Category: Fun Adventures

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August 6, 2020 Its Ours! We bought a cabin in the Colorado Mountains!

Here’s the story….

Late one evening (July 15) I was looking through listings on-line and a notice popped up on my app – “just listed 5 hours ago”! I showed Lorree the listing and we both thought the same thing…”could be the one?”

I texted our realtor, didn’t know if he was available or not. Yes he was on-line, yes the listing agent was on-line, Yes we could see it tomorrow afternoon, Yes, we had permission to leave work early, Yes, yes, yes!

When we arrived at 4:00 pm, there were other cars just leaving the property. It had already been shown several times within 20 hours of being listed! We prayed for wisdom as we met with Dan, our realtor, and looked at the property. He agreed with us that it was worth more than she was asking based on our previous experiences (so thankful we took the time to explore other options). He repeated his thoughts from the outset that this will go fast and he added that it will go for more than asking price. Lorree and I had already agreed on a set amount to offer, but just at the last moment I had a impression from God to offer $5K more than that. I looked to Lorree for confirmation and she didn’t have any reservations, so we made the offer. The next day Dan called and said “good thing you made the offer you did, there were three other offers that afternoon for more than the asking price, and you got it!”

It was like, “Welcome home!” For the next three weeks we re-lived our initial visit by looking at these photos over and over. The views from “our” property were amazing. Each time we felt peace and assurance in our spirit that this is the place God had picked out just for us! There were a few issues the owner had to resolve before closing (septic system and Tuff shed) but everything came together very smooth and on time!

Here’s a brief tour inside the cabin that we saw on our initial visit…

With the funds we received from selling our house in Canon City along with a bit of our savings, we were blessed to be able to pay cash for the property. We were committed to not have any debt is our retirement – God is so good to honor that for us.

…and we have a future bunkhouse for the grand-kids! On one end there is an open loft that may be as good or better than a tree house! We’re SO excited to be able to share this cabin, shed, and 20 acres with our family.

On August 6th at 10:00 am we closed on this property, by mid afternoon we were parking our RV (had to clear a branch to fit)! We were overcome with the joy of being blessed by our Lord Jesus – So grateful for all He has done in our lives and for the continued adventures. We just had to take time, pause, and reflect on His goodness and His gracious love for us (and for you!) In scriptures there’s a word for that….”SELAH, ” to pause and think about that”

We’ve named this place, Selah Acres. A place to pause and reflect on the salvation He freely offers to everyone, and for the many adventures God has for each of us!

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July 24 – Aug 6, 2020 Exploring the Colo mountains looking for some land…to land! and a week in Cripple Creek, CO!

When we were caught in Texas (back in March) with COVID travel restrictions, we became unsettled about not having a place to get off the road and “go home to”. In June and July, while at Glen Eyrie, CO, we started talking with others and searching online (Zillow) for some mountain property we could park our RV on that was somewhat near our Colo. kids.

Since we were in the area, we spent hours driving and looking. We became very familiar with the Pikes Peak area from Woodland Park to Cripple Creek to Guffey and a lot in between! We had a dream that became clearer to us everyday: “Ahhh – to have a CABIN in the mountains!” This has been a recurring discussion and dream since we were high school sweethearts – is now the time? We prayed and looked and talked to friends and family – there was much adventure in the hunt!

We started out mapping the Zillow choices we wanted to go see and spent multiple days and lots of hours driving to various locations. It was a challenge to keep them sorted out in our notes – they all had very scenic views and ranged from 5-6 acres up to 40+ acres. Lord, where was “our place”?

Then we found a great realtor (Dan from Guffey’s local Saddle-up Realty) who really helped us understand mountain property. We learned about septic systems, road access, power lines, water wells and usage, solar systems, internet and cellular availability. Whew! – so much to learn and consider. Thank you Lord for providing someone to help us make wise decisions!

We learned that owning some land in Park County to park an RV on wasn’t a permanent option (can only “camp” on your own property for two weeks at a time, and no hookups!) . We began seriously looking for “that cabin” on already developed land. It would save a lot of time and money if there was a cabin or some out buildings and utilities already on it.

We toured several possibilities, even made a low–ball offer on one far off the beaten path with 10 acres that needed a HUGE amount of fix-up work (we were willing – but thankfully God “delivered” us from that one!) We kept looking and praying……

In the meantime…..

In addition to visits to our kids and grandkids in Colorado (see previous post), we “got away from it all” and spent a week in Cripple Creek. A perfect location for some sight seeing and close by to keep on property hunting!

We drove Phantom Canyon Road (part of the Gold Belt tour) from Canon City to Victor, CO What a road and what beautiful sights! No place for anything over 25 ft long and maybe 10 foot wide. Lots of narrow, dirt, winding roads. It is only 35 miles but takes two hours one way! It used to be a railroad connection to and from Victor and Florence during the gold mining boom. We got caught in a downpour that made the roads slick and somewhat treacherous – thankfully we were almost to Victor when that happened!

Cripple Creek! Now a location for casinos in Colorado (they say they “saved” the town), it wasn’t very bustling with crowds nor activity during these Covid-19 days, and we were OK with that! We learned that back in the day, there was a vote on which city in Colorado would be the Capitol of Colorado. Cripple Creek lost to Denver by only 4 votes. Can you imagine what differences there would be if Cripple Creek had won?

During the 1890’s gold rush / mining days Cripple creek boasted a population of over 10,000 (today about 1,300) – housing was spread out across the nearby hills and valleys. Hundreds of millions of dollars were mined out of the nearby mines – still happening today!

We rode the Cripple Creek Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad. Learned lots of bits of history from the conductor and really enjoyed the views.

It was fun trying to imagine what life was like over 130 years ago (Thankful for our modern day life now!)

We stayed at the Cripple Creek KOA for the week. It was great to see the sunsets and early morning Moon-sets over the mountains. Somewhere out there is a place for us to call home!

Still loving our adventures every day – especially when they include ice cream! More to come….Selah! (means to “pause and think about that”).

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March 19 – 26, 2020 Cochise, AZ – at Alan and Karen’s Chapel Ranch!

Where should we/could we go to “Shelter-in-place”?

We contacted Alan and Karen Johnson (cousin) to see if we could come and spend some time with them in Cochise, AZ. We had planned a visit, but now we needed a place to stay for a while! They said “of course, come on over!” Check out their website www.chapelranch.org

It was a beautiful drive from Texas through New Mexico to Arizona. BIG SKY COUNTRY! The Buttercups were in full bloom with the backdrop of the blue sky and the mountains we were blessed with a lot of “eye candy”!

We passed the “worlds largest” road runner as we traveled through New Mexico (Las Cruces). The one at Fort Stockton (2nd largest) was 22 feet long, this one, made out of recycled junk, measures over 20 feet tall and 40 feet long! Impressive

We made it to Chapel Ranch, AZ! This is a beautiful setting! Alan and Karen have purchased 40 acres at the base of the Cochise Stronghold (mountains in the background). The stronghold is a National Park with camping grounds and many hiking trails. It was great to see what they have been creating and learn their heart to provide a place of spiritual retreat for others!

So many roses! Karen has a real gift for propagating roses! She has taken cuttings from a few rose bushes and has planted a huge rose garden with 1,500 plus roses! When these are all mature and blooming can you imagine the beauty and the fragrance that will be here in the desert? There are walking paths, benches, and an orchard sitting in front of these spectacular peaks!

Since we offered to help work in someway – Alan introduced us to this … a “Hula Hoe”! It slices through the dirt just below the surface and cuts the roots of weeds – either pulling or pushing the blade.

We became professional ho-ers in a matter of hours! After several days, we completed the entire rose garden before we left Alan and Karen’s place!

Alan is working to put in a large Koi pond with rocks. plants, and streams just off the front deck of the house. He’s got all the pumps, filters, and the plumbing completed and is real close to laying the rubber liner. We definitely want to return to see this and the rose garden!

Alan took us out to where they have a vision for a future Chapel building. The setting here will be amazing! Check out how Ginger is helping by tearing down the yucca. She really was vicious with these plants – they don’t have a chance!

The face of Jesus

One day while sitting on the front porch, Alan asked if we “could see it?” After looking around, he pointed out the “face of Jesus” in the mountain rocks looking over the ranch. We did see it! The unique thing about it is that it is only visible certain times of the day with everything “just right”. The face is made up of shadows, boulders, outcroppings of trees, and sunshine. Very Cool!

We know that God will use this place to minister to so many souls. We said good-bye, but we plan on being back to help another day. Thanks Alan and Karen for sharing your ranch with us, giving us a safe place to be during these crazy days, and for sharing your vision to encourage others in God’s Kingdom! We leave refreshed and spiritually encouraged!

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March 12 – 18, 2020 PLANS CHANGED! We’re going to El Paso, TX and then……??

South Llano River State Park, TX was our next stopover for one night. The weather was warm and we had visions of floating and wading in the river to cool off and relax! (This was advertised on their web page). But when we checked in, they told us that all river activities had to end daily at 3:00 pm due to the effort to encourage wild turkey roosting on their nature preserve…we had arrived at 2:30 pm. Pretty disappointed about that. We did enjoy another nature hike, they had bird blinds set up so you could hide and record different birds coming and going – pretty cool.

EXIT AHEAD!

We had to change our planned route for COVID 19 Regulations!

EXIT AHEAD! News about the Corona virus had been circulating since early February, but not a lot of attention was given to it – at first! Now we learned that the April Juice Plus LIve Conference in Phoenix, AZ had been canceled! We also learned that ALL of our reserved campsites in New Mexico and Arizona had been canceled and money refunded. We scrambled to make a new route – so far Texas was still open – but we needed a place to “shelter-in-place”, but where? This was another opportunity to trust God and watch how He would direct and provide for our every need! His “exit” plans always work out for good – we’ve earned this truth over and over throughout our lives. God IS good!

We stayed at Fort Stockton, TX for a couple of nights. This allowed Lorree to work at ROH on Monday. We got to experience the worlds 2nd largest Road Runner in downtown Fort Stockton! There were lots of yucca plants along the highway – finally got to get a picture close up for comparison of the size! We never had these in La Junta, CO!

EL PASO, TX!

Lorree helped out driving across Texas – sooooo many miles to travel! We travel with all of our “gadgets” turned on; Garmin GPS, Google Maps, rear view camera behind the trailer, nothing’s going to surprise us (ha! ha!) Lorree tried to eat that semi!

We were able to make reservations at the Mission RV Park in El Paso, TX. Very nice park (even though we were just located just off the interstate and parked on a gravel “parking lot”). We enjoyed using their swimming pool and hot tub a couple of times! We were thankful for a place to stay for a few nights – we learned that other campgrounds were closing and telling people to leave ASAP. RV’ers are scrambling all over the nation to find a place to hunker down. Never imagined we would be faced with this when we started our new lifestyle!

We sure eat good when we get to settle down for a few days! The camp store sold ice cream – so we HAD to try the famous Blue Bell Ice Cream – YUM!

El Paso sits right on the boarder of Mexico. We drove by a section of the boarder wall that President Trump is building. Pretty impressive – not an eye-sore. We could actually see through it – but it would be pretty hard to climb over!

We went on a day trip to the mountings right outside of El Paso. We ended up at Franklin Mtn State Park. The new rules allowed for day visits and hiking, but no overnight camping (?…go figure!) We never saw any of the famous blue bell blooms (too early – usually in April they say), but we saw lots of the yellow Buttercups and Indian Paintbrush plants. Beautiful landscapes!

Aztec Caves Trail – looked like a nice moderate hike – we set out on a new adventure!

This hike about did us in – except that we were wise to stop, rest, and take our time! We were at about 5,300 ft elevation. It was about a mile to the caves with an elevation change of about 600 ft. We realized that although we thought we were “in shape” we needed more work on that! It was a bit treacherous coming down because of the steep path and the loose rocks, so glad we have walking sticks! We had a great day!

On the way home, we drove along side the boarder wall and came across this mile-long line of semi’s. They were going into Mexico – we don’t know if this is an everyday occurrence or a slow down of border crossing because of COVID 19.

Getting some Vitamin D and ultra violet light to keep the virus far away! The warm sunshine felt so good!

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March 8 – 11, 2020 San Antonio, TX!!

Our first KOA! Very nice, lots of comfort items (store, pool, activities, meals, etc). It was fairly crowded so we pretty much stayed at “our place’. This was a great home base to see and experience San Antonio. We even rode the metro bus to and from our camp site so we didn’t have to drive and try to find parking – score!

We took the “hop-On-Hop-Off” Bus tour through San Antonio. There was so much construction and building renovations going on that it was a bit disappointing – plus the tour driver was hard to hear – ugh! But we enjoyed getting a lay of the land and where the important sites were.

We really enjoyed the River Walk! We walked for a few miles, and then rode the river tour boat. Lots of interesting facts about San Antonio and the history of the buildings and river!

We found a great place to eat right along the river, so good! (Of course the birds loved the leftovers 🙂

And then we visited remains of the chapel at the Alamo. It was good to learn the history of the Alamo while on site. It always carries a deeper appreciation of what took place. The letter that was penned asking for help was an eye opener for us, and re-learning that the final battle was lost. Hence the motto, “Remember the Alamo!”

We met up with Rick and Sharon Carlton from our home church in Canon City! this was their old stopping grounds. They took us out to eat at a local Cat fish and onion rings restaurant – boy was it tasty! It’s always fun to meet up with friends while traveling – making memories! We said goodbye to San Antonio – there’s more to see and do next time!

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March 4 – 7, 2020 From Alabama to Texas!

Clarkco State Park, MS

We hit the raod again, our next destination is San Antonio, TX! Our first stop was an overnighter in Mississippi at Clarko State Park. Nice park – but it rained and rained and rained! glad we only were staying one night!

We were dry and warm inside. It was interesting to look outside and see a guy walking his dog – even the dog had a raincoat !!

Tickfaw State Park, LA

Our next stop was Tickfaw State Park in Louisiana. Tickfaw is an Indian name meaning “Rest Among the Pines.”  The State Park was just north of New Orleans. We didn’t have time to get into town – maybe next trip! This was a neat nature preserve that we hiked and learned about some of the local wildlife.

On the nature trail we did see one of these “Sirens”, they look like an eel!

It was a great hike (SO QUIET!) Didn’t see a lot of wild life, but some very interesting cypress trees, flowers, and green vines.

Kliebert & Sons Gator Tours!

Then we went to a local Alligator Tour place. This was all inland – no swamps or bayous – but all in all a very good tour of a variety of captive animals with a great guide that shared many interesting facts. (We did not see any Gator Wrestling – but we’ve heard they do that here!?)

We did not hold the Boa – yikes!

We made it to Texas!

We crossed the mighty Mississippi River, we are always so amazed at the size of these rivers (compared to what we have in Colorado). Then…..I (Dennis) pulled into a Welcome Center/Rest Stop. I didn’t see the sign that said “Warning! No RV’s!” and turned onto a crazy bit of road that ran under the freeway! There was a sign ahead that warned the height limit was 12′ – and no turn around. (See that yellow marked upper cement corner in the picture, it cleared only about 10′). Fortunately we are at 11′ and were able to weave through – whew! But it was a bit unnerving to go under those freeways in order to make a u turn and return the same way. We were both clinching our teeth – yikes!! Close call!

We’re officially in Texas, enjoying our stop over at the first Buc-ee’s that we see! Oh that brisket sandwich… YUM!

We stayed one night at Boomtown USA RV park – right alongside the interstate (see that car in the background whizzing by?) – convenient, but pretty noisy! Next stop – San Antonio!

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February Excursions – Buddy & Cindy Ward, Anya Johnson adoption, Mom Johnson Colorado!

Buddy & Cindy Ward at Fort Myers, FL

Our first weekend in February we traveled to Fort Myers to see Buddy & Cindy Ward. We had purchased a couple of new recliner chairs at the Tampa RV show and they were delivered to Fort Myers Camping World Store. Buddy & Cindy offered to haul them with their pickup to our site at Lake Placid for us (since ours was still in the shop) – thanks so much!

It was a great getaway – especially after they invited us to join in their remote church services from Browns Bridge Church out of Cummings, GA. They are having a great turnout each Sunday Morning, what a great way to share Christ with others!

After church and the return trip to Lake Placid we unloaded our chairs and went out to an all-you-can-eat fish fry restaurant called Jaxson’s On The Lake. It was very good! Buddy & Cindy headed back and we relaxed in our new chairs – they work mighty fine for afternoon naps 🙂 !!

Adoption! Welcome Anya Johnson to our family!

The next weekend we flew to Colorado Springs and stayed with Nick & Rachel. We all got to be there for little Anya’s adoption ceremony. The judge made a comment about the loving family that Anya is joining – he mentioned that adoptions are very special to him and he loved getting to hold Anya. He even let her pick out a stuffed animal to keep!

Who knew when we flew in that Colorado had snow! What a change of climate for us – from zero elevation to 5,000+ and from 70 degree temps to the teens! But we wouldn’t have traded this trip for anything. Loved being back “home” and spending time with family!!

So thankful for our growing family. We now have 18 Grandkids (with number 19 on the way!)

Mom Johnson – wonderful memories!

On a bright sunshine day we traveled to Fort Morgan to see Mom Johnson. What a beautiful country we live in, wide open “big sky days” and Colorado sunshine! It was so good to be at Mom’s house and get our hugs again!

…and Mom cooked us a fine lunch with desert. Local made German Sausage and sauerkraut and our favorite Oatmeal Cake. what a feast – and very good eat’n 🙂

We noticed when we arrived that Mom had a box setting on the floor. She said she wasn’t sure of what was inside and wanted to go through it….

It was full of news articles and advertisements of Dad Johnson’s grocery stores through the years. His first store was opened in January of 1956. Wow – great memories of times gone by. We had such fun reminiscing about the stores and Dad and working together. We are so thankful we got to spend time with Mom going through this box!

It was so fun to spend a few hours going through that box. So many memories of growing up in the grocery business, memories we will always cherish!

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January Excursions -JP Regional, Tampa Super RV Show, Jim & Cindy Johnson!

January 11, 2020 – JP Pajama Regional – in Savannah, GA!

It was great to meet up with our JP team in Savannah, GA. The Pajama Regionals are always a great time – live streamed to everyone’s home location. We learned a lot and were inspired by the live testimonies of change in so man people’s lives

What a great group, loving each other and our commitment to healthy living! We enjoyed shared meals and interaction with each other – this is some of our Juice Plus “family”!

This was so much FUN! …..we’re all looking forward to Phoenix, AZ in April for our JP Live Event!

January 17, 202 The Tampa RV Show Supershow!!

We drove over to Tampa Wednesday evening and registered for the Tampa RV Supershow. We spent all day Thursday walking and gawking! SO MANY RV’s -everything from little teardrops to huge Class A motor coaches ($500,000 and more !)

We found one we liked! Its from a new company – focusing on quality and simple designs. This was their Paradigm model from Alliance RV. It’s a 5th wheel (see pic on the left) – not ready to buy up yet – but maybe something for our future?

We found Buddy and Cindy Ward working the booth of Cypress Gardens RV Resort -Florida. It was so good to see them and visit for a while. We made plans to see them in Fort Myers when we move South to Lake Placid for our next SOWERS project. We also met this great couple from Colorado! very similar family and RV stories – its great to meet strangers and leave as friends!

January 27, 2020 Jim & Cindy Johnson

We spent a day with Jim & Cindy Johnson at their home in Crystal River, FL. We had a great lunch and enjoyed playing Mexican Train (dominoes) while visiting.

Meet “Henny”! This beautiful Herring spends a lot of time at Jim & Cindy’s. (It could be that Cindy likes to feed it pieces of Bologna once a day)!

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December 29 – January 3, 2020 Southern Palms RV Resort – Florida finally!

We were able to find an “RV Resort” very close to our next SOWER Project, only 35 minutes away 🙂 It was nice – but very close RV spaces. We had to utilize the space across the road from our spot in order to back in. We met our neighbors right away as they all came out to watch me back it in. UGH! We nipped the RV bumper of our neighbor with our trailer (while he watched and smiled) – no damage to his rig, but we lost a clearance light cover. (This is the same day as our truck -crunch on the highway!) Getting “spooked” about driving – just want to park it for a while. The neighbor was a great guy, after he learned of our eventful day, he gave me a man-hug and said “no problem” (Thank you God for sweet forgiving people you put in our lives!)

The next day we just hung around the RV park and “re-settled”. There was a couple that walked by and saw our damaged truck. They stopped to ask about it – and then shared that they had a great repair experience with a local Chevy Dealer (VanGannaway’s Chevrolet). It was like God was directing every step for us – That’s what He does!!

The gentleman in the bright shirt above is Bob. He happened to walk by – came over to say Hi and just plopped down in the adjacent chair by me and started talking (and talking, and talking…). He is a Christian, and had a lot to say about the world and how God was evident all around us, and was eagerly solving all the worlds problems with scripture. We had a great visit – it was so good to have a conversation about spiritual things!

The next day, we went for some “Fun-in-the Sun! We signed up for a two hour Cat-Boat Adventure. These boats were like a paddle boat – but with a 15-hs engine on the back! It included a tour of the Mount Dora Canal. Famous for a scenic water canal that winds though live oaks, connecting a couple of Florida lakes.

These fun little boats had some pick up and go! We flew from one end of the lake to the other – it was hard for our group of four couples to stay up with the tour guide – he was a lot of fun!

There were some pretty interesting sights along the way. We saw lots of wild life – even some bald eagles! We really enjoyed getting outdoors and doing something fun – we would do this again!!

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December 15-22, 2019 Adventures on Tybee Island & Savannah, GA! -River’s End Campground & RV Park

Ugh! Google maps did it again! Just exited off the highway and was immediately traveling through the historic district of Savannah with our 35 foot trailer! It was beautiful…BUT – very narrow streets, cars parked, people, traffic everywhere! We mentioned this at the Campground when we checked in and she said, “you must not have read your email we sent to you.” Here it is… ” PLEASE NOTE:     WE DO NOT RECOMMEND FOLLOWING GPS DIRECTIONS TO THE CAMPGROUND TRAVELING IN AN RV! ” — LOL! lesson learned!

Just east of Savannah about 20 minutes we drove to Tybee Island, had to watch for turtles!! (We never saw any). We’re at River’s End RV Park at the tip of Tybee Island. It is a commercial (owed by the city) RV Park with all the amenities. Everything is very nice, clean and comfortable. We enjoyed driving around town and found a great seafood restaurant “Sting Rays”. It was a nice day with sunshine – but still on the chilly side, low 60’s.

We ventured out on the beach in the afternoon. The tide must have been out – way out! lots of sand and very few people. We found a great swing on the beach and just relaxed together!

After 47 years (its our anniversary today!) we still have to take care of routine things like an ear/hair cut! (She didn’t -but we laughed cause some people were walking by when I did this!) Also took care of laundry and cleaning the trailer (doesn’t take very long 🙂 We are SO blessed to have a love that continues to grow each day with God adventures and sweet laughter to keep our days fun!

We toured Wormsloe – an area of land that has a significant history ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wormsloe_Historic_Site ). t was amazing to walk down the tree shrouded land and learn the intricate details of history from a live guide!

Almost every day, we had a great time getting together with friends! Sharon and Jim Lucas, Tim and Kim Osborn , Richard and Lucy Warren, Mike and Trina Crescenzi, and who is that mystery lady? (…at Paula Dean’s restaurant 🙂 )

We spent one day just touring Savannah using the hop-on-hop-off Trolley . We learned a lot about the early history of the Colonies. Savannah was originally laid out in “squares” with houses and important community buildings built around them. Johnson Square was the first square in Savannah and was used by many prominent men as a speaking platform.

It was fun to see these sights and spend time walking around – there’s more to come back for!

To celebrate our 47 Anniversary we enjoyed a night on the town! After supper at the campground, we traveled into Savannah – first stop was the famous Leopold’s Ice Cream shop! A great example of the “American Dream” – te ice cream was sooo good!

Then we went to the Theater! Over 200 years old – longest running theater in the United States!

The show was “Christmas Traditions” – a variety of Christmas music from serious to funny to acrobatic. They made it very special by focusing the evening on Christ’s birth – the true meaning of Christmas!