Around the Lakes in 30 Days (or so): Day 4

When I started this project, my friend Becky joked that I should include geocaching but leave out the "fish freak show." But how could I? Really, it's Linesville's claim to fame. When my family vacationed here when I was a child, we of course visited the spillway every year. When I finally moved here, my students informed me that the Linesville Spillway, where the ducks walk on the fishes' backs, is the second most visited tourist attraction in Pennsylvania. I haven't been able to find an official source that verifies that fact, but many sources say that there are over 500,000 visitors per year. An article in this season's "What's Happening" features an interview with Sarah Juracko, who now runs the spillway consession area. She says that she sells 6000 pounds of buns and loaves of bread a week. And all those people go to see the loads of carp fight over the bread thrown to them. Sometimes we go to get rid of the brick-hard, almost moldy bread and buns I find on top of my fridge.

There was a time not too long ago, that it was about to be forbidden to feed the fish bread. The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources proposed the ban in an attempt to control the goose population in the park. Those guys can leave quite a mess. There was such an uproar that an article detailing the controversy appeared in the New York Times. And after over 300 people showed up at a public meeting to voice their concern over the possible ban, the issue was tabled and seems to have gone away.

But enough about that. The Linesville Spillway is one unusual attraction. The image of all those fish flapping in the water or their open mouths following you as you walk down the walkway is one you will never forget. I also get the sense that there is a bit of nostalgia involved, at least there is for me. It's something I did as a kid, and it's something I like to share with my own kids. Or, as Jim says, it's a nice way to kill about 30 minutes, which is what we did today before we headed to Grove City to have dinner with my sister and her kids.