Gettysburg Pa Prepares for It's Biggest Weekend of the Year  Annual Gettysburg Civil War Battle ReenactmentThis past week has been a busy one for residents of Gettysburg Pa, residents that are year round, as well as those that come in for the same weekend year in and year out. Gettysburg Pa has been readying itself for it's busiest and most famous weekend event of the year. The Annual Gettysburg Civil War Battle Reenactment draws many thousands of spectators as well as reenactors during the July 4th weekend.   This year the reenactment will be taking place out on Table Rock Rd, for those of you that may not know, the battle reenactments and encampments do not take place on the actual battlefield. It is far too large and would cause much too much damage. You are talking battle reenactmen... 06/30/2010

Gettysburg Adams Chamber of  Commerce Mixer Alert The next Gettysburg Adams Chamber of Commerce mixer event will be held Thursday July 15, 2010 - 5 to 7 pm Country Inn & Suites By Carlson, 1857 Gettysburg Village Dr. in Gettysburg The event sponsor, Country Inn & Suites by Carlson is a wonderful chain of motels. I have done a number of posts and reviews for them over the last year. I often stay with  them when traveling on business, they have wonderful staff and a great room rate with great rooms. Besides, my buddy Bryan Johnson is the regional manager and he always puts on a great mixer, see you all there. 06/30/2010

Spirit of Gettysburg 5K Run in it's 20th YearON June 26th more than 1,00 participants will be coming together for one of the biggest run events in the Central Pennsylvania area. Besides the 5K run the event also features a 1 mile fun/fitness walk, as well as a kids run. Proceeds from this event go towards helping the YMCA to provide quality programs that enrich the lives of those in the Gettysburg, Adams County community. The running events will be followed by a post race party on the YMCA/Seminary grounds, and will include balloon artists, stilt walkers, moon bounce house, and much more. Entertainment will be provided by the Buss Jones Jazz Camp Band. Refreshments will also be available. The full list of events:    >5K Run/Walk    >5K Wheelchair    >1 mile fun run/fitness walk    >Kids... 06/17/2010

 Gettysburg Pa Celebrates Flag Day - Pa has Close Ties to Flag DayFlag Day is celebrated on June 14th and commemorates the adoption of the flag on the United States. What is amazing that the resolution deeming it so was passed way back in 1777 by the Second Continental Congress. Woodrow Wilson issued the proclamation that officially established June 14th as Flag Day in August of 1949. While Flag is not a federal holiday such as Memorial Day or July 4th, there is one state (and the only one) that has made Flag Day an official State Holiday. My home state of Pennsylvania is that state. Be sure to take time to learn more about Flag Day. Our Flag is a big part of our history, and our future. 06/14/2010

Gettysburg Festival  June 18-27 Arts, Food & More...For roughly 10 days in June Gettysburg Pa puts on a show of sorts. The Gettysburg Festival offers over 100 events including art, music, theater, dance and even culinary events. There are also children's events throughout the entire festival. One of the highlights of the Gettysburg Festival are the two culinary events, the North - South dinner, and the Edible Art Tour, both events are designed by a former White House chef.     Event sites include The Majestic Theater, Lincoln Square (which is the center of town), and Gettysburg College.The Gettysburg Festival is a major financial event for the local economy, it brings alot of people through town for the entire 10 festival. There are a lot of wonderful events for the whole family, and it... 06/12/2010

The Real Estate Association of York and Adams Counties just released the year to date sales statistics.  "The REALTORS Association of York & Adams Counties (RAYAC) reports that a total of 241 homes were sold in Adams County in the first five months of 2010, an increase of 17% over 2009 sales. In York County 1,562 homes were sold through the end of May, a 17% increase over last year. The median sales price in Adams County was $180,000, a 7% decrease from last year. In York County the median sale price was$149,000 reflecting a decrease of 4%." Home sales have been higher than year-ago levels for 11 straight months in York County," stated Kraig Hursh RAYAC President. Hursh added, "The upswing in May sales was expected because of the tax credit, and the pace should remain elevated in June. ... 06/11/2010

Gettysburg Pa Celebrates Memorial Day The weather for the annual Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade could not have been better. While honoring our Veterans, Gettysburg Pa sure knows how to celebrate as well. What was wonderful was the spontaneous applause that erupted any time a Veteran went by, it is a pleasure to live in a community that goes the extra mile. Gettysburg Pa has the distinction of remaining a small town, but what happened here for three days 1863 it gives just a little more focused footnote to our countries historical background. I am sure it is the same with any town that had a major historical event. I digress, here is a first hand look at Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade. Enjoy... 05/31/2010

Robert E Lee and George Meade Continue to Faceoff in Gettysburg PaConfederate General Robert E Lee and Union General George Meade continue to face each other here in Gettysburg Pa. You will see two different equestrian statues pictured in this post, one of General Robert E Lee, and the other of General George Meade. First a little background on the two statues. The Meade statue was sculpted by Henry Kirke Bush-Brown, who incidental also did the John Reynolds, and John Sedgewick equestrian statues at the Gettysburg National Military Park.  The Meade statue was dedicated on the morning of June 5, 1896. Meade is depicted on his favorite mount "Old Baldy". Despite suffering fourteen bullet wounds during his service in the Civil War, Old Baldy outlived Meade and served as the riderless horse... 05/28/2010

Gettysburg Battlefield - Landscapes and EmotionIn observance of the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, I will be posting a daily feature on the Gettysburg Battlefield. I wanted to start with something that captures the emotion that one feels when touring the battlefield, yes the Gettysburg National Military Park is beautiful, but there is no denying the raw emotion that one feels as well. My goal in this exercise was to capture some of that emotion through the landscapes of the Gettysburg Battlefield, as well as though the faces of the various sculptures that dot that landscape. I have never thought of the Gettysburg National Military Park as a vacation  place, but rather a place of great solemness, sadness, and emotion. A very powerful place for lack of a better word. I hope that comes acr... 05/27/2010

Smart Style with an Art Vibe @ Grace Kelly Salon in Downtown GettysburgLooking for a salon that can offer smart styling with an art vibe, then look no further than Grace Kelly salon right here in downtown Gettysburg, Pa. Grace Kelly salon has quickly become a popular, sought after place to get the hair thing done here in Gettysburg, Pa. The smart styling and chique atmosphere grabs you from the minute you walk in. While Grace Kelly salon fits in wonderfully with the new vibrant atmosphere of downtown Gettysburg, Pa. The feel in the salon is much the same as one might feel in any stylish downtown urban area. Owner Kelly Kaiser has found a way to mix two contrasting vibes in her almost three year old salon. Grace Kelly salon offers smart styling with an art vibe that would one find in an ... 05/27/2010

Followers of my blog probably already know that I've finally been bitten by an appraiser.  The bite of the out of town appraiser can cause home owners to lose proceeds from the sale and can be potentially deadly to pending contracts.  My particular appraiser was from York, PA which is about an hour from Gettysburg, PA.  The average sale price is much lower and it's more of a city than a town.  This got me thinking.  In the past when I've been asked to list properties in York I have told people that while I'm capable of listing there I am not equipped to provide proper information about that market because I simply don't spend enough time there.  I started to wonder if there was a appraiser code of ethics that prevented them from working outside their area of expertise.  The very first p... 05/25/2010

Gettysburg Area School District InformationGettysburg area school district encompasses a 185 square mile area of Adams County Pa. It services four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. Graduation rate district wide: 2009 - 89%2008 - 93%2007 - 93% Eisenhower Elementary School Academic Achievement rankings are based on student performance on three years PSSAs results in: reading, writing, math, and two years of science. 2010 - 238th2009 -292nd2008 - 283rd2007 - 318th out of 501 school districts   Gettysburg Middle School                  Lincoln Elementary School The Gettysburg Area School District employs approximately 233 teachers with an average salary of $54,489 for 180 days worked, which places Gettysburg Area School District teachers in the top 10 average of tea... 05/21/2010

Gettysburg Pa has some Great GrassYes it's true, there is some of the best grass here in Gettysburg Pa, Blue Grass that is. Twice a year the Granite Hill Camping Resort just outside of the greater Gettysburg area offers some of the best Blue Grassacts this side of the Appalachians. The first 3 day event occurs in May, the second event is held in August. This past weekend I had the pleasure of checking off an item on my bucket list. I had the pure pleasure of seeing, more importantly, listening to AKUS. For those that are not familar withAKUS, the initials stand for Allison Krauss & Union Station. I have always wanted to see this band perform and listen to one of the purest voices in Blue Grasstoday. Actually I don't think there is musical style that Allison Krauss can't perform.   It wa... 05/20/2010

Need a staycay? Why not consider a family day trip to Gettysburg? The annual Gettysburg Festival, a 10-day arts fest that runs from June 18-27, offers a unique experience that can satisfy your family staycation criteria: It's not too far. Gettysburg is about a two and a half hour drive from Philadelphia The festival will feature 800 artists and performers, with Philly's Kevin Eubanks (from the Tonight Show) giving a special performance on Saturday, June 26. Local wineries will be highlighted Jazz music fans will love the tunes Former White House Chef to the Clinton’s, Walter Scheib, will be creating 10 unique culinary events including a North/South” family-style dinner for 400 people There's plenty of history to school the kids with, along with children's programs and art exhibits A fu... 05/19/2010

Gettysburg Pa - Fighting a Battle all over AgainNo I am not talking about the proposed Casino, I am talking about Gettysburg Pa's fight for it's business life. It appears that the Gettysburg boro is clearly on the ropes, it has been down for the count in this fight and it's small business life is losing, big time. Lets take a look at how this battle in Gettysburg Pa has played out so far. Not too long ago the National Park Service decided to build a new visitor center, that move has put an incredible  financial burden on the businesses in the Steinwehr corridor. It has become clear that the recent economic downturn was not the culprit, even with the economy improving, the Steinwehr business corridor continues to hurt from the lack of foot traffic that the relocation of the visitor cente... 05/18/2010

Historic Lincoln Train Station-Gettysburg-PaNovember 18, 1863 at about 6:00 pm a train would be arriving from Hanover junction carrying a very important passenger that in less than 24 hours would be making what would become the most famous speech of his career. The following day November 19, would be the dedication of the Soldiers National Cemetery with President Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg address. The then named Gettysburg train station would see a lot of action over the next 48 hours. Gettysburg would be playing host to some 20,000 guests and dignitaries the majority of which would be arriving via train. The Gettysburg train station would see many different types of service during the course of the Civil War as well as the battle of July 1 -3, 1863. Many soldiers would depart ... 05/11/2010

Like every other Real Estate market across the country the Gettysburg, Pa home market has been influenced by the current economic turmoil.  It may have been the meltdown of the big banks,  personal monetary losses on wall street, or simply witnessing the equity in your home flying out the window like dandelion spores in summer.  Forced stimulation by government intervention has been the theme of the past few months years in the form of government controlled interest rates, and the first time buyer tax credit(s).  As we see ourselves functioning in market under it's own control, we will start to wonder if all of this tax dollar spending stimulated anything besides outrageous personal tax debt.  That being said lets just take a look at the numbers, and the tax credit deadline dates and se... 05/10/2010

Devastating Fire in Gettysburg Colt Park Neighborhood - Are you Adequately Insured Earlier this week the Colt Park neighborhood of historic Gettysburg Pa suffered a devastating fire in one of the many beautiful homes that make up the neighborhood. As is clear from the accompanying pictures the structure is a total loss. That got me to thinking about friends and family as well as my own liabilities. When you see devastation on the level that this property suffered you hope that if this occurred to you, you would be prepared. I guess the word is insured because I don't believe that a fire of this magantude one could possibly be prepared for. Of course there are things that we can all do to make a situation like this (if we should be unfortunate enough to have to deal with) make the situat... 05/07/2010

I want to preface this blog with the fact that my available rentals are in Chambersburg and not Gettysburg, but since my primary market is Gettysburg I've titled the blog accordingly.  This blog was motivated by some current events involving my personal rental properties that I found distastful and put some future tenants in a negative light.  Applying for a rental is much like applying for a mortgage, but no nearly as intense.  A landlord wants to verify that they aren't getting a lemon of a tenant.  The landlord tenant law is so in favor of the tenant that once a person has occupied a rental it's worse than removing wisdom teeth to get them out.  In fact Novocain is welcomed to ease the pain a bad tenant can have one your wallet.  So that being said I'd like to state a few things that... 05/06/2010

There aren't many people in the US right now that aren't wondering what the real estate market is going to look like after the tax credit.  Buyers are wondering if they'll extend it yet again, but from what I understand it's highly unlikely.  Realtors are wondering if the spike in activity we just witnessed represents their "nut" for the year, and well I have some opinions of my own.  As we close in on the deadline we are seeing the last minute flurry of buyers that decided that $8000.00 was enough of an incentive to pull the trigger on a home.  Realtors and buyers alike are hustling to get those contracts agreed upon and ratified in time for the April 30 deadline.  Unlike the last credit, there will be two months to get from ratification of the contract to settlement.  This should take... 04/27/2010