A day to explore on our own. We ventured back to the Spillway. Beneath the Pymatuning Reservoir lies the remains of
the Great Pymatuning Swamp. The Shenango River once flowed through this ancient
swamp. Today, this river and its tributaries supply water for the reservoir,
which was built to provide a consistent water source and flood control for
communities along the Shenango and Beaver Rivers. Construction of the concrete “spillway
bowl” allowed independent regulation of the 2,500-acre upper reservoir to
provide optimal wildlife habitat. The flow of water over the bowl brings a
constant supply of natural food into the area, providing a smorgasbord of plant
material, insect larve, crayfish and other invertebrates for fish to dine upon.
I told you
that I would tell you more about the Spillway and the Carp. I had to go back
today and “feed the fish” some more. Their food is white bread, the animals are
carp, and the venue is the Spillway on the Pymatuning Reservoir. It's known to
the world as, "Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish." This attraction
does not advertise, yet it draws over 300,000 hurlers a year. By the town's
reckoning, the Spillway is the second most popular tourist destination in all
of Pennsylvania, trailing only the Liberty Bell. The spillway is a natural food
attraction for fish.
People have been coming here, as it's right on the
road, since it opened in the 1930's. Throwing bread followed naturally, it was
cheap, and it pulled in more fish. Things stayed pretty much unchanged until
2007, when the park built a new venue, with a parking lot and restrooms
and benches. The result: people now have a lot more room to toss a lot more
bread.
The ducks' role is not so clear. On a recent visit
we saw geese, a few ducks, and lots of fish, and lots of bread being thrown at
the fish, but no ducks walking on fish. Are the fish so thick that the ducks
walk on them? Maybe. I don't know, but the ducks are in there fighting for that
bread, and they're getting on top of them. Walking-on-the-fish may be a rarity,
but it does visualize the mass of carp that congregate here. One can easily
imagine a small animal staying dry, hopping from fish to fish, although they
might not last long before the carp carpet pulled them under as another meal.
Carp are ugly and creepy. Then there are thousands
of them thrashing and gaping up at you. I am glad that there is a steel
guardrail between me and the water. Carp can live up to twenty years. The largest Carp caught in Pennsylvania was over 50-pounds! Wow! Carp have an amazing sense of smell, they can smell a worm through several inches of silt.
The concession stand sells a loaf of bread for a
buck, but down the road at "The Bread Store" you can buy five loaves
for three dollars. Does that sound like too much? A local college biology
professor staked out the Spillway, and calculated that each visitor throws on
average 2 pounds of bread into it. We think it's purely a matter of reward for
performance; not quite as dramatic as gators leapin' for food, but those carp
are smart. As soon as you are walking on the walkway, they start to appear. The
surplus of baked goods in the Pymatuning Reservoir is troubling to some. A few
years back the park stopped selling bread at the Spillway. But the people just
brought it in anyway. Some people suggest that bread should be banned
altogether, and that visitors should be content to use handfuls of crumbly food
pellets at the fish. That just is not going to happen.
Amish in Ohio? Yes! It is estimated over 230,000
Amish in the nation, approximately 24% or nearly 56,000 of them live in Ohio. This
ranks Ohio as the leading state in Amish population over Pennsylvania with
nearly 52,000 and Indiana with nearly 39,000. There are approximately 26
counties in Ohio that have Amish communities.
In Williamsfield, a new community is taking shape.
It was established a few years ago by families from western New York. The
settlement is clustered around the intersection of Routes 7 and 322. There were
originally five families in this settlement. You may see Amish children playing
near one-room schoolhouses. You might be able to watch farmers hauling crops
from the fields or manure to the field on horse-drawn wagons.
Or you could even catch the ladies of the family
hanging out laundry on wash day. Prices of farmland in Geauga County reached
the point where young Amish couples had difficulty affording enough land to get
started farming successfully. So, it was the less expensive land that drew the
first wave of Amish to Ashtabula County Ohio. They came from Middlefield in Geauga
County along with another 25 or so families who make up the "Cherry
Valley" settlement. This group also flows into the Denmark and Dorset
areas.
Amish Settlements are spreading to many different
areas of the state. As they move into a community, the Amish bring along their
quiet, simple lifestyle as well as their hard work ethic and quality of
workmanship. The entrepreneurial spirit thrives in all of these areas and
home-based businesses abound. The roadways are dotted with signs advertising
anything from Amish-made furniture to homemade baked goods or hand crafted
items. Follow these signs to find hidden gems and treasures off the beaten
path. You must be willing to venture away from the main highways though.
Speaking of Amish businesses, if you are in the
area, check out the Cherry Valley Furniture Store. Since 1997, Cherry Valley
Furniture has served the northeast Ohio/northwest Pennsylvania area by
providing high quality products in a warm country setting. Owned and operated
by Levi and Lizzie Miller, all of the furniture products are handmade by Amish
craftsmen. In the tradition of Amish markets, they offer a large selection of
bulk food products. Whether you are stocking your pantry with spices, flours,
and baking items or just stopping by for a few items, the selection is overwhelming. I came to see the 100 different spices, chocolate blocks, maple syrup, honey, jams, candies, cereals, salad dressings, soup mixes and much,
much more.
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