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"Support Our Troops" license plate comes to Pennsylvania

The "Support Our Troops" license plate is now available in Pennsylvania. The extra cost of the "Support Our Troops" specialty plate is $31, which will benefit Pennsylvania active-duty troops and their families.

Pennsylvania residents can download the official "Support Our Troops" plate application and get more information on the Pennsylvania page of www.SupportOurTroops.org.

"If a neighbor leaves to go off to protect your family, morally what do you think you should do for his family, for her family?" said Martin Boire, chairman of "Support Our Troops." "Buying this plate lets us civilians meet our obligation to those who are looking out for us."

The "Support Our Troops" license plate has been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. But before the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will manufacture the plates, the organization, which sponsored the plate, must assemble an initial group of 200 applications using the form provided by the state. This is their test to see if the plates will sell before the BMV makes them.

Dave Frazer of Pittsburgh, a director with Pennsylvania "Support Our Troops" said, "Look, it's simple. They've gone half way around the world to Afghanistan, South Korea, Iraq and elsewhere for us. Let's make a short special trip to the local tag office for them."

The "Support Our Troops" plate does two things: It shows support for deployed neighbors, and it raises patriotic private money to assist the families of Pennsylvania troops with education, car repairs, medical and home expenses, family emergencies and immediate finances - needs that could be met by the troops themselves if they were home.

The "Support Our Troops" license plates are available in 23 U.S. states with nine more expected to issue them this year. Support Our Troops will have the plate available in an additional 11 states in 2008.

Top 20 Events in the South

Fall 2007's Top 20 Events listing as compiled by Southeast Tourism Society.

• Oct. 5-6, Beaufort Shrimp Festival. This delicious event packs the Lowcountry! Mounds of seafood, Walk Through History, shrimp peeling contests, 5K and "Popcorn Shrimp Run" for kids. Beaufort, S.C., 843-986-5400, x22.

• Oct. 5-6, 21st Annual North Carolina Seafood Festival. Free admission, parking, entertainment! Boat show, regatta, SasSea's Island Playground for children, golf and fishing, fireworks, Open Aire Seafood Market. Morehead City, N.C., 252-726-6273.

• Oct. 5-6, Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Convention. All-day earfuls of mountain music! Fiddle, harmonica, mandolin, banjo and dulcimer competitions; country cooking, old-time singing, and buck dancing, to boot! Athens, Ala., 256-233-8100.

• Oct. 5-7, 29th Annual Destin Seafood Festival. Family fun includes live music, street dancing and one-of-a-kind crafts, fly-casting lessons, kite flying on the beach, and a bounty of succulent shrimp fish! Destin, Fla., 850-837-6241.

• Oct. 5-7, Gretna Heritage Festival. The Beach Boys, Supremes, Temptations, beer gardens, crafts, and a deliciously diverse display of foods attracting all cultures who pledge their international allegiance to good times on the Mississippi River! Gretna, La., 888-4-GRETNA; info@gretnafest.com. (www.gretnafest.com)

• Oct. 5-7, Invasion of the Pirates Flotilla & Treasure Hunt. What's a pirate's favorite letter? If ye weren't a scurvy ridden swab, ye'd know! Cannons boom and fireworks blast! Guard your booty, landlubbers; there be rascals about. Wilmington, N.C., 910-815-3426.

• Oct. 5-7, 35th Annual National Storytelling Festival. The clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages echoes around ghost stories, folk tales, and side-splitting yarns shared by locals and storytellers. Jonesborough, Tenn., 800-952-8392.

• Oct. 6-7, The Cotton' Pickin' Fair. Return to 1910, where the Farmhouse, Cotton Gin and Cotton Warehouse backdrop 21st century fun! Mountain music, crafts, clogging, and Southern-style vittles. Gay, Ga., 706-538-6814.

• Oct. 11-14, 36th Annual National Shrimp Festival. Continuous concerts, 300 crafters, sand sculpturing, International Marketplace, Children's Art Village and shrimp served every which way! Gulf Shores, Ala., 251-968-4327.

• Oct., 12-14, Celtic Nations Festival. Bagpipes, Highland games, Celtic dancing - all in Louisiana! High-spirited events include regattas, whiskey and beer tastings, carnival, petting zoo and magical Children's Village. Lake Charles, La., 800-456-7952.

• Oct. 27, The Barbecue Festival. Board the "Barbecue Express!" Hop a plane, bus, or thunder in on horseback! Follow the hickory smoke to discover fine, swine fun. Concerts, rides, 300 exhibits, and "Hogway Speedway" pig races! Lexington, N.C., 336-956-1880.

• Nov. 1-4, 8th Annual Pow Wow & Indian Festival. Native Americans gather for dance and drum competitions, and primitive skills demonstrations like hide tanning and fire making. Indian arts, crafts, music and kids' events. Stone Mountain, Ga., 770-498-5690.

• Nov. 2-4, Savannah Seafood Festival. Eat a fish, or paint one! The Japanese art of gyotaku is part of the fun, along with headliner bands, Champ Boat Races, art shows, and riverfront fireworks. Savannah, Ga., 912-234-0295.

• Nov. 7-Feb. 28, Gatlinburg Winter Magic. Half a million travelers holiday here for the Festival of Trees, Fantasy of Lights, top entertainment, parades, and New Year's Eve Ball Drop & Fireworks Show at the space needle. Gatlinburg, Tenn., 865-436-0526.

• Nov. 8, 18th Annual Pigeon Forge Winterfest Kickoff. With one flip of the switch, the mountain city becomes a twinkle town of over five millions lights at this kickoff to a four month celebration! Pigeon Forge, Tenn., 800-251-9100.

• Nov. 8-11, AIAC/American Indian Art Celebration. Gather at this living Seminole Indian village for dancing, children's programs, Native American foods, and friendship! Authentic Indian art includes paintings, pottery, wood carvings, metals, jewelry and clothing. Clewiston, Fla., 954-797-5562.

• Nov. 10-11,16-18, 23-25, 30, Dec. 1-2,7-9,17-30, A Stone Mountain Christmas. Nightly snowfalls, seasonal fare, 4D Christmas movie, train rides, and nightly Santa visits give a magical, small town feel to this holiday treat. Stone Mountain, Ga., 770-498-5690.

• Nov. 15-Dec. 30, Christmas in Roswell. Historic District celebrates the holidays with candlelight tours of antebellum homes decked in seasonal splendor. Reenactments of Mittie Bullock's Christmastime 1853 wedding to Theodore Roosevelt, High Teas and musicals. Roswell, Ga., 800-776-7935.

• Nov. 17-18, Seagrove Pottery Festival. "Feel the turn in you!" The festival emphasizes hand-made pottery and Colonial crafts, with demonstrations and an auction offering limited edition pieces signed and dated by local potters. Seagrove, N.C., 336-873-7887.

Underground Railroad Tours in Gettysburg

Underground Railroad Tours of Adams County are under way. The new tour, created and guided by Debra McCauslin, allows visitors to get acquainted with those who sought freedom and those who fought for it. Tours last approximately 2.5 hours and costs $15 for adults and $5 for students. Proceeds from the tour are donated to historic preservation. Tours are provided in your vehicle or a chartered bus or van can be provided for groups. Tour reservations can be made by calling 717-528-8553.

The tour showcases several people who were involved in the Underground Railroad in Adams County including Gettysburg's Basil Biggs, Bendersville's Edward Mathews, the founder of the Yellow Hill Settlement and Menallen Township's Cyrus Griest, a Quaker who aided Kitty Payne and her children during their 1845 kidnapping from their Bendersville home. The Quakers who lived near Bendersville were related to and worked with William and Phebe Wright who aided more than 1,000 freedom seekers in their York Springs' home.

"The Underground Railroad was a contributing cause of the Civil War and 2 million visitors come to Gettysburg each year to see the affects of its largest battle. Maybe we could help those visitors understand a cause of the war by talking about the freedom seekers and freedom fighters that once walked on this land prior to that war seeking a free life away from the horrors of slavery," states tour creator and tour guided Debra McCauslin. Stops on the tour include the Yellow Hill Cemetery where a pre-Civil War African American community existed and the Menallen Friends Meetinghouse and cemetery where Quakers still have meetings for worship. Both were named to the National Park Service's National Network to Freedom in 2006 for their involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Historic Gettysburg Adams County, a member-supported preservation organization assisted Deb McCauslin by crafting an access agreement with a Butler Township landowner to allow foot traffic over private property to see the Yellow Hill Cemetery. The Yellow Hill Cemetery is not open to the public and access is allowed only with a pre-scheduled and pre-approved tour under McCauslin's guidance.

McCauslin is a lifelong Adams County resident and is related to George Washington Sandoe, the first soldier killed at Gettysburg who died near McAllister's Mill which was reputed to be a station on the Underground Railroad. McCauslin is a member of Toastmasters International and she teaches at Harrisburg Area Community College. She has spoken to groups and organizations throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Ohio and Virginia. The author of Reconstructing the Past Puzzle of a Lost Community at Yellow Hill, Deb donates book sale proceeds, tour proceeds and speaking fees to several local preservation organizations. For information or to schedule a tour, contact Debra McCauslin at 717-528-8553.

Alexandria Festival of the Arts Returns to Old Town With Art, Music & Fireworks

On Saturday, Sept. 8, and Sunday, Sept. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, King Street in Alexandria, Va., will turn into a living art gallery as more than 200 of the nation's most talented artists will showcase their work at the 5th Annual Alexandria Festival of the Arts. Ranked as one of the top art fairs in the country, the Alexandria Festival of the Arts will span King Street in historic Old Town for seven blocks, from Washington to the Potomac River. Admission is free.

The City of Alexandria has planned a celebration at nearby Oronoco Bay Park, between Pendleton and Madison streets, following the art festival on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. to include a live concert by the Al Williams Band and a fireworks display.

Unlike a gallery or museum, a fine art festival such as this one offers art enthusiasts the unique opportunity to meet the artists in person; commission a specific piece; ask questions about techniques; learn the sources of their inspiration and purchase fine works of art directly from the artists.

For more information call 954-472-3755.

GardenFair at Winterthur September 14-16

Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, nestled in the beautiful Brandywine Valley of Wilmington, Del., presents GardenFair on Sept. 14-16. It's a spectacular sale featuring one-of-a-kind plants, tools, garden art, crafts, and antiques from the country's best nurseries, artisans and suppliers. Symposia, programs, lectures, demonstrations and how-to workshops make attending this annual extravaganza a must for casual and expert gardeners.

Gordon Hayward, acclaimed landscape designer and prolific garden writer, will give the GardenFair keynote lecture on Friday. On Saturday, the "Seeds of Inspiration" symposium will explore the innovative ideas that are shaping today's gardens. Speakers include Ricke Darke, an expert on ornamental grasses and woodland gardens, and Ed Snodgrass, an authority on green roof technology and horticulture.

"GardenFair is a great event that combines a unique marketplace for exceptional plant materials with a full series of lectures and workshops to inspire and educate gardeners," says Chris Strand, director of the garden and estate. "Fall is peak planting time, so it's the perfect time to stock up on plants."

Winterthur is home to Henry Francis du Pont's fabulous 175-room mansion furnished with elegant antiques, surrounded by 1,000 acres of spectacular grounds featuring one of America's greatest gardens.