On Centre: Penns Valley

Farmer inducted into hall of fame

Ed Mahon

Jesse M. Darlington grew up on a Delaware County dairy farm that was land granted to his family in 1683 by William Penn.

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“My parents were in the farming business, as were their parents. It just carried on,” said Darlington, a 1955

Penn State graduate. A former general manager of Dunlap Motors Ford dealership, Darlington now lives on 215 acres of farmland and woodland south of Centre Hall with his wife of 46 years, Bonnie Dunlap Darlington.

Earlier this month, Darlington was named the 41st Pennsylvania Livestock

Association Hall of Fame inductee. He received the honor during the opening ceremony of the Keystone International Livestock Exposition, held at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.

After Darlington graduated from Penn State, he served two years of active duty in the Navy. After that, he managed Penn State’s beef herd and show cattle for two years, then became the horse barn manager for the next eight years.

He was licensed as a quarter horse judge in 1958, and judged for 12 years across the United States and Canada. He’s been in the draft horse show ring at KILE, the Pennsylvania Farm Show and the Ohio and Michigan state farm shows, and at five World Shows. He continues to serve as ringmaster at many shows.

“I don’t think there are hard parts to be honest with you,” Darlington said of working with horses and cattle. “It’s a very rewarding occupation as far as I’m concerned. ...You work with them, they work with you.”

Farm/City plans set

The 2009 Centre County Farm/City Dinner will be Nov. 10 at Penns Valley Area High School in Penn Township. Doors open at 6 p.m., with a Dairy Princess milk and cheese reception followed by a ham and turkey dinner at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $12 for adults, $8 for children age 4 to 12 and are free for children younger than 4. Tickets will not be sold at the door and must be purchased before Oct. 23. To order, call the Farm Service Agency at 355-2446, the Cooperative Extension at 355-4897, or the Centre County Conservation District, which is in the Willowbank Building in Bellefonte, at 355-6817.

Reminder

Penns Valley Area School District’s second annual homecoming parade will start at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Grange fairgrounds in Centre Hall. The parade will begin at Gate 4 and end with a pep rally at the grandstand at 7:45 p.m.

The theme for this year’s event is “Welcome to Hollywood.”

Ed Mahon writes about news from the Penns and Brush Valley regions. He can be reached at 231-4619 or emahon@centredaily.com.