Historicon

Yesterday Julie and I went to Lancaster PA to attend Historicon. We visit Lancaster about twice a year for several reasons. Years ago, I first attend Historicon, which is held at the Lancaster Host Resort and Conference Center, to publicize my game Battlestorm. (Stephen Ambrose played my game at Historicon.) Later, I brought Julie back with me to have fun.

Historicon is a miniature gaming convention which attracts modelers, gamers and vendors from all over the country. I have no idea what the attendance numbers are but I would imagine that over the course of this four day event there are at least 5000 gamers in attendance. When I attend these days I rarely play a game. Rather, I just mill about from room to room to look at the gaming spectacles.

You see, miniature gamers aren't just gamers, they are also modelers. (If you know absolutely nothing about miniature gaming HMGS has a "newcomers page".) Their games are set pieces in miniature, designed to depict the terrain and combatants of a particular battle. Historicon (as the name implies) favors historical miniatures. As such, Historicon always has a theme, and although there are many and notable exceptions, most of the games relate to the event's theme.

This year's theme was "The World on Fire: The Seven Years and French & Indian Wars, 1754-63." From the events website: " No less an authority than Winston Churchill called this period of conflict the, 'first, first world war.' This period was the height of the lace wars, when kings took the field of battle, formal siege trains followed every army, gentlemen's courtesy was extended to enemy officers, and the age of linear warfare was almost at its peak. Navies sailed the world over, and formal European armies marched in strange and exotic lands, from India to the Caribbean, and great empires were won and lost."

There were many rooms filled with enormous battles set in various conflicts around the world during this period. There were also many sea battles set-up. In addition the usual favorites, WWII, Battletech, Games Workshop, etc. were available. But for me, I don't play at this con. Rather, I just like to see the models and the tables, so I explore---going from room to room to ogle the work of others.

While I'm at the convention center, Julie headed off (as she always does) to the Tanger Outlet just a few doors away. We then met up and I loaded up on a few of my needful things. I don't enjoy shopping, so rather than pick up a few items every weekend, I load up twice a year here when we attend a convention.

We then drove through Amish country, sticking to the back roads. It's sad to see just how much the area has grown up and I pity the Amish when the endure motor vehicles flying down their two lane roads. We stopped this year at the Great Corn Maze but we didn't go in. We didn't have anyone to watch our little dog Foxcroft, so she was with us. They didn't allow pets on the farm. Oddly, they loved Foxy at the Outlet Stores, but she was banished from the area with sheep, llamas, goats and cattle.

We drove past several other touristy type destinations but off the beaten track, we stopped at a handwritten sign for "Homemade Root Beer" and antiques. There were many tools there that reminded me of my grandfather's tools. The young man, Daniel, who greeted us was clearly Amish and he surprised me with how strong his accent was. I asked him if the root beer was carbonated. He was confused and a bystander assisted by saying, "Is it fizzy?"

The young man said, "Not so much."

Julie and I feared that it might be something like a koolaid, so we only bought one bottle. We got in the car and drank it. It was carbonated, but naturally carbonated, and not quite as fizzy as a typical soft drink. It was also delicious and very refreshing, so we bought one more bottle before driving off. Later, I regretted not buying every bottle he had for sale. It might have been the best soft drink I've ever had.

We finished off the day, as we always do, by visiting Miller's Smorgasbord. Miller's combines locally grown produce, traditional favorites and Amish country cooking to serve up one of the best meals you'll find on the East Coast. The place is always rocking and rolling, so expect a brief wait at peak hours. It's hard to know where to begin when describing the food because there are so many dishes (and I won't mention them all) and they are so good at everything they do.

I'll start with the fried chicken, a Yankee version of Southern fried chicken. It's lightly salted and very crunchy and delicious. The crust is neither dried out like Popeyes nor greasy like KFC. The chicken is juicy and tender.

The breads and rolls are baked on the premises. They are so good that we always buy a loaf or two of bread from the adjacent bakery when we leave. The chilled shrimp is big enough to be worth peeling. Julie loves the Amish style corn chowder and I like the Swedish meatballs. They always offer turkey, sirloin beef and ham.

The turkey is delicious, but I rarely eat any. (There is only so much room in my belly!) The ham is just about the best ham that you can eat anywhere. The sirloin is not cooked to my tastes. It's gently seasoned and thoroughly cooked. I prefer sirloin seared with a bit of pink.

The traditional Amish sides are wonderful, including basic garden vegetables such as corn, beans and carrots. The freshly shucked corn was especially good this year. The macaroni and cheese is, again, a Yankee take on a Southern favorite. It has a bread crumb crust and doesn't have the pepper that is found on my side of the Mason Dixon Line. Yet and still, I love it and it is delecious. There is of course Amish style bowtie pasta and gravies to compliment the meats described above.

The salad bar is as fresh and good as one will find anywhere. It is all so tempting and delicious, but save some room! The deserts are truly gourmet and you may want more than one! The homemade pies (sold in the bakery for about $12 a pie) include pecan, apple and shoo-fly. Each of these pies has a little twist on the basic recipe and they share a soft flaky crust which is made the way pies are supposed to be made.

The cheesecake is good, but not as good as the basic three pies. I grabbed the tiniest nibblet of brownie and found the texture and flavor perfect. There are also baked apples, pumpkin napoleons and other desserts, but again, there is only so much room in the belly!

Miller's and Lancaster: we'll be back.