{"id":548,"date":"2016-02-03T11:26:33","date_gmt":"2016-02-03T16:26:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2016.lancasterpa.wordcamp.org\/?p=548"},"modified":"2016-02-09T23:18:14","modified_gmt":"2016-02-10T04:18:14","slug":"introducing-jakeypuu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lancasterpa.wordcamp.org\/2016\/introducing-jakeypuu\/","title":{"rendered":"Introducing Jakeypuu!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Wapuu has been making his way around the WordCamp circuit for a while now. There are so many wonderful Wapuu siblings, and the Japanese WordPress community published a great origin story<\/a> in December of 2015.<\/p>\n

This new<\/em> member of the Wapuu family hails from the countryside of Lancaster County and is the mascot of WordCamp Lancaster!<\/p>\n

Meet Jakeypuu<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"sleeve-left-wapuu-lancaster\"<\/p>\n

He resides in Lancaster county, caring for his farm! He loves spring and fall, especially around planting season and harvest time. While he’s not busy on the\u00a0farm, he relaxes by using WordPress to support his local produce stand, where he not only sells great fruits and veggies, but also Meadow Tea<\/a> and Amish style root beer<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Jakey’s Wapuu Family<\/h2>\n

We have several<\/em> family members from Jakey’s family this year. They’re each representing a little piece of Lancaster culture. We have Wapuu holding a traditional hex sign (a popular Pennsylvania Dutch folk art style<\/a>), a Whoopie Pie (a treat we had last year!), and a Dutch Apple Pie!<\/p>\n

The Hex Sign<\/h3>\n

\"wapuu-wclancaster-hexsign\"<\/p>\n

The Pennsylvania Dutch hex sign has a long, rich history in the area. It frequently ornaments buildings, clothing, and many other facets of life in Lancaster County and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n

\"Souvenir

Souvenir shop in Lancaster County selling hex signs. Source: Wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n

About 300 years ago, groups of peasant farmers from the Rhine region of Germany migrated to southeastern Pennsylvania. These settlers came to take advantage of freedoms being offered by William Penn. They included settlers of plain dress — Amish and Mennonites \u2013 and others of more “worldly” or “fancy” dress \u2013 Lutherans and other Reformed groups. Over time, these settlers became known as “Pennsylvania Dutch.”<\/p>\n

Like other<\/em> immigrants, they brought their old world language, dress, traditions, and art to their new home.<\/p>\n

\"Barn

Barn with compass rose hex signs at the historic Mascot Mills in Lancaster County. Source: Wikipedia<\/p><\/div>\n

Mystical bird and floral designs graced their birth and marriage certificates, books, quilts, and furniture. The “fancy” farmers also decorated their large German-style bank barns with colorful geometric patterns. Six-pointed star designs were very popular. The German word for six, “sechs,” sounded like hex to their English-speaking neighbors. In time, these “hex” patterns became commonly called hex signs. This custom persists today.<\/p>\n

(excerpt adapted from http:\/\/lancasterpa.com\/shopping\/hex-signs\/<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

Whoopie Pie<\/h3>\n

\"wapuu-whoopie-pie\"<\/p>\n

Here’s what an actual whoopie pie looks like:<\/p>\n

\"Whoopie

Whoopie pies are delicious!<\/p><\/div>\n

Yes, it is as delicious as it appears. Whoopie pies are a traditional Pennsylvania Dutch treat made of two chocolate pieces of cake on the outside with a sweet frosting inside filling. We won’t be serving Whoopie Pies this year like we did in 2015, but you can make them yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s believed that whoopie pies were first made from leftover cake batter, and Amish legend has it that, when children and even farmers would find the delicious treat in their lunch pail, they\u2019d yell out \u201cWhoopie!,\u201d hence the name.<\/p>\n