Eating Animals

Yesterday I spent my afternoon facilitating a discussion on the UNC/Duke Summer Reading book selection.  The book selected was entitled Eating Animals and was about a man’s journey to discover why humans eat animals.  As can be expected the author was a vegetarian, but the fascinating part of the book was that he really looked at his family ties to food.  He discussed how eating food specifically animals was very important to his family traditions and values, and then looked at what his future relationships would look like and how he wanted to bring up his son.

Instead of looking at the arguments of the book, I really want to focus on what happened during the discussion.  One of the main reasons I love working at UNC-Chapel Hill is the caliber of students I get to work with on a daily basis.  The students here are really top notch, and while I get to push them to grow and develop, they always push back and force me to grow and develop at the same time.  The summer reading presentation sections are broken down by residence hall floor, and the group my co-facilitator and I were a leading was a male floor.  Before the session I was worried about the number of students who would show up from this population and the types of attitudes and beliefs they would bring into the discussion.

Again today, the Carolina student proved how awesome they were.  We had a pretty good turnout, and the discussion was dynamic.  It was really great to watch a group of first year students, in their first few days on campus engage in a really intellectual conversation.  Our conversation spanned from fact based, philosophical, gender, socioeconomic issues, to joking fun banter.  Overall I was really impressed with the great conversation I had with these young men.  My favorite segment of the session came up when the questions was asked, “should everyone read this book?”  The most impressive part was the answer.  The students said yes, everyone should read this book, and make a decision about this important topic, namely factory farming. 

I want to thank the students for a great conversation, and for the thought provoking ideas brought up through the conversation.  As I made my Tyson chicken yesterday for dinner, I took a few minutes to ponder; what the chicken had gone through, the genetic manipulation, antibiotics fed to the bird, and the grossest thing, how much poop was soaked into the meat.  The other biggest issue and new issue to me was the environmental and sustainability impacts of factory farming which the book presented.  Overall, this whole thing makes me treasure the intellectually stimulating environment I live in, and my hope that I can always remember to strive to live in this type of environment!

Fun, Food, and Fantasy!

My favorite amusement park in Pennsylvania is a small place called Knoebel’s Grove.  The park recently celebrated its 85^th anniversary as a family owned and operated resort.  Set in a beautiful mountain valley in the trees of Pennsylvania, this truly is Pennsylvania’s hometown park! The best part about Knoebel’s is that it has stayed true to its roots while growing into the current day. 

Knoebel’s started as a swimming hole and picnic destination for Sunday travelers in the early 20^th century.  Soon Henry Knoebel a local farmer started to lease the land, and set up some small cottages, picnic areas, and sold soft drinks and ice cream.  In 1926, Henry opened a restaurant and brought in a carousel and Knoebel’s was born.  The center of the Park was the massive Crystal Pool, which was created out of the old swimming hole.  From its humble beginnings, Knoebels has grown to include 57 rides, and numerous award winning eateries.

Free, Free, Free is the best policy held by this park.  One of my life philosophies is to give generously, and the rewards will then be tenfold.  I see this philosophy playing out at Knoebel’s Grove.  While most amusement parks charge and arm and a leg for everything, Knoebel’s offers free parking, free admission, and free entertainment.  To ride there assortment of rides you can buy tickets, or an all day hand stamp.  This amazing policy lets the whole family enjoy the park.  You are not paying for young kids who may only ride a few things, or the grandparents who will not get on a single ride, but want to see their family enjoy the day.  With this policy, you really feel in connection to the park owners, as you know this park is for everyone.

The best thing about Knoebels is the unique attractions it provides.  While most other locations went commercial, Knoebels specializes in buying older attractions and transporting them to the park for restoration.  This started

The first drop of the Phoenix as captured by Photo by Robb Alvey www.themeparkreview.com

with the Phoenix roller coaster, which is my favorite roller coaster in the world.  It is a refurbishment of the Rocket roller coaster which was originally located in a Playland park in Texas.  The second wooden roller coaster is not a relocation but built off of a design of the historic Mr. Twister attraction.  While most parks are going to bigger, taller, and more loops, Knoebels does not feature a metal coaster with an inversion, but classic recreations in modern editions.  Currently the parks is building the Flying Turns coaster which is designed after the classic wooden bobsled style coaster, and the Black Diamond an indoor thrill ride/coaster originally the Golden Nugget at Morey’s Piers and being retooled to feature a coal mine theme, featuring the historical significance of coal mines in Pennsylvania.

It’s not just the roller coasters that thrill, Knoebels features a haunted house dark ride which has won numerous awards.  Seriously one of the scariest rides I have been on, it features a moment where they simulate a 18 wheeler truck coming at you, and even though I know it’s coming, it gets be every time!  But my ultimate favorite ride is the Grand Carousel.  This is a refurbished 1912-1913 carousel, and the best part is it features a ring dispenser, which allows riders to grab rings as the carousel turns.  If you are lucky enough to grab the famous brass ring, you receive a free turn on the carousel.  It’s these unique memories that transform Knoebels from an amusement park into the place where memories are created and engrained for a lifetime.  I can remember the strife I felt each year as I was just not tall enough to grab the rings, and then the elation of the moment when it finally happened.  Summer is not complete without a trip there, even though I currently live in North Carolina.

What can be learned from Knoebel’s, give generously and you will be greatly rewarded for your effort.  The classics are not dead, and sometimes are even more fun than the new and flashy.  Hersheypark, a more famous amusement park down the road from Knoebel’s features the newest types of roller coasters and flashy, big rides, but if I had one option of a park to visit it would be Knoebel’s hands down.  Family comes first, as this park has been handed down generation to generation, and I cannot see it done any other way.  It also is the place for families, a place where the whole family can have fun together for a reasonable price.  Featuring fun, food, and fantasy Knoebel’s is a destination, one of America’s special gems that cannot be missed!

*Due to recent event, we need to honor George Samuel Roberts III, a 6-year-old boy from Wilkes-Barre who was involved in an incident at Knoebel’s on July 6^th.  He drowned in the Crystal Pool, and while the lifeguard staff did an excellent job performing the rescue and initiating CPR, he did pass at the hospital later that day.  Please keep George and his family in your thoughts and prayers.