4 hrs, 9 kms

Back when my Global Parkbench Concert Tour began, seven years ago, I was living in Mechanicsburg, another suburb of Pennsylvania's capital region, and like Shiremanstown, it has its own history and character .

Well, not exactly... I actually lived outside of the town itself, the soul-less sprawl to the south... this was my home for one year. It was more of a transition year, and from here I moved my family to Morocco, so I never really bonded with the place. But there are a lot of memories here, so I'm going to take my time revisiting and reminiscing on my life back when this grand project was born.

First, is the park where I'd take my daughter... and where I had some of the last conversations with my father before he passed away... Then past my old apartment building, where I did enjoy the diversity of neighbors... Somalis, Congolese, Moroccans, Latinos, Indian... But I didn't like the layout of the neighborhood. No sidewalks in places, and a lot of dead end gated complexes, so not a place you can just go for a stroll easily.

I finally reach Mechanicsburg proper. I remember my first gigs here ... at the coffeehouse... at Aurora Cafe, a center that helps adults with disabilities to find jobs...

A Christian bookstore catches my eye, with posters warning of the evils of taking your kids trick or treating. Inside are books, pamphlets, tracts that basically demonize every belief, religion and demonination different from theirs. Quite a contrast with the inclusive vibe I sensed in nearby Shiremanstown.

Now that I've explored so many Main Streets in the region, I must say Mechanicsburg Main Street seems even worse than I remember it. Immediately behind Main Street are very ugly streets with metal hardware shops etc that look like they were built in 2 days. There is a little Middle Eastern store run by an Egyptian guy that looks interesting--but it's not very well stocked...

I'd never visited the Mechanicsburg Museum, so I guess I'd better do it now. It's basically a one room old railway station, honoring the importance that the Cumberland railway played in the development of this region. Begun in th 1830s, the Cuberland Valley Railroad connected all the main cities along the Cumberland Valley from Harrisburg to Hagerstown, paving the way for the economic devolopment of this region that continues to this day.

And with that, my post-visit of Mechanicsburg is over. One of the less inspiring post-visits I've had lately, but still important to come back and remember 2007... a very important year in my life.