About Schuylkill County, PA

Wine is big business in Pennsylvania! The state is the nation’s eighth largest wine producer, with more than 130 wineries throughout the state. Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania has a number of small, family owned wineries. Here is a list of wineries wihin our borders--and sometimes just over the border--and surrounding wine trails, complete with addresses, web page links, and hours if I could find them.

The Wineries

Benigna's Creek Vineyard and Winery

1585 Ridge Road, Klingerstown, PA 17941 (570) 425-3090

This Masser-family owned winery is located in the scenic Mahantongo Valley between Pitman and Klingerstown. It truly is out in the middle of nowhere, but it's a beautiful drive through the countryside so take your time. There is a fascinating history of the Masser family, and how they migrated from Germany to the farmlands of Pennsylvania in the 1750s, only to return to making wine here! Benigna’s Creek Sunshine Vidal outshone 361 other Pennsylvania wines to win Best in Show honors at the Pennsylvania Winery Association’s (PWA) annual Pennsylvania Wine Competition in State College. Benigna’s Creek 2005 Strawberry also nabbed the Double Gold for "Best Overall Fruit Wine" in the 2006 competition. Benigna's Creek also has a store open at the Schuylkill Mall, and you can find them at the Hometown Farmer's Market on Wednesdays. So if you cannot make the trip to Klingerstown, go to the mall or the market. Open Wednesday thru Saturday 11 a.m.- 5p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Galen Glen Vineyard and Winery

255 Winter Mountain Dr., Andreas, PA 18211 (570) 386-3682

Galen Glen has the distinction of being Schuylkill County's first winery, opening in the late 1990s. You'll find spectacular view of the scenic Blue Mountains from their vinyard. Because they are so close to Jim Thorpe and the Lehigh Valley, this winery is listed on the Lehigh Valley Wine Trail. A decade a go, when they were just starting up, you'd see Galen Glen out at Chamber of Commerce events, all sorts of local festivals, wine tastings, etc. I have been to this winery, but have not seen them out and about as much lately. I do see they're at the Hegins Valley festival (Schuylkill Wine Festival) in September. Open Friday 12-5 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday 12-5 p.m.

Long Trout Winery

84 Fork Mountain Road, Auburn, PA 17922 (570) 366-6443

Where the wine is cool and hippie chicks rule! This winery definitely has a hippie influence! I cannot say it any better than this, from their website:

Peace signs, tie dyes and bell bottoms, flower rings of baby's breath and daisies, headbands and halter tops, yellow subs and blue meanies, beads and weeds, 60's music veiled in smoldering incense and clean, crisp homemade style wines like everyone's Grandpa used to make... These familiar images capture the essence of Long Trout Winery. An unequaled slice of time and tradition where being "different" is what it's all about. So don't make a fuss, get on the hippie bus and experience a perfect blend of far out wines and furry friends at PA's "UNIQUE BOHEMIAN WINE BOUTIQUE".

You could buy the wines just to read the label. Seriosly. Here is one: Hippietage $16.00 Like Moe, Larry and Curly...gets you feelin' squirrelly, Like Crosby, Stills & Nash...makes you want the hash, Like Acid, Amnesty and Harmonic Distortion...Your mind will have a contortion, The Titti-lating Trifecta: Cab Sav, Cab Franc & Merlot...way to go!

This winery is near my house (as is Stone Mountain, below) so I've dropped by both of these the most often. Long Trout will also be at Rotary Club of Pottsville's 2009 Hops Vine & Dine fundraiser, October 14, pouring free samples. I have tickets for that, for anyone who wants to attend. Open Wednesday 6 p.m.-9 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m.-7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m

Red Shale Ridge Vineyards

266 North Goodspring Road, Hegins, PA 17938 (570) 682-3203

This is a new winery, and the only one on our list I have not visited yet. I could not find a website for them yet. They are open for business now, though, and have12 flavors to choose from. Open Thursday & Friday 4:30 - 8 p.m., Saturday 12 Noon - 8 p.m., and Sunday 1 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Stone Mountain Wine Cellars

1615 Panther Valley Road, Pine Grove, PA 17963 (570) 739-4418

Brought to you by our friends at Jersey Acres Farms, who I blogged about earlier. Jersey Acres is a diversified farm operation consisting of a roadside market selling products from apples to watermelons ... and wine. Here is what the Heffner family has to say about the grapes they grow: "Wine, which we have produced in our converted apple ground cellar is added to the fruit and vegetables that we’ve marketed for many years through our “on the farm” Jersey Acres Roadside Market. While we produce some Vignoles and Cayuga wine grapes (both white), our primary acreage is planted to the NORTON variety (Vitas Aestivalis, also known by he name,Cynthiana). Norton is a unique American blue/black grape, which can be finished dry somewhat resembling Cabernet. We also ferment some of the old standard American varieties like Concord and Niagra. Additional varietals are also offered such as Jalapeno-Apple, Blackberry, Pear and many more."

Wine Trails

Berks County Wine Trail

Lehigh Valley Wine Trail

Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail

If you are planning a visit to tour our wineries, the Schuylkill Visitor's Bureau has a winery itinerary all planned out for you:

Wine Tour should begin either at Galen Glen Winery or Benigna Creek Winery. For the purposes of this tour we will begin at Benigna Creek.

Morning: Benigna Creek Winery, Klingerstown. Drive via Hegins Valley to Interstate 81 south to Pine Grove Exit. Through Pine Grove, lunch at the Red Lion Café Visit Stone Mountain Wine Cellars, Friedensburg

Drive via Hidden Valley to Route 61 to Long Trout Winery, Wine tasting and perhaps Frisbee Golf.

From Long Trout, via Route 895, possible detour to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

To Galen Glen Winery before Dinner at The Restaurant at the Station in the historic train station, Tamaqua, where you can continue your PA wine tasting experience with their extensive selection of only Pennsylvania Wines.

Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA

If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all your real estate needs, call Realty Executives! We can meet all your buying / selling needs ... and will exceed your expectations. That's what being an EXECUTIVE is all about Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate

I have written about our local Farmer's Markets before, as this is one of my favorite topics. I love that here in rural Pennsylvania, you can still find local farmer's markets that are so popular that they can open weekly, and roadside stands that are even open daily. Now I've gotten a few more markets and more info to add to my prior postings.

Over the past few years, we've seen more roadside stands and weekly community farmer's markets pop up in Schuylkill County. Local growers turn out on a regular circuit from May through October in many towns. Here's a list of what you can find on most weeks during "the season." Here is a rundown of the markets I know about. If you see one I missed, email me (find my address at Schuylkill County's Real Estate, at www.move2pennsylvania.com) and I'll add it here.

Hometown Farmer's Market: The granddaddy of all farmer's markets even has its own webpage! This is a 12-acre carnival of smells, tastes and, well, sometimes the strange, and has been family run for over 50 years. You'll find 300-400 vendors, from farmers selling produce, crafters, and lots more. Crafts, overstock items, and an abundance of tchotkes can be found every Wednesday at the Hometown Market. Located on Route 54, you cannot miss it. Drive there any Wednesday, year round, from 8 am to 8 pm, and I guarantee you won't be bored. It's much more than fruits and vegetables. The Dunn Family says they regularly see 6-10,000 visitors a day during their peak season! If you like farmer's markets and you're in the area, this is the KING of Coal Region markets.

Shenandoah Farmer's Market: One of the area's newest markets, over 100 vendors showcase their wares every Thursday starting in spring from 9 am - 7 pm. The "462 Market" advertises "food, collectibles, antiques, jewelry, vegetables, fruits, baked goods, crafts, meats, flowers, plants, clothing, coin collection, body jewelry, sites for demonstrations, tattoos, wine vendor, preserves, perennials and annual plants, herbs, arcade games, food stands, musical instruments and more..." Drive north on Route 61 and when you hit 924 (the Gold Star Highway), continue north into Shenandoah. The market will be on your left. (You have to be a local to the 462 reference in their name). Check out the webpage, and please ignore all the typos and mis-spellings. Personally, it drives me nuts, but then again, Chendo-462-yo.

Frackville Farmer's Market: I hadn't heard of this one until this year, but stop by the corner of Frack and Lehigh Streets from 8 am till noon on a Thursday and you'll find fresh fruits and vegetables, canned and jellied foods and baked goods. Schuylkill Haven Farmer's Market: Also on a Thursday, this smaller market operates out of the Boro lot next to the Post Office (on Main Street/Route 443).

Pottsville Farmer's Market: The vendors arrive early Saturday morning in the Arch Street parking lot, and most are gone by noon, because they regularly sell out! So get there early and you'll find produce, flowers, and anything in season.

Renninger's Market: Located where Rt.61 meets Rt.443 in Schuylkill Haven, Renninger's is Oopen 8am-5pm Saturday and Sunda. Lovingly called "the dirt mall" by locals, this indoor and outdoor market has local farm stands plus meats, food items, antiques, an auction, candy stands, and a little bit of everything. From clothing and old records to vaccuum cleaner repair items, you'll find it at the dirt mall. I'd actually classify it more a giant permanent yardsale--with food. And if you want to see a good cross section of Schuylkill County, park yourself on a stool, order a burger and watch the locals stroll by.

If you don't make a market day, look to the roadside stands many of our farmers put up seasonally. There's a new one, Konkus Produce, that opened this past May as you turn onto Sweet Arrow Lake Road from Route 183.

Jersey Acres is just a few miles west of that, on Panther Valley Road. Ralph and Anne Heffner make and sell their own wine at Jersey Acres, under the Stone Mountain Winery name, as well as selling strawberries, apples, and lots of local produce. Family owned since 1911, the Heffners are third generation dairy farmers, with purebred Jerseys on the farm. The winery started growing grapes in 1999, and by 2004 they were ready to bottle officially. From watermelons to wine, you'll find a whole lot to love at Jersey Acres! To get there, the farm is located 3 miles northwest of Friedensburg. The town of Friedensburg is located on Route 443 between Pine Grove and Schuylkill Haven. From the west end of Friedensburg, turn north on Church Road and follow the directional signs to “JERSEY ACRES MARKET AND WINERY”. It is the 3rd farm west of the Hidden Valley Golf Course at 1615 Panther Valley Road.

You'll find dozens others running from the Hegins Valley in the west, to the other side of the county, in southern Schuylkill Routes 443 and 895.

I've written about Healthy Habits Natural Market on Route 61 in Orwigsburg as their own blog. Buddy Touchinsky stocks organic and locally produced meats and produce, as they are available throughout the year. They have fresh produce grown locally, outside Orwigsburg, when in season, and also local organic meats.

Whether you shop at a farmer's market in town, or stop by a roadside stand, you'll find buying local produce fresh from the farm a great way to shop.

If you're online and looking for ANY OTHER Pennsylvania Farmer's Market, click here for a directory. Penn State also produces a wonderful 186-page guide, A Consumers Guide to Pennsylvania Farm Markets. And here is another useful website about BUY LOCAL for PA produce.

Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA

If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all your real estate needs, call Realty Executives! We can meet all your buying / selling needs ... and will exceed your expectations. That's what being an EXECUTIVE is all about Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate

Steve Buzalko used to be a postman and also served in the Army. But all of his life he loved woodworking, and finally realized that creating custom works of art -- furniture, built-ins, etc -- was his true calling. I am thrilled that he switched careers to follow a different path, as Buzalko Woodworking (Makers of fine furniture, cabinetry, and millwork) is a now a major name in Pottsville.

Steve has run Buzalko Woodworking since the mid-1980s and is he is the go-to guy for both residential and commercial custom-built furniture and cabinetry.

I asked Steve to create built-ins at my house a few years ago. I sketched an idea of what I had in mind, and Steve refined the sketch and made it come to life. The result is fantastic. My entry way used to be a dead area of wasted space. Now I have 2 large oak closets that bracket a seating bench, to take your shoes off. I love it. It's one of my favorite features of my house.

Steve has installed cabinetry at Murphy Jewelers in Hamburg, PA, and has worked on churches and large commercial sites, as well as small residential projects. If you go to the Murphy Jewelers site, you'll see a slide show of interior shots, and all that cabinetry is Steve's work. In fact, he is so busy right now, even in this economy, that he has a waiting list of projects. Most of his business comes from satisfied customers and word of mouth.

He usually takes measurements at the site, then creates the pieces in his home / shop just outside Pottsville, on the Gordon Nagle Trail, and returns to install them. It's not a quick process, as everything is made by hand, but when you see his work, you won't complain if it isn't done in a weekend. Quality is worth waiting for, and Steve's work is no exception.

Whenever one of my Schuylkill County real estate clients needs custom woodwork, I highly recommend Steve.

Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA

If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all your real estate needs, call Realty Executives! We can meet all your buying / selling needs ... and will exceed your expectations. That's what being an EXECUTIVE is all about Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate

One of my favorite bars/restaurants in Pottsville, PA is Maroons Sports Bar.

Owned by Bob and Karen Dittmar, Maroons celebrates Pottsville's professional sports team -- NFL World Champions -- from the 1920s. To understand the amazing story of this team, click here and scroll down to read the history of the Maroons, and their stolen World Championship... and the real reason that the Cardinals will NEVER win a world championship (hint--until they return our trophy, they are "cursed"!)

But the city of Pottsville never gave up. While the story was sort of buried for years, just a few years ago an ESPN writer read of the "stolen championship" and he could not believe the story. David Fleming wrote a book that came out to wild accplaim here in Schuylkill County. Click here to read about Fleming's passion for this relatively unknown team, and his book BREAKER BOYS: The NFL's Greatest Team and the Stolen 1925 Championship.

A few years ago, thanks to the city's popular Elm Street Project Renovation Program and the hard work and investment by the Dittmars, Maroons opened downtown. A prior owner had bought the Pottsville real estate and opened a bar of the same name, that quickly closed. After a while being vacant, Bob and Karen purchased the place and totally renovated it from top to bottom. Today, it's more than just a corner bar.

It's a family friendly place, and I regularly take my family there for dinner on the weekends. My one son loves their wings, and their burgers are fantasic. The entire menu has a coal-cracker theme, with local attractions and towns given their own menu items. To read their menu, click here.

They have special themes on certain nights (Thursday is Seafood Night) and, as you can expect, the place is packed during sporting events, especially for big football games.

Several local service clubs, such as Pottsville Lions and Rotary Club of Pottsville also have meetings at Maroons, as they have a 2nd floor meeting area that can be rented for catering events or private parties. Maroons memorabilia--and sporting relics from other local teams--line the walls. To understand the history of the team, just read the walls.

This quote is from David Fleming's blog on ESPN, and he wrote this in 1997: "For 82 years the town of Pottsville has been fighting a David and Goliath battle with the NFL to get its title back. "It's one thing not to give the team the title it won and deserves," says Pottsville Area High School football coach Kevin Keating, the son and grandson of coal miners. "But there's no excuse for the way the NFL has treated this town. It wasn't necessary. It's beneath a league that prides itself on class and professionalism. The NFL should have more respect for the men who played the game, the men who paved the way and for the fans who helped make it what it is today."

Bob and Karen Dittmar's MAROONS SPORTS BAR & GRILL is a fine tribute to the memory of these great players, and a fine place to visit if you're ever in Pottsville, PA. They're right on Centre Street, on one of be best corner's in Pottsville real estate. You cannot miss them. Just find Centre Street and head north. And tell you Erica Ramus said the burgers are the best!

Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA

If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all your real estate needs, call Realty Executives! We can meet all your buying / selling needs ... and will exceed your expectations. That's what being an EXECUTIVE is all about Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate

(background info used about Maroon's with permission of the owners--who are friends of mine!)

Last fall my oldest son turned 16, and I knew it was only a matter of time before I'd have to look for a vehicle for him. He wanted a tiny ragtop Jeep, but a truck is more practical for his lifestyle. He hunts, scuba dives, and does yardwork for friends and neighbors. So I called my buddy Jerry Enders, who owns Jerry's Northeast Auto Sales on Route 61, between Pottsville, PA and Schuylkill Haven.

Jerry had a number of good trucks on the lot, but Dakota immediately liked a maroon Ford F-150 with a bed cover. I told him if he passed his test, I'd buy him the truck, but if he failed I'd buy him the $800 clunker that was next to the truck. Needless to say, he passed.

Jerry and his wife Janet Enders have been a mainstay of the Pottsville business community for years. Jerry is Chairman of the city's annual Cruise (coming up this weekend in Pottsville, August 5-10, 2009). He is extremely active in the Pottsville Business Association, Pottsville Lions Club and the Schuylkill Visitor's Center. If there's something going on in town, chances are Jerry is involved in it to some extent.

I bought my vehicle from Jerry without checking other dealerships--because I know and trust Jerry. I knew he'd find the right vehicle for me, and give me a fair price. And he did. It was a local owned truck, and it turns out we even know the owner.

Jerry sells a complete line of quality front line pre-owned cars, trucks, vans and 4x4's. He says he has the area's largest selection of minivans (sorry, Jerry, but my minivan days are over!). All vehicles are fully serviced, inspected, and guaranteed and he provides the carfax report as well. He accepts trades and can hook you up with financing.

While some dealers have a limited stock right now, I see Jerry's lot is always filled with cars, and they rotate quickly. When we bought the truck, right after I called to tell him to set it aside for me, another buyer came in with cash and wanted the same vehicle, and offered Jerry more money to sell it immediately. With me he had to wait a week and he was getting less money, but he honored the deal we had made verbally. Thanks Jerry!

Erica Ramus is Broker/Owner of Realty Executives in Pottsville, PA

If you're looking for a PROFESSIONAL to represent you in all your real estate needs, call Realty Executives! We can meet all your buying / selling needs ... and will exceed your expectations. That's what being an EXECUTIVE is all about

Serving all of Schuylkill County ... Pottsville, Orwigsburg, Schuylkill Haven, Auburn, Pine Grove, Frackville, Minersville, Ashland, Shenandoah, Port Carbon, Palo Alto, St. Clair, Barnesville real estate