FAITH BAPTIST CHURCH - Elizabeth City, North Carolina - December 30th

After shoveling out from the 12 inches of snow we got overnight last Wednesday, we made our way to Moyock, North Carolina to visit with Stacie's parents.  We made a small pit stop in Bath, New York to have lunch with Pastor Greg Ferguson's (Buck Settlement Baptist Church) daughter and her husband on the way. Pastor and Mrs. Ferguson were originally supposed to join us but they were still digging out from the snow!  We spent the night in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania at the same hotel we stayed at on our Hurricane Sandy vacation.  See the November 5th post about that fun adventure.  We arrived safely Friday afternoon.

Stacie's brother and one of her sisters live in the area.  Another one of her sisters and her family drove over from the Hillsborough area for the weekend. We had nice family meal to celebrate Stacie's, her brother's, her sister's and my birthday on Saturday afternoon.  Now don't get worried - you haven't missed my birthday - it's in January.  I am sure you would like to know that so you can send lots of cards and expensive gifts!  Cash is preferred.  JUST KIDDING!!! (Well - kind of - anyways, never mind - I'll change the subject!)

Yesterday we went to church with Stacie's mom and dad to their church - Faith Baptist Church in Elizabeth City.  Their pastor - Bryan Pease - called me last week and asked me if I would teach his Sunday School class for the adults.  It went well and it sounded like the Lord used the message.  Pastor Pease has invited me back for the future and I am thankful.

We are spending New Year's eve and day here and then head to Cape Coral, Florida on Wednesday for our next meeting.

Faith Baptist Church - Elizabeth, City, North Carolina

Faith Baptist Church - Elizabeth, City, North Carolina

Faith Baptist Church - Elizabeth, City, North Carolina

OLD TIME BAPTIST CHURCH - Hamburg, New York - December 23rd

A week ago I had the privilege of preaching at my home church - Old Time Baptist Church in Hamburg, New York.  I was waiting for a couple of pictures so that is why I haven't posted anything on the blog about it.

On Sunday morning before I preached, Pastor Guadagno gave me a very nice, heartfelt introduction that I greatly appreciated.  He said some very kind words and told the folks we were having a "Cobb Day".  The Lord really blessed me with great liberty to preach in both the morning and evening services.

On Sunday morning a dear, precious lady trusted Christ.  She is the mother of one of our ladies in the church and has been coming for a while.  Her father was saved some time ago and so they've been praying for the mother.  It was a real time of rejoicing for the family.

Please be in prayer for the upcoming revival I will be preaching at Old Time - February 10-13, 2013.  I have already been in much prayer for this since June.

Evangelist Craig Cobb preaching at Old Time Baptist Church in Hamburg, New York

Evangelist Craig Cobb preaching at Old Time Baptist Church in Hamburg, New York

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...North Carolina, Florida and Alabama

We have been home for a little over two weeks and it is now time to hit the road again.  We have had a great time home spending Christmas with our family and friends.  When we got home I had one preaching engagement on the schedule (Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Sanborn, New York).  By and by I ended up speaking three additional times: at a funeral for a dear lady in our church, our Christmas cantata and then this past Sunday at Old Time.

We had a great Christmas day.  We started off by opening presents at home and then went to church for our Christmas day service.  After church we went to my sister's house for lunch with her family and had a great time.  We came home early in the evening and had a relaxing night playing games and snacking.

Today was spent doing some running around in preparation for leaving tomorrow.  There was the usual trip to Wally World, the store and then I went to get a hair cut (aren't you glad you know that?!).  We wanted to get the van packed early (which we just finished) because of a big snow storm that is being forecast.  The local news said it was supposed to start snowing around 3:00pm.  For once, they nailed it - the first flakes started falling at 2:50 - amazing!  The roads are now covered and it is getting pretty bad out.  The forecast is for up to 16 inches of snow - YES!!!!

The view from off our side porch this afternoon

NORTH CAROLINA...We head out tomorrow morning (weather permitting) for our first meeting of 2013.  We will stop in North Carolina to spend a few days with Stacie's mom and dad.  One of her sisters and her brother live in the area and another one of her sisters will be in town as well.  We have not seen them at all this year so it will be good to be there.  Their pastor (Bryan Pease from Faith Baptist Church in Elizabeth City) called me this afternoon and asked me to preach the Sunday School hour this coming Sunday.  I am looking forward to this opportunity as it will be the first time I have preached there.

FLORIDA...We will leave Florida next week and head to Cape Coral, Florida to be at New Testament Baptist Church (Pastor Bill Roan) for their annual camp meeting.  We had a great meeting there last year and have been earnestly praying for another visitation from the Lord!  The dates of this meeting are January 6-13, 2013.

ALABAMA...After Florida we will head north to Piedmont, Alabama for some time there with our friends - Evangelist David Evans and his family.  We will be visiting some churches around there as well as being at his home church (Central Baptist Church in Lanett - Pastor Jeff Thorn).

THEN HOME AGAIN...We will be making it home in time to start a revival meeting at Old Time Baptist Church (February 10-13, 2013).

Moyock, NC - Cape Coral, FL - Piedmont, AL

Merry Christmas from the Cobb's

Stacie and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

PREACHING TOMORROW AT OLD TIME BAPTIST CHURCH

Pastor Guadagno asked me a week and a half ago if I would preach the morning and evening services tomorrow.  This will be my second opportunity preaching in the new building.  I am looking forward to a good day in church and am praying the messages will be a help to those in attendance.  What a blessing to be at home and see our church family.

Old Time Baptist Church website - CLICK HERE

Old Time Baptist Church - Hamburg, New York

CHRISTMAS CANTATA live streaming reminder

Just a reminder: the Christmas Cantata "The Richest Family In Town" at Old Time Baptist Church will be live streamed on the internet tonight beginning at 7:00pm.  To watch, just click on the icon anytime after 7:00pm.  If you enjoyed the program, please leave a comment on the blog.

Click on the icon to watch the cantata beginning at 7:00pm on Friday, December 21st.

***If you have any trouble with the link, try CLICKING HERE.

OLD TIME BAPTIST CHURCH CHRISTMAS CANTATA - "The Richest Family In Town"

Tomorrow night at 7:00pm is the annual Christmas Cantata at Old Time Baptist Church.  The program will feature a readers theater as well as a children's choir, adult choir and live orchestra.  This yearly event is always a blessing because it involves several area churches working together, not just our church:

• Old Time Baptist Church - Hamburg - Pastor Lou Guadagno
• Faith Bible Baptist Church - Eden - Pastor Art Kohl
• Faith Baptist Church - Springville - Pastor Kevin Friedman
• New Hope Baptist Church - Collins - Pastor Jack Seiler
• Evangelical Baptist Church - Buffalo - Pastor Jim Donath

The name of the cantata this year is "The Richest Family In Town" and is set in the little town of Caldwell, New Jersey in the 1940's.  It has a wonderful story about the true meaning of Christmas.  You can click on the picture below to get more details about the cantata.

IMPORTANT PRAYER REQUEST:  Please pray for me as I will be taking a few minutes at the end of the cantata and presenting the gospel.  It is our desire for the lost to hear the truth and trust Christ as their Saviour. 

LIVE STREAMING: We will be live streaming the cantata over the internet on the church's website beginning at 7:00pm on Friday.  To view the webcast, click on the icon below...

LOCAL CHURCH BIBLE PUBLISHERS

If you have been keeping up with the blog you know that we recently were at Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan.  One of the ministries of this church is Local Church Bible Publishers. 

They have the highest quality Bibles you will ever find.  I know people who have spent up to $400 on a Bible from the best-known publishers only to have it fall apart on them.  The problem is that they are purchasing Bibles from BUSINESSES instead of MINISTRIES.  Local Church Publishers does not make any money on the Word of God.  I have known Bro. Deneau for 11 years and he is a good man who desires to get the Bible into the hands of people.

I have in my library probably 13 or 14 of their Bibles.  My preaching Bibles are from Local Church.  They have not asked me to promote them but I am doing this on my own.  Please know that I do not get any compensation whatsoever from them either.  I tell people everywhere I go about their Bibles.  If you visit their online bookstore (link is below) you can browse their Bibles and you will notice they also have other books, 1828 Noah Webster dictionaries, and many other items to chose from.

The church also has a printing ministry - Calvary Publishing - available to print books, church stationary, offering envelopes, missionary/evangelist prayer cards and much more.  Their link is also listed below.

I would encourage you to check out their websites and consider them for your future Bible and printing needs.

Local Church Bible Publishers website - CLICK HERE.
Calvary Publishing website - CLICK HERE.

CORNERSTONE BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH - Sanborn, New York

Every year in June we are in Sanborn, New York (about an hour north of Hamburg) at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church, where Jack Britt is the pastor, for their tent revival.  We have been there for the last 10 consecutive years.  Many years ago Pastor Britt invited us up for a Sunday in December and that now has become an annual thing as well.

Yesterday was our time to be there and it was good to see everybody again.  The Lord really gave us a great day in church and he helped me to preach with much liberty.  The services were filled with good congregational singing and special music.  While there were some folks out with sickness there was still a very good crowd.

Pastor Britt and I have known each other for over twenty years.  We served in similar capacities at our respective churches so we would talk often and try to help and encourage each other in our work.  Now that he is a pastor and I am an evangelist, we still continue to do just that.  Mrs. Britt and Stacie are great friends as well and so we had a very enjoyable time together.

If you would like to visit their church's website you can do so by CLICKING HERE.

Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Sanborn, New Yrok

The Gospel

Evangelist Craig Cobb preaching at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Sabnborn, New York

 

Pastor Jack Britt and Evangelist Craig Cobb (From the June meeting)

NEXT STOP: Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Sanborn, New York

Tomorrow we will be at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church in Sanborn, New York (Pastor Jack Britt).  This has become a December tradition for the past several years.  We are praying for a life-changing day in church!

You can visit Cornerstone's website by CLICKING HERE.

SCHEDULE UPDATE

This past Wednesday night we were home at Old Time Baptist Church and it was a blessing to get to see the "home crowd" again.  Our church family always make us feel so welcome when we get back from a trip.  I was asked to preach two times over the Christmas weekend that I wanted to share with you...

CHRISTMAS CANTATA
First, our annual Christmas Cantata is one week from today - next Friday, December 21st.  This year we are having this event at our building.  The public is invited and we hope to see folks from other area churches there.  Please pray for me as I present the gospel after the readers theater and choir are finished.  For information on the cantata, please click on the graphic below...

SUNDAY NIGHT
Pastor Guadagno asked me to preach Sunday, December 23rd during the evening service.  I am always excited to preach at Old Time - something that has become a rarity because of our busy travel on the road.  I appreciate the invitation and am praying the message will be a help.

THE BAPTIST FLAG

I mentioned yesterday about preaching for Pastor Don Green.  One of the many things he is noted for is creating the Baptist Flag.  Others may have seen this flag before but not realized it originated with Bro. Green.

Baptist Flag created by Dr. Don Green - pastor of Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan

The following article is from the website www.baptistflag.org...
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History of the Baptist Flag

The Baptist Flag originated in the heart and mind of Dr. D. L. Green, pastor of the Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan. Desiring a flag with which to identify, yet reluctant to embrace the Christian Flag because of its adoption by a broad scope of religious groups which have blurred its distinctiveness, Dr. Green set out to design a flag which would be attractive in its appearance and distinct in its message.

After sketching a variety of designs and rejecting them as insufficient to express his thoughts, Dr. Green settled on the theme "The Tie That Binds." With this thought in mind, Dr. Green soon developed a flag that embodied the three-fold cord which binds Baptists around the world. As Baptists, we hold to the Book, the Word of God, as our rule for faith and practice; the Blood shed by Christ for the remission of sin; and the Blessed Hope of the return of Christ to unite us together in Heaven with Him for all eternity. The colors are also symbolic and significant in their message. Red is symbolic of the blood of Christ by which we are redeemed, white for His purity and the robe of righteousness of the saints.
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You can order a variety of Baptist Flag products by CLICKING HERE.

PARKER MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH - Lansing, Michigan

I had the privilege this past Sunday (December 9, 2012) to preach for one of my heroes - Pastor Don Green of Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan.  Bro. Green came to our church's new building dedication back in May and he invited me to come preach for him.  By and by we established the date for Sunday.  I have known Dr. Green for many years and he is a great man of God.  He is known as a man of prayer and deep convictions. He is 84 years old and has been the pastor at Parker Memorial for an amazing 57 years.

Outside of seeing the Green's at our camp meeting and a little fellowship there, Stacie and I have never really spent any extended time with them.  When we arrived in town they picked us up and we went to a local restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal.  On Sunday we went over to their home and had lunch.  A family who has been visiting the church for a few weeks also came over.  Then again after the evening service we went over to the house and enjoyed some more fellowship with Bro. & Mrs. Green as well as his son, Steve, and his family.  Bro. Steve has been the associate pastor and song leader at his dad's church for 41 years.

This was our first time ever being at this church and I preached in the morning and evening services.  To be honest I was a little nervous (more so than usual) because of Bro. Green and his, literally, world-wide notoriety.  There really was no need for this because honestly he is such a gracious gentleman.  Both he and his wife are down-to-earth folks who love God and love people.  There was good liberty in the services and all of the AMEN's were encouraging.  The invitations in the morning and evening were well responded to.

You will notice in the pictures below a picture of a bridge with Bro. Green's name on it.  The city of Lansing (Michigan's capital), in honor of his 56th year of pastoring the church named this bridge after him.  It is located about 1/8th of a mile from the church on the same street.

Much could be said here about Dr. Don Green - his noted prayer life; his convictions of holiness; the legacy of his children, grand children and great grand children serving God and so on.  Tomorrow I will post a bit about the BAPTIST FLAG - created by Bro. Green...stay tuned...

You can visit the church's website by CLICKING HERE.

Dr. Don Green (Pastor, Parker Memorial Baptist Church) and Evangelist Craig Cobb

Evangelist Craig and Stacie Cobb with Pastor Don Green

Evangelist Craig Cobb and his wife, Stacie

Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan

Parker Memorial Baptist Church in Lansing, Michigan

Lansing, Michigan honored Pastor Don Green by naming this bridge on East Cavanaugh Road after him

VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH - Clarkston, Michigan - WINTER REVIVAL

DECEMBER 2-7, 2012
It was good to be back at Victory Baptist Church in Clarkston, Michigan where Bob Nogalski is the pastor.  It has been a number of years since our last visit and the Lord gave us a great meeting!

I had the privilege of preaching all day on the first Sunday.  It was the home-folks and there was good liberty to preach which happened all week long.  Monday thru Wednesday Evangelist Robert Foltz and I preached each night.  Bro. Foltz is out of Hope Baptist Church in Toledo, Ohio.  This is the first time I had ever met him and it was a blessing getting to preach with him. Several area pastors and people from their churches came out and supported the meeting which was a blessing.

Thursday and Friday we heard from Evangelists Mark McGuaghey (Alabama) and Charlie Tenney (West Virginia).  They both did a fantastic job and there was a good response in the invitations each and every service.

There was lots of wonderful special music from the church people.  On Friday night the Evans Family from Northern Michigan came down and they did a good job singing as well.  Two things that this church enjoys is music and preaching. Pastor Nogalski was happy with the meeting and how things went so that is always encouraging.

Some associated links you may be interested in:

Photo Gallery from the meeting
One of Bro. Cobb's sermons from the meeting on YouTube
Victory Baptist Church's YouTube channel
Victory Baptist Church website

Every preacher's favorite clock!

The Duty Family Singing

The Nogalski Kids singing

Evangelist Robert Fotlz - Toledo, Ohio

Pastor Bob Nogalski - Victory Baptist Church - Clarkston, Michigan

Evangelist Craig Cobb

Evangelist Craig Cobb, Evangelist Robert Foltz, Pastor Bob Nogalski

Evangelist Charlie Tenney from West Virginia

Evangelist Mark McGaughey from Alabama

Celebrating 400 years of the King James Bible

2013 SCHEDULE

The first quarter schedule of 2013 is now updated and posted.  The Lord has really blessed our calendar and we are thankful to the Lord for it.  We look forward to seeing many of you as we travel around the country and into Canada.  Please pray for the meetings and for safety on the road.

You can click on the "SCHEDULE" tab at the top of the home page or by CLICKING HERE.

OCTOBER / NOVEMBER Prayer Letter

The most recent prayer letter (October and November) is now posted.  You can read it by clicking on the "CURRENT PRAYER LETTER" tab at the top of the home page or by CLICKING HERE.

CURRENTLY - Victory Baptist Church - Clarkston, MI

We are currently in Clarkston, Michigan at Victory Baptist Church for their Winter Revival meeting.  I will update the blog after it is over.  It has been a good week and we still have two more nights to go.  Stay tuned...

OVERDUE UPDATE #2 - First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church - Franklin, Indiana

After our visit in Columbus we headed to to Franklin, Indiana to be at First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.  Back in August, Pastor Kent Kirchmeyer called me and asked what we were doing in November.  At that point there was nothing on the schedule so he asked us to come and be with them for a few weeks.

The plan was for us to split up the preaching a bit.  We ended up being there for three weeks and I had the privilege of preaching the adult Sunday school times, the Wednesday services, one of the Sunday mornings and then one of the weekly men's Bible studies.  The Lord gave us some good services and the people at First Mt. Pleasant are always so kind to us each and every time we are there.  They really go out of their way to make us feel loved and comfortable.

It was a blessing to be here and we enjoyed our time of fellowship with Bro. Kirchmeyer, his family and the people of the church.  We spent Thanksgiving with the preacher and his family and it was a very good day.

We will be back there in June for their summer revival and are already praying for that meeting.

Evangelist Craig Cobb and Pastor Kent Kirchmeyer (First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Franklin, Indiana)

Evangelist Craig Cobb preaching at First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Franklin, Indiana

First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Franklin, Indiana

OVERDUE UPDATE #1 - Amazing Grace Baptist Church - Columbus, Ohio

It has been a month since the blog has been updated and I apologize.  On our way to Indiana back in the beginning of November we stopped in to see Pastor Jimmy Hood and the folks at Amazing Baptist Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio.  Both Pastor and Mrs. Hood have been going thru an extremely difficult time physically and so we wanted to see them.

We got to church early and it was good to see the folks again.  The last time we were here was for their annual tent revival back in July.  When Bro. Hood came in he was surprised and happy to see us and immediately asked me if I would preach the service.  We had a good time and there is always a great spirit at Amazing Grace.  The Lord blessed with a good response during the invitation.

After church Stacie and I enjoyed some good fellowship with the Hoods at their home.  Please pray for these precious people and the work in Columbus.

Pastor Jimmy Hood - Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio

Amazing Grace Baptist Church - Columbus, Ohio

NEXT STOPS: Ohio, Indiana and Michigan

The van is all packed and we will head out this morning on our next trip.  Tonight we will be stopping in to see Pastor Jimmy Hood and Amazing Grace Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio.  Both Bro. and Mrs. Hood have been having serious health issues and we want to stop in and see them.

Tomorrow we will leave Columbus and head to Franklin, Indiana and First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church.  Pastor Kent Kirchmeyer has invited us to be there for a couple weeks and I will be doing some preaching.

After Indiana we head north to Clarkston, Michigan to be at Victory Baptist Church with Pastor Bob Nogalski for a winter revival meeting.  It has been a few years since we have been there at will be good to be back again.

There is one more church we may possibly be at in Michigan.  I am just waiting confirmation on the date and will add it to the schedule as soon as it is all set.

VISITING SOME CHURCHES

BUCK SETTLEMENT BAPTIST CHURCH - Bath, New York

After we left Harrisburg from our rather eventful (and yet, uneventful at the same time!) last Wednesday, we headed to Bath, New York.  We had to take care of some business in the area and so we stopped in for the Wednesday night service at Buck Settlement Baptist Church.  As you may recall if you've followed the blog, we were just here for a meeting three weeks ago.  Pastor Ferguson asked me to preach and I believe we had a good service.  It was good to see all the folks again.  Their website can be viewed by CLICKING HERE.

NEW HOPE BAPTIST CHURCH - Collins, New York

This past Sunday morning we went to New Hope Baptist Church in Collins, New York where Jack Seiler is the pastor.  Bro. Seiler is out of our church (Old Time Baptist Church).  Evangelist Don Hardman and I preach a winter revival here every year in February.  We enjoyed being in the services and listening to Micah Seiler teach the Sunday School and Pastor Seiler preach the morning service.  The Seilers took us out for lunch after church and we had a great time of fellowship with them.  The church now has a website and you can visit it by CLICKING HERE.

CORNERSTONE BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH - Sanborn, New York

On Sunday night we visited Pastor Jack Britt and the good folks at Cornerstone Bible Baptist Church up in Sanborn, New York.  We actually had an ulterior motive in stopping in.  Some very close friends of ours were leaving for the mission field yesterday and we wanted to see them one last time before they left.  Pastor Britt preached a great message and then we went to have some food and fellowship at their house after the service.  It was good to see our friends and we are glad that after 23 months and 144,000 miles of deputation they are now off to the field that God has called them to!  You can visit Cornerstone's website by CLICKING HERE.

Our 100th POST on the blog

We have really enjoyed doing this blog and have got some very positive feedback from all over the country.  Many people have said that they appreciate "keeping up with the Cobb's" and it is a blessing to know that folks really care about us.

I am able to track some statistics about the blog and thought I would share some of them with you to give you an idea of how it is doing.

• As of this post, we have had 4,132 page views since we really started posting back in April.
• 728 page views were recorded last month (October)
• The most-viewed post was the 25th Anniversary service for Pastor & Mrs. Greg Ferguson of Buck Settlement Baptist Church.  You can view that post by CLICKING HERE.
• Other than the home page, our next most-viewed page is our schedule.  You can keep up to date with our schedule by clicking on the "SCHEDULE" tab at the top of the home page or by clicking here.
• As of today, there have been people from 30 countries visit the blog... (listed in no particular order except the United States first, with the most visits)

1. United States
2. Canada
3. Russia
4. France
5. Thailand
6. Germany
7. Saudi Arabia
8. Israel
9. United Kingdonm
10. Ukraine
11. Australia
12. Philippines
13. Ireland
14. Cambodia
15. Mexico
16. Latvia
17. Brazil
18. Estonia
19. Netherlands
20. China
21. Costa Rica
22. Vietnam
23. Japan
24. India
25. Hungary
26. Aregntina
27. Poland
28. Nigeria
29. South Africa
30. Finland

Please continue to follow us and send us your feedback.  We appreciate it!

"VACATION" - Pennsylvania vs. Hurricance Sandy !!

(I'll give you a hint - Hurricane Sandy won!!!)

It has been a very busy year and we had been wanting to get away for a few days.  Several weeks ago we planned to go to the Sight and Sound Theater in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  We know several people who have been there over the years and they have told us "you have to go" so we decided to finally make plans.  I found a great deal on a hotel in Harrisburg (about 50 miles from the theater) so I booked that and then bought the tickets.

Everything was all set to head down to Harrisburg after the meeting in Sempronius.  The plan was this: we would find a good church to go to on Sunday, go to Hershey Park on Monday and then go to Sight & Sound on Tuesday.  We also were told by several well-informed people that while at Sight & Sound we absolutely had to go to the Shady Maple - a HUGE, delicious smorgasbord nearby.

During the meeting at Sempronius the big news of the week was HURRICANE SANDY - the big 'super storm' heading up the east coast.  The target was going to be New Jersey and New York City.  To be honest I really never thought about our plans being affected by the storm.  Boy, did I have another thing coming!

The day after the meeting (Saturday) we enjoyed one last meal with Bro. and Mrs. Grimes then headed to Harrisburg.  We were officially on vacation!  Our route took us through Scranton, Pennsylvania which is where "Steamtown" is: a system of trains and rail yards operated by the National Park Service.  This was not in our plans but, hey - we were on vacation and we could do whatever we wanted.  We got parked and literally had enough time time to hop on the "short ride".  The ranger said there wasn't enough time to pay and then board so he just told us to pay on our way out (which we did!).  After the ride we went through some of the museum then got back on the interstate and continued our trip to Harrisburg.

About one hour from the hotel we received a phone call from Sight & Sound that the shows on Tuesday were cancelled because of the hurricane.  Stacie and I debated about changing plans and going somewhere else to escape the storm but the news said this was a wide system and we would have had to travel several hundred miles west.  Well since we only had about 3 days we decided this wasn't an option so we stayed the course to the La Quinta Inn in Harrisburg.

We found a good church to go to - Calvary Baptist Church.  Their website said they were "King James" and that the pastor was a "straight shooter".  I told Stacie that this looks like the place to go.  We enjoyed meeting the pastor (Jim Moore) and the people and enjoyed the services.

The weather was predicting an historic storm and that the Harrisburg area would be impacted greatly.  They said on Sunday that if you were not prepared to ride it out by the end of the day then you would not be prepared.  As a rule we do not go shopping on Sundays but the circumstances created a need to forgo that rule.  The stores were packed with people getting last minutes supplies.  Both stores we went to were out of bottled water on the shelves.  Stacie found a stash in another part of the store and got a couple cases and then some food we could eat in the hotel.

Monday brought lots of heavy rain and bad winds.  I mentioned about going to Hershey and checked with them and they were closed because of the weather.  With the worst of the storm being predicted for Tuesday, we decided to go to Shady Maple on Monday for supper instead of Tuesday.  In the morning I then had the thought, "I better see if the Shady Maple is opened".  I made a call to them and they told me they were opened for breakfast and lunch but supper would be a last minute decision.  We didn't want to take the chance so we decided to make it for lunch.  We sat down at our table at 12:30 and then the announcement came over the loud speaker: the Shady Maple will be closing at 2:00 today because of the storm.  Well we enjoyed the smorgasbord and were glad we made it - just barely!

After lunch we headed back to the motel and that is where we stayed the rest of the day and all day Tuesday (except for a trek to the mall on Tuesday afternoon where we got some walking in).  Harrisburg ended up getting 6.5 inches of rain and there was bad flooding in some parts of the city.  We are thankful that the area we were in did not lose power or get flooded.

Although we did not get to go to Sight & Sound, we were together and safe and so it still made for a great "staycation".  We are to receive a gift card for the theater to be used within the next two years and we look forward to finally getting to see a future show.

I have posted a few pictures of our trip to Steamtown below.  There is also a photo gallery on Photobucket with more of our pictures - you can visit that by CLICKING HERE

Here are some related links to our vacation...

Calvary Baptist Church - Harrisburg, PA

Sight and Sound Theater

Steamtown

The Shady Maple Smorgasbord

Hershey Chocolate Factory

Steamtown - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown - Scranton, Pennsylvania

Steamtown - Scranton, Pennsylvania