Macaroni KID Hershey PA

09/24/2025

Ideas for inclusive trick or treat

🎃 Flashback to Last Year’s Inclusive Halloween Treat Station 🎃

Last year we went BIG — because when you live in a neighborhood with more kids than W***y Wonka’s factory tour, you either over-prepare or risk being haunted by disappointed goblins until Christmas.

But here’s the thing: while our skeleton army and candy trough looked like a full-scale production, every single one of these strategies can be scaled way down for the average trick-or-treat station. You don’t need a fog machine or a candy mountain — just a little planning to make sure every kid feels included.

👉 Quick note: We’re 100% on board with the Teal Pumpkin Project (allergy-friendly treats for the win). But the whole blue bucket = disability thing? Nope. No kid should have to announce their medical history via trick-or-treat container just to snag a Reese’s. At our house, if you want a treat, you get a treat. Period.

Here’s how our unmanned, parent-approved setup worked:

1️⃣ Treats Up Front
All the candy in the driveway — not hidden behind cobwebs or a skeleton gauntlet. Driveways = stroller, wagon, and wheelchair friendly.

2️⃣ Scoops, Not Handfuls
One giant scoop keeps it simple. No fine motor struggles, no choice overload, no parents yelling “JUST ONE!” into the night.

3️⃣ Bright & Welcoming
Extra lights so kids (and parents) don’t trip over the decorative graveyard.

4️⃣ Comic Relief
Stacks of comic books for the candy-averse. Sometimes Spider-Man > Skittles. (Thanks Comics and Cool Stuff for the hook up!)

5️⃣ Allergy-Friendly Options
Bins of fidgets, glow sticks, and small toys. Because every kid deserves loot they can actually enjoy.

6️⃣ Bonus Buckets
No bucket? No problem. We had extras. Teens, last-minute trick-or-treaters, even that one kid with a grocery bag — everyone got candy.

👻 The takeaway? Ours looked big because our neighborhood is big, but the magic works at any scale. Whether you’ve got 50 kids or 500, inclusion is just about making it easy for everyone to join the fun — no scripts, no labels, no barriers… just treats.

09/23/2025

Gather 'round, noble parents of wee nipperkins! Prepare thyself for a day filled with jest, merriment, and just a splash of chaos. Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire awaits, a land where thy children may roam as knights, princesses, and possibly feral goblins (depending on how many turkey legs they've consumed). Whether thou art a seasoned knight or a weary traveler in search of shade and mead, this guide will arm thee with all thou need to survive—and perhaps even enjoy—this day of revelry. (And let’s keep the debauchery to a minimum until the nipperkins are safely abed, shall we?) Full guide in the comments

09/22/2025

Did you know that Macaroni KID by Rachael B – now covering Hershey, Hummelstown, Elizabethtown, and Manheim – is one of only a handful of businesses in Pennsylvania certified by Neurodiverse Network as a Neurodivergent Safe Practice? 🧠💥

Translation: we’re not just about family fun. We’re about inclusive fun.
The kind that says: “You don’t need eye contact to grab a comic book and a fidget toy, my friend – just scoop and go.” 👏

As a mom to a kid whose brain skipped the “factory default” setting (and thank goodness for that), I’ve learned that inclusion isn’t just adding a name to a list.
It’s adding eggs to baskets. 🐣 (Yes, we literally did that at our inclusive Easter Egg Hunt.)

And we’ll keep showing up like that – in guides, events, campaigns, and all the glorious Macaroni chaos – until every brain feels like it belongs.

We may not have a storefront, but we’re everywhere families are. And thanks to NDNET’s real-talk training, we’re showing up better. 💪

🌈 Stay tuned for more magic, mischief, and meaningful mayhem — now officially certified inclusive.

👉 Read more in the comments.

09/22/2025

❓What’s up? Your family when you head to the York Balloon Glow and Laser Show THIS WEEKEND. Take a tethered balloon ride or check out:

🎵 Live music
🖼️ Craft & vendor booths
🌭 Food vendors
🪁 Monster Show Kites performance
👍 Kids Zone with games, rides and more

Once the sun goes down, the fun heats up with a stunning balloon glow and laser show you have to see to believe.

➡️ Save $5 per adult ticket and waive fees when you use code MKBALLOON15. Grab your tickets today: https://balloonshows.com/

09/22/2025

🎬✨ Lights, Literacy, ACTION! ✨📚

Ever dreamed of walking a red carpet that leads not to Hollywood… but straight to a library? Manheim Library is throwing a grand opening bash at their shiny new home in the Kreider Farms Cultural Center, and it’s going to be more dazzling than a blockbuster premiere.

🍔 Food trucks? Check.
🎲 Games? Check.
🎨 Crafts? Check.
📖 Stories with the power to outshine any special effects? Double check.

Bring the whole family and celebrate how Manheim’s library is rolling out the literary red carpet for the community. Stars may fade, but library cards are forever. 🌟

📅 September 23rd | 5:30–7:30 PM
📍 Kreider Farms Cultural Center / Manheim Community Library

FREE, fun, and everyone’s invited—because in this feature film, YOU are the star!

09/21/2025

🎃👻 From glowing graveyards to entire skeleton armies, the Hershey area does NOT mess around when it comes to Halloween.

That’s why it’s time to launch the Spooky Trail Map – Hershey to Manheim Edition! 🗺️✨

This guide will cover all the best Halloween displays and haunted hot spots in Hershey, Hummelstown, Elizabethtown, Manheim, and the surrounding towns. But I need your help to make it terrifyingly good!

🦇 Know a neighbor who turns their front yard into a full-on haunted house?
💀 Got a 12-foot Skelly who photobombs your Amazon deliveries?
🎃 Have you spotted a display so spooky you had to drive back twice just to stare at it?

👉 Drop the locations we should know about in the comments! Pictures welcome (but not required). No need for exact addresses—just tell us the street, neighborhood, or general area so we can track them down.

⚠️ Important: If you’re seeing this in a share or a group, make sure you click over to the original post to leave your comment so I don’t miss it. And spread the word—let’s make the Hershey Spooky Trail map the creepiest, brightest, most boo-tiful one yet!

09/21/2025

🔥🐉 From flat copper pancake to fire-breathing dragonfly of destiny in one afternoon!

I just thrived at my first workshop with The Metal Mixologist and there’s nothing like holding a blowtorch and realizing you are, in fact, the Mother of Dragons (flies).

Started with a boring sheet of copper ended with a magical glitter-beaded, torch-kissed masterpiece.

Best part? My tween saw it and immediately declared, “I WANNA MAKE ONE.” Translation: if your kiddo is old enough to handle a blowtorch without turning your curtains into s’mores, they’re old enough for this workshop. Bonus: she does BIRTHDAY PARTIES. Imagine 12-year-old me crafting dragons (without the fly) instead of awkwardly roller skating in neon shoelaces… yeah, I’d have peaked early.

09/20/2025

What do you do that’s just for you? Small or large, I want to know!

09/20/2025

Candy Chemistry at The Hershey Story, The Museum on Chocolate Avenue = science you can taste. 🍫🧪
Is it a lab? Is it dessert? Yes. Homeschoolers test, tinker, and taste their way through the science of sugar—crystals, chemical vs. physical changes, sour vs. sweet, and a make-your-own chocolate creation to take home.

The KIDcrew will be there (because, obviously), and we’ll bring you the full scoop after. But seats fill fast, so don’t wait—especially if you want to witness the legendary “it’s an acquired taste” face during the warm drinking chocolate flight. 😆 (One flight is perfect to share—everyone gets a sip!)

When: Oct 8, 15, 22, 29 • 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM
Where: The Hershey Story Museum
Cost: $17 per person (ages 3+); under 2 free • Includes Museum admission + scavenger hunt
Best for: Grades 2–8 (open to all) — perfect for homeschool & cyber fams

09/19/2025

Once upon a time, in a world that expected a lot from a girl with a sharp mind and a way with words, I felt pulled in two directions. One voice said, “Be the proof - rise up, shatter ceilings, be the Cinderella story for every kid who needs one.” The other voice whispered, “Also… barefoot-in-the-kitchen Thanksgiving with a house full of babies sounds perfect.” Teenage me could not reconcile those two dreams (as incompatible as oil and water… or toddlers and white couches).

I grew up in poverty and spent time in and out of the system. Somewhere along the way I internalized an unspoken pact: succeed not just for me, but for every girl who shared my story. When my first child was born, I stepped out of the workforce and the guilt monologue arrived right on cue. Was I squandering my “potential”? Then a quieter truth bloomed: I was happy. I was good at this mom thing. And feminism- real feminism- meant choosing my own path, even if that looked like cookies, car seats, and a 22-pound turkey.

Still, another question lingered: how do I give my all to my family without losing myself? A flamingo answered it. (Yes, really.) Flamingo moms literally lose their pink while feeding their chicks, then regain it later. Motherhood had been quietly stealing my color - the isolation, the laundry loops, the mental load. Building a village brought the pink back. Coffee with other parents, swapping stories, laughing at the chaos: color returned. But I still needed a creative, intellectual outlet that stretched beyond my four walls.

Enter the seed of an idea: a place where families could find local fun, honest reviews, and a village that actually shows up. We dreamed it up, then the world tilted. (Pandemic. Babies. Life getting very lifey.) And then two year ago the idea knocked again right when I saw a call for a Macaroni KID publisher in Harrisburg & West Shore. It clicked. I could use my writing muscle and my mom superpowers to build something lasting. I took the leap, then grew to Carlisle–Boiling Springs–Shippensburg. And now, the village expands again: Macaroni KID Hershey–Manheim.

I love Hershey. And I carry deep admiration for Catherine and Milton Hershey, especially Catherine. She had “I’ll be your mom, too” energy for the most alone and most in need. As someone who spent childhood years feeling alone and in need, that kind of care shaped everything I believe about community. Catherine was the matriarch of her village. Her legacy is everything, and it’s the energy I’m bringing to this one.

TLDNR I’m Rachael - a career publisher and the local parent behind Macaroni KID by Rachael B. I run on coffee, color-coded calendars, and the conviction that strong families build strong communities (also: toddlers are faster than Olympians). I’m committed to giving Hershey the consistent coverage it deserves and I’m willing to put my success where my mouth is.

This season, I’m cooking dinner with a kid on my hip, a calendar on my screen, and a whole lot of pink restored. I’m changing the world in my own way: one joyful weekend plan, one inclusive guide, one shared laugh at a time.

Hershey, we’re back. We’re building. And it’s about to get sweeter. 🍫

09/19/2025

Hershey–Manheim, we’re back! 🍫
I’m your new publisher for Macaroni KID Hershey–Manheim. The calendar got a little… ghosty for a while. No finger-pointing—life got lifey. I’m rebuilding from the ground up: consistent coverage, fresh guides, real Top Picks.

Grand re-launch newsletter drops Oct 3.
Want in? Subscribe, submit your events, and say hi so we can make this village shine again. ✨

Full story in the comments.

09/18/2025

I’m still shaken up about this. And I think what really bothered me about it most was that this poor little girl was left hurt and scared by someone who knows better, and she didn’t even feel like she could go to an adult for help.

I know we macaroni moms (and dads for my two dad followers) are ready to step in and mom and I’m so grateful for this village, but I’m so angry at the adult who left her feeling like that

I had an I’m your mom till your mom gets here moment today.

I was hanging out at Letort Park, chatting with my friends from Alsies Harrisburg Ice Cream Truck, when a group of kids wandered up. I happened to have some extra money on a gift card, so I shouted over, “Hey what do you guys want?” A few minutes later, one little girl came back to thank me for the bomb pop.

Then she said something that stopped me cold.
“I’m having a really bad day. A van hit me over there. My arm really hurts. This helps.”

WHAT?!

Apparently, a van had brushed her while she was riding her scooter and then just drove off. She was scared, hurt, and didn’t even want to tell anyone. My mama instincts kicked in hard. I told her to call her mom, I called the police, and I promised her she wasn’t in trouble, that she did the right thing by speaking up.

She was shaken, and it was intimidating to have officers asking questions, even though they were trying to help. But until her mom got there (which thankfully was quick), I stuck by her side. She needed a mom in that moment, so I was her stand-in.

It broke my heart to see a kid feeling scared, hurt, and like she couldn’t tell anyone. Shame on the driver who left her that way.

Thank you to the police who responded quickly.
Thank you to Alsie’s for making a terrible day a little sweeter with a bomb pop.
Thank you to CCA for calling the police for me while the little girl called her mom.

I know they’re looking for the driver, and I won’t speculate. But here’s the takeaway: if you’re part of my village, I’ll be your mom when you need me to.