What a great way to kick off the 2017 Founders Tour!
Registration started around 10 a.m. and the table stayed busy as tour members from 22 states and even Canada lined up to get their information packets and goody bags full of cool giveaways.
The hospitality room was also a hot spot of activity. Tables were full of all kinds of delicious things to eat. Lined up along the main wall were fantastic items for the Chinese Auction which will continue until the final drawing on Friday. Also in the room can be found Gettysburg Region merchandise to show off your pride, as well as fun games to play in the evenings. Many thanks are due to Bob & Martha Channell for taking charge of set-up and to everyone who helped out with organizing the room and bringing snacks (Pat Shaffer, Annette Yost, Dottie Schultz, John Wolf, Bill Seely… apologies to anyone I forgot)!
Also worthy of note in the Hospitality Room: We have artwork for sale. The beautiful picture on the cover of our tour books is all thanks to Donna Mitchell. She’s a professional artist who works in pastels and she very graciously created this masterpiece just for us. Want your own copy to grace your home? High quality, limited edition prints are available for sale at only $150 each. Check out her other work at www.DonnaMitchellPastels.com
Later in the day, tour members were given directions for several Early Bird tours. Your Webmaster decided to go to New Oxford to see the Train Station Museum. Run by the Conewago Valley Rail Club, it’s a lovely little treasure right on Lincoln Way. Just look for the bright red caboose! My father and I got an insightful tour by the Gettysburg Region’s very own Fred Gable. Fred’s knowledge of railroads and locomotives is nothing short of amazing. And to top it all off, the experience was very interactive: we got to ring bells, play with the dinner chimes, and then Fred demonstrated how the station signals and whistles worked. Not to mention that they even fired up the model train board. It’s a wonderful place to go if you have kids, or if you qualify as a big kid, which I guess I do.
The day concluded back at the Wyndham which Chris King organized. She and Martha Channell also designed the clever table toppers of Civil War caps, flags, belt buckles, and canon balls. The banquet hall was packed full, and apart from the scrumptious sandwiches and wings, attendees were treated to a special appearance by Ulysses S. and Julia Grant (thanks once again Bob & Martha!!).