A Visit to Styer's

   I took a ride to Styer Orchards today, which is a fairly popular destination in my area, or at least it was at one time.  Often, relatives who came by to visit made sure to stop there, since they were nearby.  I had my camera on me and took a few pictures of the fields around the market.  As can be seen in these pictures, the fields immediately behind the market are mostly empty, with a few cornfields.  And a row of small pines that look like they might be Christmas trees.  The actual orchards they are famous for are farther off. 

  Their specialty is apples, with basketfuls of different kinds of apples, as well as apple cider and apple pies.  They would always have a box of complimentary small apples that anyone can pick from.  They also had a cider fountain that dispensed for about a dime a cup if I remember right.  Today, the free apples are no longer there, but the fountain is still around.  The cups of cider are now 75 cents, which still sounds cheap to me, since it is under a dollar.  At one time during the mid-90’s, I was told that cider was no longer produced on the premises, but I think their mill is back up and running today, since their own brand is back on the shelves.  It must be exclusive, since I don’t see it in any supermarkets in the area, and most people I have shared it with are not familiar with it.

     Over time, the area around Styer’s has changed.  Other than the orchards on their property, the surrounding farmland has long since been replaced by housing developments.   Across the railroad embankment and Woodbourne Road once sat Buehl Field, which was a popular air field where people could take rides in a single engine plane for 10 dollars.  Sometime in the 90’s, the field was razed to make way for the over 55 community that stands there now.  There also used to be a small turkey farm right along the tracks, across the road.  I remember seeing and hearing the turkeys from outside the store.  I don’t remember exactly what happened to the turkeys, but they too are long gone. 

  Regardless of what has changed, I’m glad the best things (to me, anyway) about Styer’s still remain.  The orchards and the market are still there, and the apples and by-products they’re known for are still being produced and sold.  Hopefully the old line “some things never change” will remain true here for the foreseeable future.