If you like to hike, Penn National offers a lot of great areas that are on our doorstep or close by.  On Mother’s Day, we went on a hike on the Appalachain Trail.  Along the walk, we discovered a large cluster of Pink Lady Slippers. Sometimes you will see one or two but this was a whole cluster.  Keep an eye out for them now.  Here is some interesting facts about them.

The Pink Lady’s Slipper is a wildflower in the Orchid Family. They are endangered in some areas because they take a long time to grow, and because people collect them. This plant has only two leaves. They are green and branch out from the center of the plant. A single flower stalk also grows from the center.

This wildflower also needs help from bees. Its closed flower means that only a strong insect, like a bumble bee can push its way inside. The flower smells sweet, so the bee is tricked into thinking it holds nectar. When the bee gets inside it not only finds no nectar, but it realizes it is trapped. It cannot get back out the way it got in. The bumble bee explores and finds a new way to squeeze out of the flower. To do so, it must push past a part of the flower called a stamen. The bee gets out, but it also gets covered with pollen that was on the stamen.

If the bumble bee gets tricked again by another Pink Lady’s Slipper, it will deliver pollen from the first flower, and get covered with pollen again by the new flower. The bee may do this several times before it figures out to avoid Pink Lady’s Slipper. The bumble bee gets nothing out of the relationship. Without the bee’s help, the plant could not make new seeds

Live Well | Live Close
Penn National Community
a Top 50 Active Adult Community

June 6 – Dinner with Friends Picnic- 4PM, Mont Alto Fire Hall

All members of Penn National Golf Course Community are invited! Questions? Call Pete & Kathy Fleury (401-0371) or email kpfleury67@comcast.net

 June 13 – Ladies’ Luncheon at Totem Pole Playhouse

Pack your favorite treats and enjoy a picnic under a shady tent on the lawn. Then, take in a matinee. Call Nancy (352-4699) or Helen (352-2697) to reserve seats for the matinee of CHAPS – tickets are $28.

 Around The Community

May 15 – 4-mile Circuit Hike at Kings Gap

 8:30am – Meet at Trellis Terrace, carpool to Kings Gap trailhead.

Enjoy views of the valley, see the mansion, gardens, and pack a picnic lunch for afterwards. Wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring water. Contact Phyllis at (352-4607).

May 16 – Jukebox Night

7:00pm – Trellis Terrace, Penn National

Bring your own food & drinks, and get ready to groove (if the mood strikes you!)

May 18, 19 – Community Yard Sale

8:00am – Throughout Penn National Community

May 18 – Armed Forces Day & 9/11 Memorial Dedication at Letterkenny Army Depot

 8:00am-2:00pm – Various Events

3:00pm – 9/11 Memorial Dedication Begins at Letterkenny Chapel, 2127 Carbaugh Ave

May 26 – Welcome Summer Farm Festival & Pool Opening

10:00am-3:00pm – Welcome Summer Farm Festival, Penn National Golf Center

11:00am – Pool opens for season, Penn National Clubhouse

Pool access is for members & members’ guests only. Membership is restricted to residents of Penn national Golf Course Community. For membership information, call the Pro Shop at (352-3000).

 Announcements

 Recycle Your Old Drivers at the Range

Receive 1 large bucket of balls FREE for every club donated!

Register Your Young Golfer Now for Junior Golf Camp! Just $120 for a 4-day camp!

 Choose from Junior Golf Camp dates below: 

     *June 19-22 

     *July 10-13

     *July 17-20

     *July 31- Aug 3

     *Aug 7-10

Registration forms available here

Lawn Chair Clinics At The Golf Center

  Upcoming Clinic Dates:

May 17 – Full Swing Clinic (Driving Club)     4:15-5:15

May 22 – Chip Shots Clinic (7,8,9 Irons)      6:30-7:30

For more information contact kathy@kathymurphygolf.com

Live Well | Live Close
Penn National Community
a Top 50 Active Adult Community

This year we are having a series of Festivals featuring our Farmers Market vendors as well as music and food.  The Festival will be at our Penn National Golf Center.  The hours are from 10 AM to 3 PM

Bring Your Family, Bring Your Friends!

• Enjoy The Wayne Band’s kickoff at 10am with marches, patriotic music, and other familiar tunes

• Bill’s Smoke Shak serves up all your favorites – halves of chicken, baked beans, cole slaw, pork tenderloin, burgers, hot dogs & more!

• Pick up your summer garden starters, herbs, fresh produce, farm-fresh eggs, berries, and handcrafted items from our farmer’s market vendors

• Music – Crafts – Games

Food – Fun – Family – Locally!

Saturday, May 26 is Penn National’s first Farm Festival! Buy delicious produce & crafts from local vendors, enjoy down-home cooking & bring the entire family for fun & friendly entertainment!

May 7-13 – Mother’s Day Pro Shop Sale

Business Hours- Penn National Pro Shop

25% off all Ladies Clothing

May 9 – Healthy Eating Adventure Potluck

6:30pm- Penn National Trellis Terrace

Monthly potluck for Healthy Eating Adventure participants, hosted by Larry & Lois Beckman. RSVP to larry.c.beckman@comcast.net.

May 11-12 – Mother’s Day Pottery Sale

11am-4pm- Penn State Mont Alto Campus, General Studies Bldg (lower level)

Wheel thrown, slab, hand-built stonewares, Raku & pit-fired wares including bowls, basins, mugs, pitchers, vases, plates & more. Most ranging from $10-30. Email James at jms48@psu.edu for more info.

May 15 – Circuit Hike with Hiking Club

8:30am- Meet at Trellis Terrace, carpool to Kings Gap trailhead.

4-mile hike with views of the valley, and stop at mansion & gardens. Bring water and a picnic lunch. For information, contact Phyllis at (352-4607) or pswillette@embarqmail.com. 

May 16 – Men’s Luncheon, Jukebox Night

11:00am, Luncheon- Hickory Bridge Farm, Orrtanna

6:00pm, Jukebox Night- Penn National Trellis Terrace

Enjoy a BYOB luncheon with Pork Tenderloin or Oven-Fried Chicken for just $16. Make your reservation by calling Jake (352-9186) or Carmine (352-4595) by May 9. On Jukebox Night, bring your own food & drinks. Mix, mingle, and shake if you’d like. Everyone is welcome!

May 18-19 – Community Yardsale

8:00am- Throughout the Community

 Announcements

 Recycle Your Old Drivers at the Range

Receive 1 large bucket of balls FREE for every club donated!

If You See Darv & Sandy Stutz…

…Thank them for their amazing volunteer work in the community. Penn National hosts a Wounded Warrior welcoming dinner next Friday, May 11, which begins the Falling Spring Invitational, a fly fishing event for wounded Marines from Walter Reed Medical Center.

This worthy cause would not be possible without their continued efforts!

Around The Community

April 30 -  Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play, Golf Goddesses

6:30am, Mens- Penn National Clubhouse

4:45pm, Men’s – Penn National Clubhouse

Call Maryann (352-8362) for Goddesses, or Steve (352-4607) for Men’s 18-Hole.

May 1 – Men’s 9-Hole Weekly Play, Ladies 9-Hole Weekly Play, Tennis Mixed Doubles

7:00am, Mens- Penn National Clubhouse

7:30am, Ladies- Penn National Clubhouse

9am, Tennis- Penn National Tennis Courts

Call Jim (401-0024) for Tennis, Ron (352-7242) for Men’s 9-Hole, or Eileen (352-4577) for Ladies 9-Hole.

May 2 – Ladies 18-Hole, Men’s 18-Hole, Karaoke Night

7:00am, Ladies- Penn National Clubhouse

8:45am, Mens- Penn National Clubhouse

7-9pm, Karaoke- Trellis Terrace

Contact Myrna (261-1878) for Ladies 18-Hole. Karaoke: Bring your own food, drinks & vocals – there will be 1,500 songs to choose from! More info by calling Les Shockey at (410-1026) or les.shockey@gmail.com.

May 3 – Men’s 9-Hole, Tennis Mixed Doubles

7:20am- Penn National Clubhouse

9:00am- Penn National Tennis Courts

May 4 – Men’s 18-Hole

7am- Penn National Clubhouse

May 7 – Golf Goddesses Weekly Play

4pm – Penn National Clubhouse

Call Maryann (352-8362) to become a Goddess.

 

Around The Community

April 23 -  Golf Goddesses Weekly Play, Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play

4:30pm, Goddesses- Penn National Clubhouse

7am, Men’s – Penn National Clubhouse

Call Maryann (352-8362) for Goddesses, or Steve (352-4607) for Men’s 18-Hole.

April 24 – Ladies 9-Hole Weekly Play, Men’s 9-Hole Weekly Play

7:50am, Ladies- Penn National Clubhouse

7am, Mens- Penn National Clubhouse

Call Eileen (352-4577) for Ladies 9-Hole, or Ron (352-7242) for Men’s 9-Hole.

April 25 – Ladies 18-Hole Weekly Play

8:30am- Penn National Clubhouse

Call Myrna (261-1878) for Ladies 18-Hole.

April 26 - Men’s 9-Hole Weekly Play

7:30am – Penn National Clubhouse

April 27 – Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play

7am- Penn National Clubhouse

April 28 – SNaP Pancake Breakfast

8am-11am – Mont Alto Fire Hall, 517 S Main St, Mont Alto

Tickets are just $5 for adults and $3 for children under 6. Bring your family & friends for a breakfast of pancakes, sausage links, juice & coffee or tea. See any SNaP member to purchase tickets, or purchase tickets at the door.

April 29 – Symphony Band Concert, Percussion Ensemble Concert

3pm-5pm: Symphony – Majestic Theater Stage, 25 Carlisle St, Gettysburg

7pm-9pm: Percussion- Majestic Theater Cinema 1, 25 Carlisle St, Gettysburg

For ticket information, call (337-8200) or visit www.gettysburgmajestic.org

 Announcements

 Community Garden Plots – 3 Plots Still Available

Contact Ed & Ann Schroyer (352-4184) for details.

Recycle Your Old Drivers at the Range

Receive 1 large bucket of balls FREE for every club donated!

 In The News

The Penn National Golf Center is supporting junior golf through a new relationship with the Franklin County Junior Golf Association. Frank Wells, the director of the FCJGA program will work with local coaches to make training available to the Jr. Golf members. This will give the local coaches a chance to develop players at a younger age. A special membership is available to Franklin County Junior golfers that includes access to the 18 hole Penn National courses, special weekly clinics, and practice time on the putting green & chipping area.

To register your FCJGA member, click hereand scroll to the bottom to download an application, or stop in at the range. To become a member of the FCJGA, contact Frank Wells at fcjgt11@gmail.com.

Penn National Golf Club expands member benefits this year by joining Raspberry Golf Trail. Raspberry Golf Trail is a group of 9 top public golf courses that have joined together to cooperatively market to regional golfers by offering quality golf and a simple no cost “Play 3x and get the next round Free” offer. Penn National golf members, receive reciprocal playing privileges at all Raspberry Trail courses for a flat fee of $25.00/ round. To start taking advantage of this select offer, just pick up a trail card ($5 charge for the card) at the Penn National Pro Shop. For more information, go to www.raspberrygolftrail.com.

April 9 – Golf Goddesses Weekly Play, Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play|
4pm, Goddesses – Penn National Clubhouse
8am, Men’s – Penn National Clubhouse
Call Maryann at (352-8362, Goddesses) or Steve (352-4607, Men’s) to join.

April 10 – Ladies 9-Hole Weekly Play, Men’s 9-Hole Weekly Play
7:30am, BOTH. – Penn National Clubhouse
Call Eileen at (352-4677, Ladies) or Ron (352-7242, Men’s) for membership information.

April 11 – Ladies 18-hole Weekly Play, Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play
8:30am, Ladies- Penn National Clubhouse
7am, Men’s – Penn National Clubhouse
Call Myrna at (261-1878, Ladies) or Steve (352-4607, Men’s) to learn more.

April 12 – Student Performance: Igor Stravinsky, Suite Histoire Du Soldat,
Men’s 9-Hole Weekly Play
11:30am, Performance – Schmucker Hall, 300 N Washington St, Gettysburg, PA
7:30am, Golf – Penn National Clubhouse
FREE event at Gettysburg College Music Conservatory. Call (337-6815) with any questions.
Call Ron at (352-4607) to join up with the Men’s 9-Hole Club.

April 13 – Hiking Club 3.5mi Hike, Men’s 18-Hole Weekly Play
7am – Golf, Penn National Clubhouse
8:30am – Trellis Terrace meeting point for hike, Penn National Clubhouse
Hike at Cat Rock trail (Cunningham State Park, MD), with a picnic lunch at Cunningham State Park afterwards. 3.5-4mi total round trip. Moderate-to-strenuous hiking conditions.Call Keith at (352-4708) to join the hike!

April 13 – Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble Concert
8-10pm – Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA
Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Dispatch concert. Additional information can be found by clicking here or calling (337-8200).

April 18 – Jukebox Night
7-10pm – Trellis Terrace, Penn National
Bring your friends, food & beverages. Dance if you’d like, or just relax & listen to remember the 60′s! Everyone is welcome! Contact Ned & Alexis Cole at ned_alexis@msn.com

________________________________________

Announcements

Founders Grille is now Open! Enjoy a full fabulous menu from 6am-9pm daily. For reservations, (352-2509).

Community Garden Plots Available. Contact Frank McMullen (352-9456) or Ed & Ann Schroyer (352-4184) for details.

Recycle Your Old Drivers at the Range. Receive 1 large bucket of balls FREE for every club donated!

New Year, Old Music.

Come to the Penn National Trellis on Wednesday April 18, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

Bring your friends, food and beverages. If you don’t dance, just listen and remember what it was like in the 60’s.

Everyone’s Welcome!!

April 7 - Easter Egg Hunt

1-3pm - Penn National Golf Center & Range

Bring the children for an Easter egg hunt, have a picture taken with the Easter bunny, and more!

April 13 - Gettysburg College Jazz Ensemble Concert

8-10pm - Majestic Theater, 25 Carlisle Street, Gettysburg, PA

Jazz Ensemble & Jazz Dispatch concert. Additional information can be found by clicking here or calling (337-8200).

April 18 - Jukebox Night

7-10pm - Trellis Terrace, Penn National

Bring your friends, food & beverages. Dance if you'd like, or just relax & listen to remember the 60's! Everyone is welcome!

________________________________________

 Announcements

Founders Grille is now Open For Service!

Enjoy a full fabulous menu from 6am-9pm daily. For reservations, (352-2509).

Community Garden Plots Available

Contact Frank McMullen (352-9456) or Ed & Ann Schroyer (352-4184) for details.

Recycle Your Old Drivers at the Range

Receive 1 large bucket of balls FREE for every club donated!

The answer is–maybe you did!

Many 55+ Active Adult communities in the state of Pennsylvania were/are developed as condominiums.  Even though you may be buying a single-family home that is detached and you have your own little yard and driveway, you may only own the inside walls of your home while you own an ‘interest’ in everything else as part of the condo regime.  In fact, your roof and exterior walls might be owned by the condo association and you are granted the ‘right’ to use your driveway, mulch bed, and rear deck as ‘limited common elements’.

Now why are these communities developed that way?  Turns out that in Pennsylvania, a developer can exclude his community from local subdivision and zoning ordinances by adopting a condo regime.  By doing that, the developer can, in effect, create his own zoning–one that allows for much smaller lots, more density, private streets, etc.

Now, why is any of this important to you as a buyer? We have found out that in ‘shopping’ these communities, the salespeople are pretty evasive about the issue and it made us start to wonder what was going on.  Here is one conversation:Question: ‘If I bought here, would I own my own unit?  Answer: ‘Yes, you own your own unit’, Q: ‘Ok, but would I own it as a condo or fee simple?’ (note: fee simple means you own the underlying ground); A: ‘Yes, you would have exclusive use of your home’.  You get the idea–our takeaway is that they are avoiding the issue–why?

If I was arguing against me now, I would say that its fully disclosed in the documents and a buyer would be able to read all those documents before buying.  That’s  true and I have read through reams of documents before writing this little blog.  I think those documents are very difficult to understand and may require the help of a lawyer to completely understand what you are signing up for in becoming a condominium owner.

OK, so get to the point!  I am not saying that there is anything wrong with owning a condo.  I am not saying that there is anything illegal about any of this.  I am saying Buyer Beware–many of these new communities are fresh and new and its easy to forget that when they get to be 10-15 years old, they are going to require a lot of reinvestment to replace roofs, repair roads, etc.  That is part of why getting an appraisal on your condominium home is more difficult than a fee-simple home.  the appraiser has to not only look at your four walls and grounds versus other comparables, but he also has to look at the financial viability of the condo association and its reserves to meet its future needs and that could negatively impact the value of your condominium home at a time when you need to sell and developer of that once-new community is long gone.

Note: Penn National has been developed according to the subdivision and zoning standards developed by Guilford Township.  All homesites are developed for fee-simple ownership.  The current minimum lot frontage is 80 feet wide.