Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey

Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey, located in the Grundy Commons complex in Bristol, officially opened in September 2011. That February, the first whiskey was released — a White Rye that is taken straight from the still and bottled at 100 proof with no barrel aging. In June 2012 — after sustaining the proper aging process — the Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye Whiskey was released.

And the rest is history.

These days, just five months after producing its first aged rye whiskey, Dad’s Hat is producing 3,000 bottles on a monthly basis. All stages of the whiskey brewing business are done on premises. Mihalich explained that Dad’s Hat uses natural, local ingredients and the recipe only uses rye grain and malt for a pure taste.

Here are some photographs I took during a recent tour of the distillery. 

Helping Hands

Countless utility employees and volunteers are working around the clock to restore power to homes still in the dark after Hurricane Sandy’s rampage.

This group is helping rescue the rescuers.

MedStaff Inc. (MSI) is a Louisiana-based company that provides medical and security services to remote locations offering rescue efforts. Currently, the group is working in Linden and Monmouth, New Jersey, where there are 4,000 people at each location working around the clock to restore power and safety to those most affected by Hurricane Sandy.

Although the group has been working 15-hour days on these N.J. sites, they have found a home away from home in Bensalem, courtesy of the Salem Creekside Inn, a bed and breakfast located on Totem Road. 

Anatomy of Gray

The auditorium at Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills has been transformed into a small Indiana town and its students have traveled back to the 1890s. Local residents and theater enthusiasts can witness this adaptation firsthand as the Pennsbury High School drama program presents Anatomy of Gray. The theatrical play, written by Jim Leonard, tells the story of townspeople living in Gray, Ind.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from last week's rehearsal. 

Hurricane Sandy

Here are some photographs I took throughout Bucks County in the days following Hurricane Sandy. The epic storm was the second largest in recorded history to hit the East Coast and personally, one of the most exciting and terrifying things I've ever witnessed. 

Monster Mash

Monster Mini Golf is a Feasterville business that opened in April 2011 and features an 18-hole miniature golf course with with plenty of local flavor.

Buck County’s Monster Mini Golf features two main characters: Jawbone and Stella Skellarella. Jawbone is dressed up like Rocky Balboa — Philly’s most beloved boxer — and pictured on the Art Museum steps in one of the murals. Meanwhile, Stella Skellarella, a cartoon heavily influenced by Doylestown’s singing sensation, Pink, is shown painting a friend’s hair pink in a different mural.

Screenwriter and producer M. Night Shyamalan, who grew up in the Penn Valley suburbs of Philadelphia, is also represented in a mural referring to his popular movie, “The Sixth Sense.” The bridges of Bucks County are painted on the far end of the mini golf course, and the Philadelphia skyline is pictured alongside Frankenstein eating a Philly soft pretzel.

For more information, call 215-396-6700 or visit www.monsterminigolf.com.

Producing Peace

The Peace Center in Langhorne is spreading the love.

The organization was created in 1982 and has evolved to include dozens of programs in an effort to spread peace throughout Bucks County. Located on West Maple Avenue in Langhorne, the Peace Center established a Bullying Resource and Call Center to directly assist those affected by bullying and cyber bullying in Bucks County.

The Peace Center has partnered with 13 school districts throughout Bucks County to provide teachers and students with suggested protocols, prevention efforts, problem-solving skills and intervention when necessary. The organization also works closely with police departments and regularly holds mediation sessions for members of the community.

For more information, visit www.thepeacecenter.org or call 215-750-7220.

All Aboard!

Joe’s Train Station is going full steam ahead.

The Feasterville business has been serving train enthusiasts since 1981, and for the past two years, new owners Doug and Paula Wolff have expanded its model to include much more than collectible trains.

In addition to the storefront where the Wolff’s sell, buy, and repair trains of all ages and models, Joe’s Train Station recently added a new stop — The Party Train.

Located two doors down from their original business, The Party Train is a kid-friendly area that can host birthday parties, field trips, play dates and special events. It is geared towards children ages 2 to 8 years old.

For more information, call 215-322-7250 or visit www.joestrainstation.com.

Nothing but Net

After being forced to sit out last season due to ineligibility, Kevan Melly has not only earned a place on the Holy Family University men’s soccer team this fall, but he scored a spot in it’s starting lineup.

And it looks like he was worth the wait.

Melly, a Hatboro resident who is now a sophomore defender for the Tigers, was ineligible to compete last year because his transcripts were not submitted to the National Collegiate Athletic Association before deadline. As a result, he red-shirted with the squad, meaning he attended every practice and trained regularly, but was not permitted to put on a uniform and compete in official games.

“Last year was definitely tough… practicing everyday, being with the boys and then game day would come and I couldn’t travel. I couldn’t be on the bench. I had to sit on the sidelines and watch,” explained Melly, a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham High School. “I put in the work on the field and in practice, and finally got my opportunity this year.”

A Natural Habitat

It’s time to embrace the great outdoors.

And at the Silver Lake Nature Center, the possibilities for exploration are endless. The Bristol-based center encompasses 235 acres of woodlands, lakes, marshes and meadows, including 4.5 miles of hiking trails. It is open year round, allowing nature enthusiasts a glimpse into beautiful Bucks County every day from dawn to dusk.

The Silver Lake Nature Center provides both preservation and education through its extensive programs and projects. Currently, there are 43 Pennsylvania Species of Special Concern being preserved on the property, ranging from a Magnolia Tripetala, an umbrella tree that is threatened and very rare in this state to the Potamogeton Pulcher, a heartleaf pondweed that is currently classified as endangered in Pennsylvania. Most of the trees and grasses within the Silver Lake Nature Center are native to the land.

For more information, visit www.silverlakenaturecenter.org.

To Serve and Protect

They’re a special kind of breed.

And since 1962, they’ve called Bensalem home.

The Bensalem Township Police K-9 Unit has successfully protected the local community for a half century. Currently, the unit is comprised of seven dogs — four patrol dogs, two dogs that are specialized in narcotic searches and one that detects explosives. Of the four patrol dogs, three of them are also trained to sniff out narcotics.

Current members of the Bensalem Township Police K-9 Unit include Corporal Jim McGinty with K-9 Axel, Officer Brian Cowden with K-9 Edo, Officer Mike Schum with K-9 Argo and Officer Matt Tobie with K-9 Ozzy. Sergeant Dave Richardson works as supervisor of the unit.

Welcome to Wine Country

Buckingham Valley Vineyards, located at 1521 Durham Rd. in Buckingham, has been family owned and operated since 1970. The Bucks County vineyard was one of the first wineries initiated under Pennsylvania’s Farm Winery Act of 1968.

Currently, Buckingham Valley Vineyards has 22 types of wine available including cabernet sauvignon, pinot gris, chambourcin and vidal blanc, to name a few. All wines are made fresh — most from grapes grown in their vineyards — but others are created from apples, strawberries, cherries, blackberries and raspberries.

For more information, call 215-794-7188 or visit www.pawine.com.

Hope for the Animals

There’s no place like home.

And thanks to the Hope for the Animals organization, four-legged friends throughout the area are finding an abode of their own. The nonprofit, no-kill rescue organization — which has an adoption center in Fairless Hills — works with approximately 160 kittens and cats on an annual basis, helping them acquire foster homes and eventually permanent ones, and providing them with plenty of loving care along the way.

For more information on Hope for the Animals, visit www.hopefortheanimals.org.