Last weekend on one of my regular flea marketing excursions to the
Lancaster/Adamstown area of Pennsylvania, I happened upon Kerchner's
Music Haus, just across from the Black Angus Antique Mall on Rte. 272
in Adamstown.  What a find -- I urge anyone who's going to be in the
area to stop by!

Kathy Kerchner's shop displays her and her late husband's collection of
mechanical music. The instruments are not for sale, but are there
purely to be played and enjoyed by visitors -- at no charge! She also
has a number of CDs and cassettes of music for sale, including band
organs, and one of recordings made off her Marshall & Wendell Ampico A
upright in the shop (a nice one to get, by the way!).

The small shop is packed with the following, all of which Kathy played
for us:

* Pell "Monkey Organ" (Although I'm more of a "paper roll and cob"
  person myself, I was very impressed with the performance of this
  little microchip-operated instrument.)
* Wurlitzer Band Organ (Boy, can THAT baby fill a small room with sound!)
* Ampico A Upright
* Regina disk changer (in Kathy's family since the 1930's)
* Nelson-Wiggen Nickelodeon
* Phonograph lamp
* Upright coin piano (sorry, forgot the brand!)

I left the shop with a number of CDs, and a BIG smile on my face...I
know I'm going to be a regular visitor. Thank you Kathy, for sharing
your collection and your husband's careful restoration work with the
rest of us!

Kerchner's is located in Stoudtburg Village, 8 Market Plaza, in
Adamstown PA.  Phone: 717/484.0505.

Jim Canavan
Alexandria, VA
cybrflash@aol.com