Front Porch Scenery

On Pentacost Sunday a few weeks ago I rose early and headed northward from Maryland passing by the large highway sign that said “Welcome to Pennsylvania: Pursue your Happiness!” The first delightful stop that day was made in Mount Joy a small town in Pennsylvania officially designated as a “Main Street America” community.

Being an early Sunday morning many stores had yet to open but the doors were flung open at Urban Debris: Turning Junk into Gems. It was a great shop where creativity was evident in the repurposing that was going on.

All I encountered in my brief stroll through town was charming, as were the shopkeepers and the barbershop building with the iconic striped pole. It is a small town in Lancaster County seemingly anchored by two good-sized churches for a population of approximately 8,200 people.

St. Marks Faith Factory Learning Center, a United Methodist Church, was on one side of the street and Mount Joy Church of God on the other. At first I was taken by surprise to encounter a sign on St Mark’s which read “People tend to criticize the most what they understand the least.” Hmm….I initially thought, I think I will hang my hat on that thought! Then, later as I drove onward, I thought further about the sentiment in context of a school for youngsters being educated in the church.

(Above Photo: St Marks Faith Factory Learning Center)

(Above Photo: Front Porch Scene on Main Street, Mount Joy, PA.)

My second surprise of the morning came when I walked by a vintage car parked outside of Paula’s School of Baton. Wow! Are there that many majorettes or baton twirlers in Mount Joy? I blinked twice, thinking how I felt as if I’d gone back in time!

l(Photo above – brick building contains Pauls’s School of Baton)

(Above Photo: Mount Joy Church of God. From the sign out front they were preparing for Vacation Bible School)

I’ll save my words for the next few blogs in this multi-part blog series. Form your own opinions from these pictures of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. Some people  prefer life in a big city whereas others might think small town life ideal.

Return to SowtheHeart.com in a few days time and I’ll share my 2nd stop on Pentacost Sunday. It was filled with what Pentacost is all about. This is the first blog post of a series which will show you one busy week in the life of a writer named yours truly!

“Pentecost celebrates the arrival of the Holy Spirit”