Question: What began with a fantastic tour of a famous civil war battlefield, moved on to the most famous chocolate factory in the world and ended with an interactive show highlighting the "City of Brotherly Love" and a time for daily reflections? If you answered Day 4 of the annual Citizenship Washington Focus 4-H Trip, then congratulations, you are exactly right!
Though dreary, the fourth day of CWF did not disappoint, exceeding the previous days in both excitement and charm. 4-H'ers arose early to enjoy an excellent (and free!!!) Breakfast at our Gettysburg motel. Next, it was off to the Gettysburg Battle Museum where we watched a fascinating documentary on the Battle of Gettysburg and viewed a stunning cyclorama painting and light show summarizing the famous battle. Afterwards we were fascinated by a two hour tour of the Gettysburg battlefields that involved views from the bus and interactive off-road exploration by all.
After a short bus ride (that is, relative to what we’re used to), we arrived at a place most of had only dreamed of - Hershey, Pennsylvania. While there, we enjoyed a tasty lunch at the Kit Kat Café, attended a lesson on chocolate tasting, and received an excellent explanation of the chocolate making process. While earning our Masters Degree in chocolate tasting, our very own Chris Kartman was named a Professor of Tongue-ology, and fulfilled his duties by showing everyone where the different taste buds are located on the tongue. While loading the bus, Scott City 4-Hers were amazed to see a resident of their town, proving how small this world truly is.
Next, 4-H'ers traveled via coach to Cherry Hill, New Jersey, a suburb of Philadelphia, and got a small taste of traffic on the East coast. After supper we got to experience a phenomenal walk-through of the events leading up to the American Revolution through the “Lights of Liberty” show. Sites on the tour included Independence Hall, Franklin Court, and the Liberty Bell. All in all, the presentation primed us well for the Washington D.C. portion of our trip, and won’t soon be forgotten by anyone.
Reflections:
Many thoughts were expressed about the superb day. Among those mentioned most frequently were that the Civil War film was an amazing documentary, that the cyclorama exhibit was emotionally captivating and the statistics in it were staggering, and that the battlefield tour enabled visitors to picture the war visually.
Reactions to the Hershey’s tour included that the chocolate tasting was hilarious, that getting to “froth” our chocolate milk was grand, and that the singing cows on the tour had been well received. Also, chaperone Larry Crouse summarized the experience by saying, “ a bazillion little kids hyped up on chocolate is an insane zoo”.
Furthermore, Daniel Martin remarked that travel in Philadelphia was frustratingly slow.
Comments regarding the Lights of Liberty show were also positive and everyone was quite impressed.
In the end, the fourth day of CWF, though lacking in sunshine, was filled to the brim with laughter, fun, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. And if the trip thus far is any indicator, the good times have just begun. Tomorrow, the real fun starts when we arrive at our nations capital!
Until then, so long from New Jersey.
Respectfully,
Eli Schooley
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