Train Ride on the Delaware in Phillipsburg, NJ

One thing Phillipsburg, NJ has going for it is the awesome steam train ride on the Delaware River. If you have little (or even bigger) kids, this is the perfect weekend afternoon activity that they will remember for the rest of their lives. After all - what kid doesn't thrill to the sound of the big steam engine, whistling and puffing its way down the river on a crisp fall day?

In October, they have something like a Fall Foliage train ride, where they make their run up the river, stopping at a cornfield where kids can purchase popcorn and hot cider, run through the corn maze, and jump in one of those inflatable moon bouncer things. After that the train makes a stop at a local pumpkin farm. We went last year, and my son was still a bit too young to totally enjoy this - but we will definitely take him back there this coming fall and maybe even make it a yearly tradition.

I've also seen signs on Rt. 22 for the "Polar Express" train ride, which I assume would run in a similar fashion but of course happen during the holiday season and maybe even feature Santa Claus or some other Christmas character. We have yet to experience this due to the typical hectic frenzy that is the holidays... but again, our son is still young so we will be sure to explore the winter train ride in future years.

Actually, now that I am online, I see that they have an awesome website detailing themed train rides throughout the year! The aforementioned Polor Express involves heading out to ride the train in your PJs for some Christmas fun with Santa, AND there is also an Easter Bunny Train and Thomas Train for fans of the well-known kids' television show.

And if that's not all... apparently there is a wine train! All aboard, chug chug. My husband and I will be looking into this further when we can procure babysitting. In the meantime - check out all the great entertainment offered at the P-Burg Delaware River Railroad Excursions.

The State Theater in Easton, PA – Local Culture Abounds

I had never been to Easton's State Theater until last week - for no reason than I just never thought of it, nor had anyone else made the suggestion! For Christmas, my in-laws bought a group of us tickets to see The Million Dollar Quartet, and I must say it was an excellent performance at a fine theater venue, for a great value.

The State Theater is one of those old-time theaters that was recently renovated, like The Beacon Theater or Roseland Ballroom in NYC, with the style of architecture being much the same. In those days, it seems, they constructed theaters so that no matter where one was seated, one could have a decent view of whomever was performing on stage.

When we got there, the place was swarming with Baby Boomers buying coffee and hot chocolate, clutching their Playbills, and just buzzing around excitedly making ready for the show to begin. A smiling lady escorted us up the carpeted wide staircase and into the loge area where our seats were located. There was plenty of leg room, the cushions were thick and comfy, and the seats in front of us were positioned low enough so that the people seated in them were not obstructing our view. My father-in-law had loaded up on refreshments – M&Ms, Twizzlers and Raisinets, to pass around before the show began.

Soon after finishing our snack, a lady-in-charge, presumably the owner or head of the theater association, emerged from behind the curtain and gave a hearty thank-you speech to everyone who had helped make this production possible. Everyone applauded, and the show began.

To brief you – Million Dollar Quartet is an exciting and dynamic performance highlighting "best of" moments from the impromptu 4-hour jam session between Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, that actually happened at Sun Recording Studios in Memphis, TN on December 4, 1956. The show is a mix of dialogue and musical numbers, performed in a fairly realistic "jam session" manner, paying homage to what actually took place that night in rock and roll history.

Songs performed include Blue Suede Shoes, Folsom Prison, Love Me Tender, Great Balls of Fire, and many more. There is also a sultry rendition of Peggy Lee's "Fever", performed by Elvis's then-girlfriend, who showed up halfway into the session and was referred to only as "Dyanne."

In the interest of keeping the jam session aspect of this accurate, there are frequent interruptions where the performers talk to each other, play part of a song, stop, talk some more, and then continue playing. While this may seem as though the audience is being cheated out of the total music experience, the rock and roll icon impersonators make up for it in the finale by donning glittering jackets and performing a medley of well loved rock and roll numbers at peak intensity.

Of note was the excellent portrayal of Johnny Cash performer, and the rollicking piano playing by the man who portrayed Jerry Lee Lewis. Each actor held his own in terms of believability. All in all, for $60 per ticket it was a great night out, and definitely worth exploring whatever else might be coming around to the State Theater in Easton, PA.

Not too shabby for small town America! For more info about the State Theater in Easton PA, visit http://statetheater.org.

The Warren County Farmers Fair

Each summer, we look forward to the week-long series of farm-themed events that is the Warren County Farmers Fair. You have probably driven past the fairgrounds at Rt. 519 and Strykers' Road, where it's held each year. If you appreciate the country life, then you will surely enjoy yourself at the fair. There's something for people of all ages!

Highlights:

The Demo Derby:

What can I say... it's a smashing good time! This is actually held separately from the rest of the fair, meaning you have to buy tickets if you want to get in – and it's only held I think 2 nights out of the week. Watch local racing enthusiasts crash their hand-decorated antique beater cars into each other until there's only one guy standing. Roaring engines, smoke, fire and destruction... what could be better? Current admission is around $12.

The Livestock and Craft Tents:

What would a county fair be without plenty of cows, chickens, horses, sheep, rabbits and pigs? The livestock tents at the Warren County Fair prove to be a fun spot for parents and kids to visit where they can view, learn about, and sometimes even pet, different types of farm animals. Last summer we admired baby pigs, goat kids, prize horses, lop-eared rabbits and designer chickens among others. The year before that, our neighbor won a prize for his cat that walks on a leash and does tricks.

The Kids' Rock Band (and other music):

I will have to research the name, but each year we've watched and listened to the fantastic rock band made up of school age kids, wowing the crowd with old-school favorites from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and more! Catch these mini rockers in the evenings... way cool stuff.

The Rides!

At night, the Warren County Fairgrounds becomes a veritable carnival where kids and teens can go for low-cost thrills on the ferris wheel, the whip, the cups, mini roller coaster, carousel, and all the favorite carnival rides we grew up with. With cotton candy, soft pretzels, lemonade and an array of carnival games and amusements, you really can't go wrong.

The Food:

From hot dogs to ice cream waffles to funnel cakes to polish sausage, there is always a large selection of tasty, err, fare at the Warren County Farmers Fair!

Craft, Garden and Vendor Tents:

Peruse handmade creations from local crafters; explore prize-winning garden veggies, and of course explore a variety of goods from vendors of all types.

Events All Week Long!

The Warren County Farmers Fair also features a tractor pull and ATV mud bogging which are both free for fairgoers; horse shows, a hay bale rolling contest, antique tractor displays, and the annual Hot Air Balloon Festival which is something to see (but unfortunately I have yet to experience it because we always seem to be away on the day that it's held).

For the full scoop on this local favorite, visit http://www.warrencountyfarmersfair.org/.

Hot Rod's Hot Dogs - Glen Gardner, NJ

Continuing on with our Hot Dogs of Warren County Review...

Hot Rod's Hot Dogs are actually not in Warren County. They are located in neighboring Hunterdon County, but right on the border on Rt. 31 in what I believe is Glen Gardner.  Probably many people who live in Washington, NJ and other Warren County towns traverse down that way and have stopped and ate there.

I have passed this place many times, but only went in there very recently. My husband excitedly placed his order for six hot dogs with sauerkraut and mustard. Well, the only word that comes to mind after sampling these hot dogs is... yikes. I've had better tasting hot dogs from a 7-11 on that pitiful hot dog roller thing where you just know that those tube steaks have been sitting there for days on end just growing sad and old.

Admittedly, I didn't go inside so I can't tell you what the ambiance is, or if they have anything better to offer than what was in our bag. But man, if you're going to use the words "Hot Dogs" in the name of your business, at least make sure you get some decent tasting ones to sell people. How hard can it be? Lips and you-know-what-else are, I'm guessing, pretty cheap to begin with, so why not invest a couple cents each for nicely flavored ones and then cook them up nice. You could probably get away with charging an extra dollar apiece in the event word got around that you serve a semi-tasty dog.

Well. I shall now continue with my former, "pass by but don't go in" policy on Hot Rod's Hot Dogs. If you feel differently about their food, all the power to you, my friend. Eat up.

The Perfect Christmas Tree Farm – Lopatcong, NJ

I have been living in Warren County, NJ for more than ten years and passed the sign on Rt. 22 while traveling Westbound, more times than I can count. I have even had a friend recommend The Perfect Christmas Tree Farm as a place that she and her family go each year to pick out their perfect Christmas tree.

However, it wasn't until I saw their awesome photos on Facebook, that I felt compelled to actually go there and check out the offerings. Well.. let me tell you, it was quite the rewarding experience!

We pulled up, parked our car in their packed lot, and then quickly surmised what all the fuss was about. Here and there and everywhere were Christmas-tree shoppers, trudging along the snow-covered, pine-dotted rows, armed with small saws and loading up little tree trolleys to each haul away their one-of-a-kind fir tree for decorating this holiday season.

Since we had already purchased ours at Lowes (shame on us!), we really had no need to do any extensive tree hunting. But I will say that the large selection of healthy conifer trees, tall and small, fat and trim, with a variety of needle types ranging from soft and fluffy to stout and firm, put us in quite the merry spirit, as did the sight of all those happy shoppers, pulling pine boughs and wreaths and of course tree and more trees, away on their little sleds.

So we walked past those guys through the snow to the proud-looking stone home bedecked with holly and wreaths and ribbons. Inside, we had been told, was Mrs. Claus, ready to share a laugh and hear a message meant for the Man in Red. So we walked up the path, and were greeted by a group of customers, happily sipping from warm cups of spiced cider and nibbling on home-baked cookies, which we were informed, came with the compliments of the house. What a lovely place!

Inside we found a Christmas wonderland frozen in time... lovely, antique toys, and a beautifully decorated gifts shop and sitting room which was open to the public and currently inhabited by none other than Mrs. C herself and a gaggle of happy children who swarmed about. My son, who had just turned 3, was clearly dazzled by the whole presentation, and in complete awe of Mrs. Claus and her friendly black lab dog, Santa Paws, who snuffed about clearly hoping for a bite of cookie but, overall, was quite manageable and friendly toward the children.

Mrs. Claus chatted with my starstruck little boy for I would say more than a half hour... reading Christmas stories, asking him all the key questions such as whether he'd been a good boy and what he wanted for Christmas, and sharing her plate of delicious, homemade Snickerdoodle cookies with him. She even produced a couple of old-fashioned toys for him to play with – one was a little wooden man on a wooden board, whose legs kicked and danced about when he was jostled. The other was a little Christmas box which, when opened, revealed a set of finger-puppet mice who wiggled and squeaked a merry greeting, which my son of course was quite smitten with.

Next, the owner of the farm came out to chat with us, and we learned that she and her husband had previously owned a bed and breakfast in Cape May, which explained the warm hospitality and beautiful antique trinkets and decor that made this place so authentic and old-fashioned. She let us know that there were numerous events held at the Perfect Christmas Tree Farm, such as Earth Day in April... and that in fact, live music was scheduled for the following weekend! Finally – she let us know about Laughter Yoga sessions which are held at the farm regularly... and which we have yet to try but are looking forward to. As our thanks for such a positive experience, we purchased several antique Christmas ornaments that were on display at the shop, and donated a few dollars to a charity that they had advertised about in the hall on our way in.

All in all, we had a fantastic experience at the Perfect Christmas Tree Farm. Our only regret is that we discovered this place just after purchasing our tree... but I can say with 100 percent certainty that we will be back there next December for sure, to pick out the Perfect Christmas Tree for our home, and enjoy the company of Mrs. Claus and her sweet doggie. Thanks so much for making this such a wonderful time for our family, and a terrific outing to enjoy during the holiday season! See you again soon for your other events.