Ski Round Top

Purple Door Festival returns on Aug. 12-13

The festival got its start in 1996 at the Lancaster Mennonite High School campus In Lancaster and reatured Christian mega-rockers, Jars of Clay.

The festival returns to the Lebanon Fairgrounds this year after a series of dates at Ski Roundtop.

Festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza have been gaining in popularity over the years for their stellar, eclectic lineups and Purple Door is no different. This year’s bill features a lineup ranging from hip hop to hardcore punk.

Hip hop headliner, Lecrae, will be bring his own brand of lyricism to the main stage on Friday along side mainstream hard rock outfit, RED.

Purple Door Festival will also feature several top underground acts like Underoath whose brutal guitar licks and screeching vocals mixed with anthemic choruses has led the Florida-based screamo outfit to combined sales in the millions.

The festival also features several rising stars that are worth a listen. Over the past 15 years, Purple Door has served as a launching pad for several household names like Relient K, Blindside, POD and Paramore.

The event will also feature several authors and speakers that will address topics ranging from Christian inspiration to social justice.

Purple Door Festival will take place August 12 and 13 at the Lebanon Fairgrounds, located at 80 Rocherty Rd., Lebanon.

Weekend passes are $38 and group options are available. Visit www.purpledoor.com for details.

Ski Roundtop tries to sell off chairs from last remaining two ...

That’s a “quad” in skier parlance.
    
To mark the occasion, on Friday the Warrington Twp. resort tried to sell the 40-year-old chairlift’s chairs, for $100 apiece online.
    
If it worked, the mountain would have $10,000 in its pocket and the question of what to do with the old lift would be solved.
    
It didn’t work — trust me, I know.
    
I was one of the people mashing the “reload” button on their Web browser for an hour and a half to no avail. Demand for the relics apparently overwhelmed the resort’s e-commerce site and the sale was halted.
    
It is set to resume this coming week, with orders being taken over the phone.
    
Probably no one at Roundtop was expecting the chairs to sell like Super Bowl tickets — after all, why on Earth would anyone want a 40-year-old uncomfortable hunk of metal vaguely shaped like a park bench?
    
There really is zero logic involved. Instead, call it nostalgia — I’ve been riding the darn things since I was about 12-years-old.
    
And for some reason, the small, oft-temperamental lift No. 4 has always been a fan-favorite. I think we love it because it was always the runt of the litter, serviced two of the best runs — Exhibition and Susquehanna — and rarely had a line.
    
Plus, I found out I’m getting a tax rebate and it’s burning a hole in my pocket.
    
So, assuming I manage to buy one Tuesday, what does one do with a chairlift chair?
    
That, is an excellent question.
    
Some people use them as modified porch swings, one enterprising person used them as booths in a diner.
    
Mine, however, will probably go on the back porch, covered with a tarp until I think of a good answer.
    
That will probably take a couple of years.
    
My wife, undoubtedly, will love it.
    
— Nick Malawskey grew up in Mechanicsburg and has skiied at Roundtop Mountain Resorts most of his life. He has worked at the mountain as a ski instructor and as a safety volunteer.