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July 1, 2022
 
Inside this edition: Tough trivia, gas check, many thanks, magnolia mix, wizardly wedding, folksy festival, critter coinage, and Appalachia defined.
 
☀️ PROGRAMMING NOTE: We're off next week but will have a special summer trivia edition of this newsletter for your inbox. Stay tuned.

Here's a tough one for the holiday weekend: A Pennsylvania newspaper was the first to publish the Decalaration of Independence in 1776. What was the name of the newspaper? 

(We'll have a real stumper in this space each week. You'll find the answer at the bottom, but don't miss all the good stuff in between.)

» One thing worth knowing: Sheetz has dropped its gas prices to $3.99 or less on some types of fuel through this weekend. But York Daily Record says you should check your car model before filling up.

» One thing worth seeing: The wedding of Mr. and Mr. Liquorice at Fayette County's Nemacolin Resort was Wizard of Oz themed and so outrageously gorgeous that it got its own write-up in Vogue.

» One price worth checking: Punxsutawney Phil is charging $1,500 a pop for videos on Cameo. Here's what messages from Groundhog Day's Ned Ryerson and human weatherman Jim Cantore cost.

» One bug worth meeting: A millipede named for Berks County native Taylor Swift is among dozens of new Appalachian species, WVPB reports. It's nannaria swiftae (swift twisted-claw millipede).

» One thing worth reading: Speaking of Appalachia: Definitions of the region that includes most of Pennsylvania are malleable to say the least. So economist Lyman Stone set out to define it himself

» COVID-19 UPDATE: Keep up with our coronavirus tracker, or find where to get a COVID-19 vaccine.

» Decision to overturn Roe v. Wade won’t have immediate impact on abortion access in Pennsylvania

» Conflicting reports, gaps in data obscure true number of Pa. law enforcement agencies

» Pa. House Republicans want to block state funding for the University of Pittsburgh over fetal tissue research

» You’re invited! A free Q&A on the limitations of Pa.’s police misconduct database

» How Pennsylvania keeps its voter rolls clean and updated
(Hands-free photo by Wyatt Massey)
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PA Localites,

I wanted to pause this week to say how much fun I'm having putting this newsletter about Pennsylvania's people, places, customs, quirks, and food feuds together for you every week.

We’ve covered a lot of ground since our February launch: pet detectives, Black-owned breweries, questionable pizza, ghost kitchens, secret fairs, parking championships — and we’re only getting started.

A big thank you goes to the more than 4,500 of you who are already loyal readers. But we need to keep growing. And that’s where you come in.  

If you know someone who loves Pennsylvania or just needs a weekly breather from this heavy news cycle <gestures broadly>, fill out this form as many times as you can and help us spread the word.

We all need more good news, so let's spread the word.

From one Keystone Stater to another, thank you. 

Colin Deppen, PA Local editor

Spotlight PA's Danielle Ohl made magnolia simple syrup (a gingery sweetener for tea and mixed drinks) and you can, too. It's a little late in the season, but if you don't have any petals left you can always wait until next year or try the recipe with another kind of edible flower. Send us your photos by email, use #PAGems on IG, or tag @spotlightpennsylvania

» All weekend: The Chinese Lantern Festival is back in Philadelphia's Franklin Square and open evenings until Aug. 7, per WHYY.

» Saturday, July 2: "The oldest continuously operated folklife festival in America" returns to Kutztown. Ticket options vary.

» Saturday, July 2: Take a free, intermediate-level Italian language class at Carnegie Library in Pittsburgh. Register here.

» Saturday, July 2: Anthrocon, the world's largest furry convention, returns to Pittsburgh, this time with a block party.

» Monday, July 4: Fireworks are happening in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, Erie, and lots of points in between.
 
The first newspaper printing of the Declaration of Independence occurred in the Pennsylvania Evening Post on July 6, 1776. 

The paper folded in 1783, but the Museum of the American Revolution said publications like it played an instrumental role in spreading the word:

"Most Americans read or heard the words of the Declaration of Independence via newspapers and printed broadsides. In Philadelphia, a German language translation appeared in the July 9, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvanischer Staatsbote, a newspaper that served Pennsylvania’s large German-speaking community."

By the end of August 1776, the museum adds, the Declaration had been reprinted in at least 29 newspapers and 14 broadsides.

Thanks for reading PA Local! We'll see you back here next week. But first ... send us your feedback. What did you like? What didn't you like? What do you want to see more of? Or, tell us your secret food recipes!
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