Events

Holiday Bake Sale

at Pine Run

Health Center

The Home Life Committee of the Village Improvement Association (VIA) staged their Annual Holiday Bake Sale at Pine Run Health Center on the morning of November 16th.

The yummy treats, donated by a cadre of volunteer bakers, were festooned with ribbons and artfully arranged on tables to tempt buyers. Buttery cookies, flaky pies, crusty breads, lemony cakes, and rich chocolate brownies appealed to the eye as much as to hearty appetites. It didn’t take long for the scent of sweet pastry to lure customers to the heavily laden tables.

Proceeds from the Bake Sale will be used to purchase holiday gifts for residents in the skilled nursing center at Pine Run.

Founded in 1895 by a small, but inspired group of 14 Doylestown ladies, the VIA was the first women’s club in Bucks County. The mission of the VIA is to initiate and support programs that enhance the quality of life in our community.

Click here for more information about the VIA.

Keep On Learning!


CARL LAVO:

Remembering Bucks County’s days as the Country and Western Capital of the East Coast



Article from The Intelligencer




November 13, 2017

In the 1950s and ’60s, Philly TV’s winsome cowgirl Sally Starr rode herd in Lower Bucks, cowboy Rex Trailer welcomed visitors to his Western Valley Ranch in Central Bucks, and Hollywood cowpokes and country and western singers regularly performed at Sleepy Hollow Ranch in Upper Bucks.

It was on “Grandma’s Mountain” in Hayward, California, where I would buckle up my twin toy six-shooters, slide a black mask into place, adjust my hat, then scoot out Ivy’s door to climb her sun-bleached foothill. There I would stand atop a boulder and peer down on San Francisco Bay. In my mind, I was guarding against desperadoes who might be skulking around. I was the kid version of my TV idol, the Lone Ranger.

Back then I would have enjoyed visiting Bucks County where the Old West began in the East.

Riding herd in Lower Bucks was Philly TV’s winsome cowgirl Sally Starr riding a palomino with her platinum blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. In Central Bucks, cowboy Rex Trailer welcomed visitors to his Western Valley Ranch. And in Upper Bucks, the Sleepy Hollow Ranch is where Hollywood cowpokes and Country/Western singers were royalty for 23 years.

Trailer arrived from Texas as Philadelphia’s first singing cowboy on Channel 3 in 1950. With money from hit shows like “Saddlebag O’ Songs”, “The Oky Doky Ranch” and “Rex Trailers’ Ranch House”, he purchased land off Ferry Road in Doylestown for a ranch to entertain visiting kids. It drew thousands on weekends. “We had a horse for every youngster and taught them about their care and how to ride them,” Rex recounted in a 1999 memoir. “We also had a herd of white face cattle, put on horse shows and I did many shows inviting the public to the ranch.”

Sally Starr, a Missouri native and nationally-known movie and recording star, spurred into Philly about the same time to become cowgirl hostess of “Popeye Theater” on Channel 6. Her familiar opening line was, “Hope you feel as good as you look, ’cause you sure look good to your gal Sal!” In Bucks, she was a vibrant personality at community events dressed in cowboy boots, white hat and crimson body suit emblazoned with large silver stars.

Long before Sally and Rex, there was the Sleepy Hollow Gang inspired by Philadelphia radio broadcasts of the 1930s. With the crash of the stock market and the beginning of the Great Depression, WFIL radio hired brothers Elmer and Pete Newman who became wildly popular as cowboy musicians Uncle Elmer and Pancake Pete. At the same time, sisters Sophie and Julie Murray were singing cowgirls on Minneapolis radio. They relocated to Philly, and Sophie married Pete, Julie married Elmer. As the Sleepy Hollow Gang, they performed daily on the ABC Radio Network’s “Hayloft Hoedown” in the mid-1940s.

With their success, Sophie, Pete, Julie and Elmer bought 23 acres west of Quakertown near the Montgomery County border in the late ’30s to build a country music theme park that opened on May 4, 1940. Sleepy Hollow Ranch featured a rodeo, live farm animals, square dancing, food vendors, pony rides, jalopy races and live music. The anchoring act was the Sleepy Hollow Ranch Gang — Sophie, Pete, Julie and Elmer. Other stars soon came calling. They included pop music icons Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Gene Autry, Tex Ritter, the Cisco Kid, Sons of the Pioneers, the Carter Family, Porter Wagner, Kitty Wells, Ray Price, Eddy Arnold, Wayne Newton, Loretta Lynn, George Jones, Jimmy Dean, Minnie Pearl, Roy Acuff, Carl Perkins, Frankie Avalon, Bill Haley, the Ink Spots, the Mills Brothers, Jan & Dean, Tommy Sands and the Everly Brothers.

In its time, Sleepy Hollow Ranch billed itself as the “Country and Western Capital of the East Coast.”

What fans really liked besides the music was the atmosphere.

“The Newmans ran a respectable place,” said one neighbor. “They didn’t even allow cuss words on the stage, and there was never any fighting.”

By 1956, cowboy heaven began to unravel. Rex Trailer sold his property in Doylestown and moved to Boston to continue his television career. Western Valley Ranch would become today’s Pine Run Retirement Community.

For Sleepy Hollow Ranch, the end came dramatically on Nov. 3, 1963. A pre-dawn fire destroyed its auditorium, dance hall, restaurant and other structures. They were never rebuilt. Robert and Linda Duck, of Bensalem, acquired the property in 1984 and hosted two Sleepy Hollow Ranch revivals in the late 1980s.

Sally Starr continued making personal appearances in her cowgirl persona throughout Bucks County until a few years before her passing in 2013 at age 90 in a nursing home in New Jersey.

Now, like a lonesome cowboy tune, all has faded into history. As Gene Autry once sang softly, perhaps about Sleepy Hollow:

“From this valley, they say you are going

“We will miss your bright eyes and sweet smile

“For they say you are taking the sunshine

“That has brightened our path for a while.”

2017 Veterans’ Breakfast

Although not everyone in attendance could stand, more than 100 veterans were in strong unison as they recited the Pledge of Allegiance during the opening moments of the Veterans’ Breakfast held on Friday, November 10, in the auditorium at the Pine Run Community Center. Emotions were quick to surface as Ceil Krajewski, director of life enrichment in the Village, honored all of the freedom fighters in her introductory
remarks and then played a video highlighting the Tour of Honor to Washington, DC. The music and images underscored the connectedness of veterans and their families across the nation being celebrated for their noble efforts to defend our country.

Mabel and Bob Billings, married 70 years, were in attendance at the spirited affair. They both served in the navy during World War II. Mabel was stationed in New York City at the Navy Armed Guard Center, and Bob was sent to the Pacific theater, so their romance flourished through letters. After the war ended, they were married at the Little Church Around the Corner in
Manhatten. They saved a seat at their table for Isabelle Ramm, another WAVE who served first at Quonset Point Naval Air Station on Rhode Island and then in Miami, Florida. “We took the Honor Tour in 2016 and we’d like to do it again,” said Mabel. “We had a wonderful couple taking care of us during the trip – a career Marine and his wife from Media – and we keep in touch via email. I’m trying to convince Isabelle to come
along for the experience in 2018.”

Larry Glass, a veteran of the Korean War, also expressed a zest for joining the Bucks County Honor Tour in 2018. “I’ve been to the memorials, but never with all of the escorts, and the clip we viewed this morning gave me chills – good memories of my four years in the Signal Corps. I was lucky to have been a skier, and my company was sent to Alaska. I’ll never forget when my Master Sergeant at Fort Lewis said, ‘Glass, have you ever worked a film library?’ I lived in a Quonset hut from
1950-1952 next to a telephone exchange. When war broke out with Korea all classified film of the action passed through me for training purposes and secure storage in Alaska. Today, Fort Greely, Alaska is a United States Army launch site for anti-ballistic missiles, and it also happens to be where my son Cliff is based.”

Jim Kain was a seaman in the Navy for six years, first aboard the U.S.S. Pennsylvania in the South Pacific from 1945-46, and then he was shipped to the North Atlantic on a mine sweeper. Jim, one of 10 children reared in Kensington, learned to work with his hands in the service. After attending Spring Garden Institute on the G.I. Bill,
he became a mechanic for the Pennsylvania Gas Company, and he built his own home. Jim, age 90, reflected on some surprising merits of his military training and discipline, adding, “My fingers learned to work well on ships, and instruments too; I spent 20 years as a Mummer, and I am currently learning to play the guitar.”

Veterans of the Vietnam War and the Gulf War were also represented at the event. A commemorative
booklet with photographs of all honorees and accompanying accolades was distributed to all guests, along with caps and scarves to add a bit of fanfare to the occasion. Several Pine Run associates were proud to join the ranks of celebrants: Brent Appel, Senior Airman E4 from 1983-87; Phil Long, Army Staff (SPEC5) from 1966-69; and Kim Ray, Army Staff (SP4) from 1978-80.

A hearty breakfast featuring the Army favorite creamed chipped beef on toast was deployed with military precision. The tasty provisions also included scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, fruit salad, and a variety of muffins. Associates from all corners of Pine Run’s campus, along with an enthusiastic contingent from Pine Run Lakeview, circulated among the tables to assist with seating arrangements and to offer pours of steaming hot coffee.

The walls of the auditorium were thoughtfully covered with youthful photographs of the veterans and their stories of courage, hope, and luck. The compelling images and a colorful display of war memorabilia served as a platform to stimulate discussions throughout the room.

“Today was a feast for the senses,” declared Ceil Krajewski. “The camaraderie and pride we celebrate at this annual event helps perpetuate the honor our veterans should feel every day.”

Veterans’ benefits are available at Pine Run for U.S. veterans or the surviving spouses of a veteran. If eligible, you could receive a federal pension of anywhere from $1,000 to over $2,000 per month to help pay for personal care monthly fees.

Pine Run

Halloween Party

Pine Run hosted a Pinterest worthy Halloween Party on October 31. As fun as the
Monster Mash
tune, the dining team served up piping hot mashed potatoes with sizzling accompaniments, sliced roast beef, a tempting pasta bar, and devilish desserts.

 

 



There were plenty of tricks-n-treats to entertain the costumed crowd in the Pine Run Community Center. Ingenious costumes ranging from
Hot Buttered Popcorn
to
Gooey S’mores
drew raves from masked partygoers. The crafty creators also spooked up traditional disguises like witches, movie stars, and historic heroes.

Spooky submissions for Pine Run’s pumpkin decorating contest came from all corners of campus. Scaring up a first place win was Cookie Monster entered by the Admin Suite followed by The Housekeeping Granny in 2nd and Nurse Millie submitted by the 3rd Floor Nurses.