We moved about 125 miles on this leg of the journey and stopped in Byron NY for a midway stop on our way to Niagara Falls and Canada. A good short distance without any driving issues with the big 5th wheel. Our campground was the Southwoods RV Resort in Byron NY which is in the north west section of the state. While they had some very nice facilities, we were in an overflow lot with way too many other campers jammed into the space. We were there for two nights – July 14 & 15th.
While we were there, we researched what there was to do in the area and found a festival underway in LeRoy, NY, just a few miles away. We drove and parked just in time to see their annual parade for the Oatka Festival.
We love to visit small towns (pop about 7,000) during a festival to partake in the many food vendors and view the arts and craft vendors as well. The town had many little shops and a history museum that we were able to tour along with the Jello Museum. Yes, that is correct, the town actually has a very tiny museum to commemorate the birthplace of Jello and the first factory location. The museum was a little lame and I’m actually being quite nice. It was free on Oatka Day so no complaints and I do not have a packed calendar these days, so what the heck. To be technically correct the product is spelled Jell-O. What is your favorite flavor?
We discovered the town was first settled in 1793 as Bellona. The name was later changed in 1813 to LeRoy after a land speculator.
Enjoy the pictures!
We are currently wrapping up a fantastic 11 day stay with Tom, Ginny and their super family in Medina, OH. Tom is Pat’s brother. Thanks for all the hospitality you guys!
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Have a great day!
Sounds like a good visit and that the last couple weeks have been more relaxing. Hope it stays that way. Oh and it would be Strawberry!
Keep it between the fence posts and shiny side up.
Robert
Thanks Robert. The last couple of weeks have been relaxing combined with taking some very interesting day trips. More about them on upcoming blog posts.
Looks like you all are having great times in those small towns! By any chance did they offer Jell-o shot taste tests? Looking for new recipes for upcoming tailgates. Take care folks and keep those wheels a mov’n!
Thanks Mike and unfortunately no Jell-O shooters at the museum. That might have bumped up their Trip Advisor score though!
Jell-O factory? Wow, you two are discovering some really hidden attractions! I think Cherry is my favorite Jell-O flavor, although I rarely eat the stuff because it reminds me of the food my mother feed us when we were sick. The large house reminds me of the style in the children’s book “Madeline”. French style?
Was that a gas stove? We just brought a similar stove home from NJ that is gas powered. Imagine fitting all the food we eat in one week in such a small fridge. Thanks goodness for modern conveniences.
Enjoy your travels! Thanks for the pictures. 🙂
Hi Janet! Yes, we are finding that we love the small town exploring. You never know what you might find. Looking back at the photo of the stove, we are not sure if it was gas. The burners looked like electric, but I did not know they had electric ranges at that point. Yes, we do take all of our conveniences for granted. We just visited an Amish village and auction in Ohio. 50+ buggies in a parking lot with all the horses at the hitching post. No cell phones, TVs, cars, etc. A very simple life. Maybe better?
What a cool little town. Glad you and Pat are having a great time.
Thanks Connie! We do enjoy exploring the small towns of the USA. I hope to hear more about your Alaskan trip sometime.