Published on Lancaster Online, by Suzanne Cassidy

January 4, 2014

Bone-chilling temperatures didn't keep people away from the opening of the 98th Pennsylvania Farm Show Saturday.

Gov. Tom Corbett spoke during the opening ceremonies and noted that while agriculture is the state's number one industry, farming life and where food comes from remains a "mystery" to many Pennsylvanians.

The Republicans lawmaker said his administration was committed to protecting the farming tradition by eliminating "outdated" regulations and the inheritance tax on family farms.

The governor's address was preceded by a demonstration of the crowd-control techniques used by the Pennsylvania State Police's tactical mounted unit.

Two dozen young men acted out a scene pretending to be a crowd of protesters. They carried placards touting Pennsylvania's sports teams and yelled chants including that of the Philadelphia Eagles as nine state police officers on horses calmly shepherded them.

After the politician's remarks, spectators watched the "Parade of Agriculture," which highlighted the state's agricultural assets.

The parade featured Belgian draft horses, four piglets born Christmas Eve, a rather stubborn goat and small wagons filled with some of the commodities produced by Pennsylvania's farm: Christmas trees, nuts, maple syrup, corn and hay.

Celebrity chef Nadia G., the sassy star of the Cooking Channel show "Bitchin' Kitchen," is slated to offer cooking demonstrations at noon and 2 p.m. today.

The farm show is an eight-day celebration of farming and rural life in Pennsylvania.

Its theme this year is "Pennsylvania Farms: Growing for You." As its website explains, the farm show is intended to show how farmers "grow food and the economy, providing one in seven jobs and a $68 billion impact."

Billed as the nation's largest indoor agricultural event, the farm show takes place at the 24-acre Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.

Admission is free; parking costs $10. It will be open daily through Friday from 8 a.m.-9 p.m., and on Saturday, Jan. 11, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Last year, an estimated 585,000 people came to enjoy the farm show's offerings, which include square-dancing, cattle showcases, equine events, cooking demonstrations, homespun fashions and food contests.

There's also a food court selling the celebrated Pennsylvania Dairymen's Association chocolate and vanilla milkshakes — marking their 60th year at the farm show — as well as honey waffles, potato donuts and other farm-produced treats. (The butter sculpture, unveiled Thursday, pays tribute to the farm show milkshake.)

The farm show will feature some 6,000 animals and more than 13,000 competitive exhibits. It's the place to see cow patty bingo, celebrity draft-horse team driving, and sheep wool transformed into shawls.

Your own Christmas tree may be mulch by now, but at the farm show, Christmas trees still loom large: There's a display of trees, said to be some of the state's best, on display in the main hall.

(Suzanne Cassidy, "Gov. Corbett, demonstrations usher in Farm Show," Lancaster Online, 1/3/14)