During the last week of October, I ended up on a woodland adventure outside of Kane, PA. Aside from the much needed technology-detox of a few days out in the woods, the highlight of the trip for me was meeting some wonderful folks during the time we spent in Kane and Ludlow.
We happened upon some great live folk music in the streets of Kane, and I ended up following the musicians back to the local shop (Crossroads Country Store & Music) to sit in on the jam session they had going. The sketch above is of Lonewolf, playing 'Tramp on the Street'. Apparently the group meets regularly - certainly worth checking out if you're rolling through on a weekend.
After soaking up some blues, we met up with Ivan, who owns the monumental building across the street. An impassioned storyteller, historian, and local pastor, he agreed to guide us through the depths of his labyrinthine compound and it's complex journey from a full-scale opera house in the 1890's to the roller rink he runs today. After we traversed the largely intact theater, he led us to the top floor which functioned as a Masonic Temple for perhaps a half-century or more. I ended up scooping up one of the hand-lettered signs from the theater before we left (below), and scribbling down a bunch of notes covering Ivan's history lesson.
After a pit-stop back at the camp for some beans and greens, we headed out to a dusty bar just down the way from our site called "XVII Tavern". The 8-10 people at the bar stopped mid sentence to turn and stare at us when we walked in, but after swapping shots with a few of the locals they were more than happy to tell us all about life in Ludlow and their favorite drinks. The bar is owned and operated by the Warhogs bike club, and it seemed everyone there was affiliated in one way or another. After a few spirited games of pool and a few more rounds than we'd anticipated, we left in good spirits and with a map of some of Allegany's finer points that one of our new comrades passed along to us.
A great trip with wonderful company - thanks PA!
