The annual convention of the Rathkamp Matchcover Society was being held near Cleveland in August 2011. We started our trip across Pennsylvania with a very good lunch at the Drafting Room in Exton on Saturday plus a 40-strike matchbook. With sightseeing stops at the Swigart Automobile Museum in Huntingdon and Mt. Davis (the highest point in Pennsylvania) along the way, we stopped on Monday at the National Trail Motel in Markleysburg. This is a nicely-kept and updated 1940s motel where hummingbirds come to visit. A good dinner at the tavern at Nemacolin Woodlands in Farmington alongside the world's largest cylindrical indoor saltwater aquarium brought us a matchbox. On Tuesday, we made a quick stop at Nemacolin Castle in Brownsville before stopping at The Meadows in Washington for a few plays on the slots. Lunch in Pittsburgh at Primanti Bros. Cigar Bar (known for its sandwiches with French fries and sauerkraut in the sandwich) found a slim box. We ended the day in Erie at Alto Cucino, possibly one of the best restaurants in Pennsylvania. We were rewarded with an excellent dinner and a triangular matchbox. The next morning, before heading to Cleveland, we stopped to play a few slots at Presque Isle Downs. Stops in Conneaut, Ohio, to view the lighthouse and the beach from the township park plus a drive along the lake were a relaxing way to head to Cleveland. In Cleveland, we took the boat trip on the Cuyahoga River one afternoon and visited the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on another afternoon. The only restaurant we found in Cleveland with matches was D'Vine. Heading home on the next Saturday, we were fortunate to have lunch at Cafe 422 in Warren. Very good food, terrific prices and excellent service. We stopped for snack at Springfield Grille in Boardman which had a multi-color box (but they had to go into the office to find them). This was after a stop at Fellows Riverside Gardens in Youngstown. This ended matchbooks and matchboxes for the trip. We did make a pleasant stop at the Mifflinburg Buggy Museum in Mifflinburg, back in Pennsylvania.
