June Fete--A Daytrip for a Good Cause

The June Fete will be held June 10-12, 2011 in Huntingdon Valley, PA.  The June Fete is more than a carnival. 

For over 95 years, this local fair has been raising money to support Abington Memorial Hospital.  What makes this fair different than others?  For starters, there is a three-ring Horse and Pony show.  The June Fete takes place on 41 acres, plenty of room for people, horses, rides and fun!

Although my kids love to watch the horses, the thing they love most is the Village Fair.  The Fair includes rides, face painting, food (and more food!), and live entertainment.  They are scheduled to have a fireworks display on Friday night and there's BINGO during the day.  There's definitely something for all ages at The June Fete.

Entrance to the Village Fair and Horse and Pony Show is $4.00, Children 5 and under are FREE.  You must purchase tickets for all rides and attractions.  You can also purchase a $35 megapass for unlimited rides.  Parking is FREE.

Finally, on Sunday June 5th, you can show your support at the 5K Run/Walk and 1.5 mile Fun Run for Kids.  The Run/Walk starts and ends at Penn State Abington Campus.  Prizes are awarded in various categories.  Participants in the Run/Walk will receive 2 FREE tickets to The June Fete Village Fair.  Check out their website for registration information.

Volunteers are needed for all events.  If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out this form.

Mark your calendar, come out to have fun, and help support Abington Memorial Hospital!

Dutch Wonderland....A Kingdom for Kids

This weekend I'm heading on a daytrip to Dutch Wonderland with my daughter's Brownie Troop.  If you have young kids, and have never been to Dutch Wonderland, make plans to go. 

Dutch Wonderland calls itself a "Kingdom for Kids" where "firsts happen".  It's a theme park in Lancaster, PA with over 30 rides, including 2 roller coasters and a water play area.  It's a great place for your child's first roller coaster ride, first water slide, or first sky bucket ride.  They have live entertainment (don't miss The Adventures of the Frog Prince water diving show!) and you can even see Thomas the Train!

Dutch Wonderland's season runs through mid-October, but they also have special Halloween events and a Winter Wonderland.  Opening late May, they have Duke's Lagoon, a water play area with kid-sized slides.

Dutch Wonderland offers a combination ticket with nearby HersheyPark.  The parks are about 30 minutes apart from one another.  This would be a great overnight trip, especially if you have kids of varying ages in your family. 

Celebrating a birthday during your visit?  Kids of all ages can stop by Guest Relations and get a special button to wear so everyone in the Kingdom can acknowledge your special day!

Dutch Wonderland is a family friendly, fun place to visit.  I hope Mother Nature gives us a little break and holds the rain off until the end of our visit, but I look forward to spending a fun day with my family, as well as our Girl Scout "family".

Have you ever used ArtsCow?  They are a great site for creating photo gifts.  This isn't your ordinary photo gift site.  ArtsCow offers all kinds of photo gifts. They have bags, books, cards and cases.  They offer jewelry, clocks, mugs and umbrellas.  You name it, they seem to offer it.

Some tips:

1.  Shop when they offer deals that include shipping. They do this often, the products offered change about every month.

2.  Order early! The items ship from Hong Kong and can often take weeks to arrive here.

3.  They seem to prefer a gmail account. Many providers will send ArtsCow emails to spam folders, or not deliver them at all. I set up a gmail account just for my ArtsCow mail and then have it automatically forwarded to my regular email account.

4.  The website is not the most user friendly site around, but the prices make up for any trouble. Once you get the hang of it, it's really very simple.

5.  "Like" them on facebook.  They often put deals up on their facebook page that you might not otherwise ever hear about.  (Unless, of course, you check out my Photo Fun section of the blog.)

Right now, ArtsCow is offering an awesome sale!  Through May 16th, you can get 25% off any item (excluding prints) AND shipping is FREE!  This deal doesn't come up often, although it's not the 1st time I've seen it.  Start thinking Father's Day now.  Use code 25LESSALL to get this great deal. 

I made a small bag for myself (and all my relatives) before the holidays and I use it as my wallet. I'm not exaggerating if I tell you that EVERY time I take out my wallet, someone comments on how great it is.  Now, it has a photo of my 3 girls on it, and I know they are beautiful, but, it's really a nice little bag.  When I tell people how much (I should say how little) I paid for it, they can't believe me. 

Give ArtsCow a try.  It's a small investment for a very personal gift.  And, my Photo Fun section of the blog always has a list of all of ArtCow's current deals.
For convenience, here are the current deals that include FREE shipping:

Choose from a variety of stationery items. Small memo pad is $2, Large memo pad $3-5. Use code PADNBOOK by May 18th.
Set of 4 individually designed coasters for $3.49. Use code 4COAST349 by May 20th.

Custom printed pencil case only $5.99. Use code PENCASES by May 25th.
Get 2 custom throw pillow covers for $8.99.  Use code  THRPILLOW by May 29th.