PSoTD

It doesn't appear that Orrs Bridge in Hampden Township "made" the Rebuild PA Accelerated Bridge Program.

Greek Festivals happened all over the country this past weekend. We went Sunday to the Camp Hill festival after the rain finally passed. We try to do this every year because we love the food. Very low attendance at 2:30 on Sunday, they were actually selling desserts at a 2 for 1 price. If only they would do that with the gyros and souvlaki!

Looks like weather played havoc with their crowds, but it has to rain harder than that to keep us away.

This sounds familiar.

The line just a few hours after the first Five Guys hamburger haven opened in Monroe County on Sunday showed that patrons at the Shoppes at Stroud Center are hungry for a change of pace.

"I was thrilled," said owner Ann Negvesky after the opening. "Monroe (County) has embraced our burgers. It exceeded expectations."

Negvesky said that a demographic study indicated the Route 611 shopping center in Stroudsburg is the most feasible spot in the area. Although it is a bit tucked away from the focal point of shoppers' vision, the distinguishable red-and-white logo captured the curiosity of enough patrons to keep the line rebuilding as a coterie of employees bumped elbows providing brisk service.

Galvanized pails of peanuts were placed on the tables, and in the back of the business there were 30 sacks of potatoes and a dozen boxes of peanut oil.

"We want people to see that everything here is fresh," said Negvesky. "We pride ourselves as a cool, fun place to be. There's no frills here. What you'll expect is the best burger you ever had."

You know, the same story basically played itself last year in Mechanicsburg at the Five Guys on the Carlisle Pike. Their parking lot was full every day. But here it is, a year later, and I drive past the place almost every day around lunchtime, and usually the lot is less than half full. Monday there were four cars in the lot.

Their burgers are tasty, but this IS a premium priced fast food hamburger. And in today's economy, I wonder how well such a place can do for the long haul. You can still figure out a meal for 4 for $7 at the grocery, which is what a burger and a soft drink will set you back at Five Guys. It just seems like more people are likely to go the grocery route now than they did just a few months ago, and that's probably the way it will be for a while.

For whatever reason the official site isn't working, but it's coming up in Camp Hill, May 16 - 18.

Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival in Camp Hill PA May 16 to 18 2008

Start Date/Time Friday, May 16, 2008 11:00 AM

End Date/Time Sunday, May 18, 2008 4:00 PM

The Greek Festival at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church will take place from May 16 to May 18 2008 on the church grounds of the church located at 1000 Yverdon Drive, Camp Hill, PA.

They won the regional 24 tournament today. And it was pretty cool to see 17 schools support their math student teams that were enjoying this game so much.

Nick Tran reads and writes as well as any other fourth-grader, but he communicates best in a language without letters, one he visualizes.

He found a club of like-minded students at Sporting Hill Elementary School, in the Cumberland Valley School District, and a teacher who stays with them after school so they can connect.

Student conversation is rapid-fire and goes like this: "Three times eight is 24, five minus four equals one, and one times 24 equals 24!"

The Sporting Hill students "speak" in numbers as teacher Joan Gillis coaches them through rounds of a game called Math 24.

They're proving fluent.

Nick, classmate Braydon Kylor and fifth-graders Rachel Kang, Cece Kessler and Matthew Heidelbaugh last month outscored Math 24 teams from six other district elementary schools.

Today, they're matching wits with students across the midstate in the 24 Challenge Math tournament hosted by Cumberland Valley.

Young mathematicians in attendance are from Mechanicsburg, Camp Hill, Lower Dauphin and Steelton-Highspire school districts and Holy Name of Jesus and Saint Joan of Arc Catholic schools.

They are competing to be the fastest to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers on four corners of the blue Math 24 game cards to reach a total of 24. Students who reach a solution first must tap a card, then cite every step of their answer within 15 seconds.

Players must have rules of number operations committed to memory to be competitive. Many also memorize exact formula sequences to solve dozens of cards. But that isn't necessary to play well.

"I can't memorize things, so I have to [solve] each one," said Rachel, who is Sporting Hill's individual champ.

In last week's practice, it was clear she and her teammates enjoy the mental math. Laughs and high-fives follow the verbal equations that rush between them.

"In language arts, you have to read; but in math, you just do problems," Nick said.