A-treat

So its been over a year since I last updated this blog. A series of unfortunate events over last summer distracted me from updating this site for a while.

That being said, I thought I would begin again with an old favorite- A-TREAT soda. This is a small locally produced soda company located in Allentown, PA- in fact the 'A' in the name stands for 'Allentown Treat'. My family occasionally got this brand of soda as a kid, but I was pleasantly reintroduced to it in college (on the far side of the state from where this is produced) by a friend. It has been a staple of many hangouts and parties since then. The recipe is largely unchanged over the past 90 years and uses cane sugar and essential oils to produce over 15 varieties of liquid refreshment.

Gardening

I recently broke my plastic garden hose nozzle one morning watering the tomato plants before working by dropping the hose on the concrete patio. I went several days without getting a new one, but watering needs soon dictated that I get a new one. I stopped by the local Home Depot a few blocks from my hose one day after work, but I could not find 1) a style that I liked and 2) one that was made in the United States. So I passed on the purchase and a few days later I made it over to my favorite (albeit 10 miles away) hardware store and grabbed one off the rack that had a 'Made in the USA' label. When I was taking off the packaging when I got home I noticed that the company, Gilmour Manufacturing, was based in Somerset, PA. I did some research and this company was founded in Somerset in the late forties and is still based here, altough the corporate offices are in KY (?) and it has one plant in Missouri. I've been happy with the first purchase and have actually got a second nozzle for the other hose.

Check out their site (they have a list of distributors and stores that sell their products).

Welcome!

Hello! Welcome to this blog about stuff made in PA. I have had this idea for a while now and have always had these grandiose plans about making a searchable database of products that are made here in Pennsylvania, but time has never allowed me to embark on such a project. I recently decided while not as cool as database, a blog would help get this project off the ground.

My main reason for doing this is that I always see articles and reports about how our state's economy is going downhill that we are losing manufacturing jobs (locally as well as nationally). I hope that publishing some easy to find information about everyday goods that are made in this state can help us to 'think locally, buy locally'...