Americans call soccer). Different UK-themed pictures on the walls added to the atmosphere, and the service was efficient. Meanwhile, the food was very good, and the prices were moderate. This place could definitely dispel the myth of British food being lousy. Afterward, I walked around Haddonfield’s quaint-looking main street, Kings Highway, and browsed at the shops with its plethora of merchandise & food stores as well as other restaurants and a statue of Haddy the dinosaur. (In the 1800s, paleologists found many dinosaur bones nearby.) My favorite store was closed that day, but I’ve been to it many times before: the English Gardener Gift Shop, right across the street from the British Chip Shop. In the last several years, I have bought their imported British Xmas (plum) puddings and mincemeat pies during the holiday season. In addition to themed gifts and foods for certain holidays, this store sold a large amount of edible and non-edible items imported from the UK. For more shopping, there has been a Saturday morning farmers’ market in the warm weather, and Haddonfield plays host to special events throughout the year with its share of vendors!