The "Oldies Background Music" Story

The Mt. Gretna Playhouse

It was an ordinary day.  Ordered my tickets for the Cicada Festival at Mt. Gretna a few weeks ago and now see in the newspaper that it will be a noisy concert series.  Mt. Gretna is located in Lebanon County, PA.  It has a population of 242 and is a popular place in the summer with a nationally-ranked juried art show, jazz and chamber music concerts, lectures, book reviews, and an annual tour of historic homes and cottages.  The small wooded community also sports a roller rink, lake, open-air playhouse, miniature golf course, several restaurants, playgrounds and an award-winning ice cream parlor known as the "Jigger Shop."  The surrounding area, which includes seven neighborhoods, has a year-round population estimated at about 1,500 with a summertime population of about 2,500.  I guess the small wooded community would be what my story is all about today.  Carol and I as well as our friends Pat and Dale hold tickets to the 19th Annual Cicada Festival.  Our tickets are for concerts performed by Phil Dirt & the Dozers on August 5 and The Bronx Wanderers on August 13.  We have heard both groups before and both seem to be Sell-Outs every year.  Oldies Rock and Roll is their forte.  This year will feature a slightly different atmosphere since the 17-year cicadas will be out to serenade us along with the keyboard, percussion, horns, guitars and vocals of our favorite groups.  

Cicadas emerging from the ground

About 30 BILLION of the insects are expected to emerge from the ground in the eastern United States, including Lebanon County where Mt. Gretna is located.  It is a natural wonder that happens in eastern United States and nowhere else in the world.  The Brood II periodic cicadas emerge from undergorund burrows every 17 years and should start their noisy entrance soon.  Hatching usually happens in localized areas and wooded areas are a must.  The insects don't emerge until the ground temperature reaches precisely 64 degrees.  They probably won't appear in massive numbers until June and may or may not still be around in time to enjoy the festival music for which their event is named.  When they do appear, the males make a daytime deafening racket for a few weeks as they look for mates.  After mating, the males die and the females lay eggs on tips of twigs.  The new cicadas then burrow underground for another 17 years.  They feed on tree sap, but usually don't cause tremendous harm to foliage.  The cicada is different than a locust which is related to the grasshopper and the cicada alledgely doesn't bite or sting.  The cicada had numerous predators including birds, squirrels, and even humans.  The female is considered meatier and their fine taste is due to the fact that they do not carry any defensive chemicals as other insects do.  They survive primarliy because of sheer numbers.  I will tell you that they are NOT on my wish list of things to eat.  There are eight different broods of 17-year cicadas, with Brood II being considered one of the largest.  For many of us, it may be the last time we get to be serenaded by the insect.  I wouldn't even mind if they are background music, or noise as it may be, when we arrive for the Cicada Festival concerts.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

Peanut Butter Cup Cicadas, Yum

The 17-year cicada