ALLEGANY
COUNTY: While the Tourism Board calls this the Mid-Country Driving Tour, it
could be called the Green Fields and Neighbors Tour. That’s how our 6 hours and
61 miles spent driving and walking on the tour felt. We came home with hand
screened T-shirts, sausage, Red Curry squash, spinach, bagels, pancake mix,
brownies and lots of news from folks we found.
Generally my husband Rick does the
driving and I write but he wasn’t available so my friend, Joanne Allen, came
along. It is suggested that the tour start in Scio and head toward Friendship, but
we started in Scio and aimed for Alfred to catch the last of their farmer’s
market.
I travel the Vandermark Road twice a
week to rehearse with the AU Symphonic Band so that road, for me, means
watching for deer and thinking of my destination but this time I made sure to focus
on what the road passes.
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| Scio Playground |
Just after the turn, I had to note
with appreciation that the Scio community came together to provide for their
neighbors. They put a charming bronze sculpture in front of the school and,
across the street in Fireman’s Park, they built an inviting picnic pavilion
that may be reserved at the clerk’s office. There is a playground, a ball
diamond, and a tennis court with parking for events on both sides of the road.
The school, Lion’s Club and Fire Department blended resources admirably.
The Vandermark holds cabins, houses,
farms, and green fields with white sheep or black cattle. There’s a farm house
for sale on Waugh Brook Road where recent rains created mud enough to coat my cars
and others. Two favorite named places on the Vandermark are Uncle Cooter’s Farm
and Whiskey River Farms (where birds are always on the roof of the tailored
barn).
The Vandermark State Forrest hosts public
hiking trails and the Philips Creek State Forest stretches from Vandermark to
groomed hiking, skiing and horse trails. Turning right to pass the Vander View
Golf Course and enter Alfred, one passes a Palliser house. This is one of many
houses built around the country in the 1800s after people checked the Palliser
catalog, found a pleasing house, and purchased the plans. Many such houses have
a tower, porch and a touch of gingerbread. |
| Palliser House |
We took this detour to shop at The
Rogue Carrot, a store that may forever be Kinfolk to me. It’s the natural
grocery store in Alfred where everyone goes for local produce and now more and
more locally made art. Several huge ceramic pieces are on hand as well as
functional pottery, soaps, cutting boards and jewelry.
What’s the most popular item at
Rogue Carrot? Bananas for smoothies are a hit with students but just now there’s
a run on cider and cider-donuts unless it’s Thursday. Thursday is all about
fish and bagels delivered by Jessen. Eat well. Get clean. Feel good. It’s all
there 7 days a week.
We stopped at the Alfred Farmer’s
Market on Main Street where we heard live music from the Decker and Ruch
families making it easier to dance some warmth into one’s damp-chilled extremities.
We tried some of Mascho Homestead Farms’s
sausage and heard about the heritage turkeys from Chilson’s in Belmont then
admired Robin Kellogg’s work - Kellogg's Alpacas. Near her knit
and felted work was a penned in mamma and baby alpaca accepting grass from the
fingers of slightly wary college students. Kellogg’s Alpacas will be open on
November 14 & 15.
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| feeding alpaca |
Back on the
trail we found the location of the old fire tower on Route 244. It seems to be
a communications tower now. In the old days one could climb to look around but
now a gate and lock indicate a new attitude.
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| Canacadea Country Store |
Next we
passed the Country Cabin Bed and Breakfast, a business that supports local
artisans by using locally made pottery and art work in the rooms and kitchen.
And just down the road is the Alfred State Farm. Keep November 17 open because
from 4-6:30 students will meet you near the green houses at the Agricultural
Building and bus you to the farm for a tour. The organic farm is making news in
agricultural education.
We turned left
onto Route 21 and stopped at the Canacadea Country Store in Alfred Station where
Laurie Lang was selling candies and coffees and then found the Quest Farm
Produce stand open so bought more fall produce there. Quest will be open till
Christmas with local pasta, organic meats, whole grains, and produce.
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| Quest Farm Produce |
If you don't know this, learn it now. Friday is Pieday at the Tinkertown Hardware. Stop by for hardware, breads, pie and cookies.
We turned
left at the signs to Route 86 in Almond but passed by the highway to find
cemeteries, farms and huge barns – some standing proudly and some just
reminders of the past. Near the western side of Angelica are the remainders of
the old county poor house or work house and the home of Major Moses Van Campen,
circa 1808.
If you aren’t
in a hurry and haven’t been there lately travel all the way around the town
circle and look at the restoration work that has gone into making the buildings
there shine with history. We parked on Main Street and spent some time in one
of the shops. The Angelica Country Store and Antiques which boasts that they
have the state’s largest collection of vintage costume jewelry and it would be
hard to imagine any store with more. There are drawers and trays and racks and
hangers of every style and color of costume jewelry for fingers or toes, necks
or wrists or just to dangle from your ears.
 |
| Angelica Sweet Shop |
A visit at
the Angelica Sweet Shop for a cup of hot chocolate and a visit with Karen Ash
was next. We heard about the ongoing success of the Angelica Community Radio station.
They broadcast 7 nights a week and their signal will reach further when they
get the rest of the equipment installed. Getting the radio on the air has been
a huge project.
We made a
left at the American House and Hotel and passed the homes of the
Bromley/Daggets went to the other side of Route 19 to see the charming
Episcopal Church. The driving tour continues to Friendship and back but it was
getting late. Businesses in Angelica were already closed so we just headed home
to cook squash and try on those T-Shirts.
References: On Facebook: The Rogue Carrot, The Holly Trail, Tinkertown Hardware, Alfred Farmer’s Market, Angelica Sweet Shop, Mascho Homestead Farms, Kellogg’s Alpacas, Quest Farm Produce, Angelica Country Store and Antiques, Angelica Community Radio
Box: Visit
the Allegany County Chamber of Commerce and Office of Tourism at the Crossroads
Commerce Center, 6087 State Route 19N in Belmont. Call 800-836-1869 to request
brochures. Publications include Scenic
Drives, Festivals and Events, Historic Allegany County and Hunting &
Fishing. They also have brochures from local businesses and organizations.
Their website is DiscoverAlleganyCounty.com.
