Burlington County Farmers' Market

      Saturday, September 9, 2023: I’ve still been a sucker for farmers’ markets. The date above found me browsing and sometimes buying from around 40 vendors at the Burlington County Farmers Market located in the Burlington County Agricultural Center, 500 Centerton Road, Moorestown, New Jersey (856-642-3850). From May through November, this market operated, rain or shine, containing vendors selling produce, prepared foods, and baked goods, as well as meats, dairy, and non-edible goods such as flowers and arts & crafts. Nearby, a band played, and the kind of music you heard depended on the date you were there. When I was there, I listened to a classic rock band. It was also tomato day, and I saw some signs giving different facts about tomatoes, and several vendors were selling them. One vendor was selling tomatoes grown from farms that used to sell to Campbell’s Soup when they still had a factory in Camden, NJ. (Nowadays, Campbell’s moved their factory elsewhere, but the headquarters is still in Camden.) I also noticed other tomatoes that the vendor told me had been grown from Burpee Seeds. Then, I bought some tomatoes that the vendor said I could eat as a snack. Now I have not been a big fan of raw tomatoes; I could take or leave them. I preferred tomatoes cooked in many ways, and I liked tomato products and sauces. Anyway, once home, I took a bite of one, and the vendor was right. It did taste good! Overall, this outing made for a pleasant day.

Middletown Grange Fair

      Wednesday, August 16, 2023: An event that looked special came along, and it caught my interest: Middletown Grange Fair, 576 Penns Park Road, Wrightstown (Bucks County), Pennsylvania (215-598-7240). This fair was the closest Bucks County had to a county fair, and they must be doing something right because the Middletown Grange has been running this fair since 1948! I arrived on opening day, and the first thing I noticed were amusement rides that looked similar to the ones I’ve seen at the New Jersey State Fair and the Warren County, New Jersey Farmers Fair. (I wrote about both fairs in The State I’m In issue #5—NJ State Fair and Dotty’s Dimensions: The Column issue #1—Warren County Farmers Fair.) Next, I walked through about a half dozen buildings displaying many different things: animal, vegetable, and other stuff. Among the things I saw were displays of plenty of produce, flowers, and other plants that included a hydroponics plant growing area, as well as canned & baked foods, needle crafts in clothing, quilts, samplers, knitted & crocheted items, etc.—and that was the first and second building. After I ate lunch that I bought from one of the many food vendors, I went to the rest of the buildings where I observed livestock and other animals: horses, mules, cattle, goats, sheep, llamas, alpacas, pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and so on. Outside, I looked at a lot of tractors and other farm equipment, pony rides for children, and other areas of interest for children to keep active while at the fair. Meanwhile, throughout the day, this fair offered a full day’s worth of special events: contests, animal and tractor races, instructional demonstrations, and so forth. In other words, the Middletown Grange Fair has something for almost everyone for those five days in mid-August.          

Special Notice

I have kind of semi-retired on my traveling and going to science fiction and space events.
Therefore, I have limited most of my travels to within Camden County and Burlington County, NJ and Bucks County, PA.
As for SF cons and space events, I am mainly going to Philcon.
If you read my past publications and blogs, you can see that I have traveled through much of the USA and Canada as well as going overseas--especially to England.  I have also gone to many different kinds of science fiction conventions and space exploration events.
Nevertheless, if something special happens outside of these counties, I will attend  that event.
I will not fully retire!

Audubon Crossings

     Thursday, July 18, 2023: I was born in Audubon, Camden County, New Jersey in a small hospital. (In later years, those in power tore down the building and built a new building that became an insurance company. Then, early in the 21st century, it became a medical building again.) Anyway, I grew up in Clementon, NJ. Therefore, the only memories I have of Audubon as a child were when my parents drove through Audubon on Route 30, the White Horse Pike, and they would point out the hospital as they drove by—or in later years, where it once was; and the other memory was more clear to me: taking me to the Black Horse Pike Shopping Center. This outdoor mall opened in 1960, and I remembered the anchor stores being Korvettes, Penny’s, and Woolworth’s. In addition, there were plenty of smaller stores and a good deli. Through the years, different stores replaced many of the original stores, and in 2005, the new owners demolished this shopping center. Then a little later, another shopping center replaced it: Audubon Crossings, 130 Black Horse Pike, Route 168, Audubon (610-277-8899). On the date above, I visited here, and at first glance, it seemed like a shadow of its former self in looks. Instead of an outdoor shopping mall, it currently has been a U-shaped strip mall with Walmart located in the bottom of the U. The large parking lot (car park) filled in the center of the U-shape. As I took a closer look, I saw the following big discount stores on one side: Goodwill, Five Below, Marshall’s, and Ross—among a few other businesses. (At least in my mind they are honest discount stores—not outlet stores pretending to sell designer clothes!) On the other side, I looked at Lane Bryant, Rainbow, and a few others, along with some restaurants: two Asian restaurants, one pizza place, and a few fast food places. I did find a few bargains and had a good lunch in one of the Asian restaurants. Thus, I’d suggest giving this place a chance.  

Clementon Park

      Monday, July 17, 2023: I grew up in Clementon, Camden County, New Jersey, and I lived there from 1956 to ’74. (My parents moved from Philadelphia, PA to Clementon, NJ in 1950.) Last year, I visited Clementon Park, 144 Berlin Road, Clementon (856-783-0263), and I wrote about it in my blog article, “Early Childhood Places,” June 29, 2022. In that article, I compared the town of Clementon and Clementon Park in the 1960s and early ‘70s to last year. Currently, I planned to mention what I learned about the park on this trip. Similar to last year, the admission included both the amusement park and the water park, and both parks were small enough to visit in one day if you stayed most of the day. (The park provides lockers.) For the few hours I was there, I visited the amusement park, but because it was hot & humid that day, most people went to the water park. Therefore, it seemed like I almost had this part of the park to myself. First, I had to surrender my umbrella—and pick it up again on the way out. (I use an umbrella to protect me from the sun. If you need protection, put on some sunblock.) Once inside, I noticed that park employees were still testing the amusement rides, and it was getting close to an early lunchtime, so I had lunch. The prices here were a bit high and you could not bring in outside food. People on a budget, however, could get their hands stamped for re-entry to the park, get their food in their cars, and either eat near or in the car or go to the nearby exterior picnic area where the park provided tables under pavilions. (Thank goodness! Parking is free.) As for the details about the parks themselves, I covered that in “Early Childhood Places.” Anyway, on the date above, I did pretty much what I did the year before: road a few rides and looked around.    

Carnival Of Collectables

      Wednesday, July 12, 2023: A few years ago, I visited Carnival of Collectables, 368 Berlin-Cross Keys Road, Suite B, Sicklerville, Camden County, New Jersey (856-545-3187). Back then, this store in a warehouse had shelves of collectable items. Since then, this place has won awards as the best of Southern NJ by the readers of the Courier Post for six years as the best antique shop and best consignment/resale shop. Therefore, I had to see this place again. In these 12,000 square feet that contained over 130 vendors, I saw quite a change from the last time. Here I noticed antiques and collectables in a much better presentation. Each vendor had decorated his or her space to look more like individual rooms. I’ve said this about other antique malls before, but it has been especially true about this place: “It reminded me of a decorative arts museum, except that this art was for sale!” The merchandise dated from the 1800s into the 1980s and included some of the following items: fine arts, decorative arts, and furniture, as well as clothing, toys, household goods, books, jewelry, vinyl records, CDs, video tapes, DVDs, games, holiday decorations, lunch kits, etc. During certain times of the year, they played host to special events. Believe me, I am sure you will find something to buy here, and you will also spend much time browsing in these many isles as well. (Being a science fiction [SF] fan, I found some SF items, especially about Star Trek and Star Wars.) 

Collingswood Farmers' Market

      Saturday, July 8, 2023: Collingswood, Camden County, New Jersey has been very familiar to me because my parents used to take me shopping here once in a while when I was a child, and for a few years in the 1980s, I lived in Collingswood. Nowadays, every so often, I liked walking around this downtown along Haddon Avenue. This part of Haddon Avenue included a lively shopping district, and Collingswood also has had its share of culture, nightlife, and special events year round. One of those special events happened rain or shine on Saturdays from May through November: Collingswood Farmers’ Market, along Atlantic Avenue from Collings Avenue to Irwin Avenue (856-701-0358). When I was there, I saw close to 50 vendors selling many kinds of foods, especially produce. Most of it grew on local farms, but for some of the foods, the local farmers imported it from other areas. (You try growing tropical fruit in NJ’s climate!) In addition, other vendors sold baked goods, dairy, and meats, as well as pastas, herbs & spices, and some non-edible merchandise. I even found some produce that I couldn’t find in my local supermarkets. Meanwhile, I heard a local band playing at one end on the market. Overall, it all looked colorful and fresh, and if you planned to be in this area, check it out for yourself.