Most Saturday mornings, May through November, you’ll find me at my local farmers market. It’s about more than just picking up seasonal produce, organic meats, and fresh-baked cookies. It’s seeing friends, hearing some local music, running into the neighborhood dogs whose humans’ names I will never remember (‘Good to see you, Bandit … and Bandit’s person!’). It’s like a block party, with fresh berries, tomatoes, and arugula.

Many Pennsylvania markets offer similar “good hang” vibes, with live music and family-friendly activities. Other markets include special events dedicated to cooking Pa. produce or have space for some of the best local food trucks, ensuring an afternoon at the market is more than just grocery shopping.

We’ve put together a list of 12 of our favorite farmers markets across Pennsylvania that offer both food and fun. But there are many more! Check out our picks, but be sure to also browse your local market for more than ingredients—you might just be thrilled with what you find.

READ: These Pa. farmers markets are way more than just fruits & veggies

Patrick Berkery

Senior Newsletter Editor, The Keystone

With AI creeping into so many aspects of our life (REMINDER: this newsletter is 100% generated by human beings), we’d like to know:

How do you feel about the idea of AI becoming more integrated into everyday life?

Here’s what you’re saying:

“We have so many American taxpayers out of work because of this Republican regime. And NOW they want to take away more job opportunities. WAKE UP, America. Let’s STOP this insanity beginning with GOP MAGA because they want this so let’s stop supporting ANYBODY that wants to put AI first. YOU CANNOT deal with a machine, they don’t have a real brain in my opinion.”

— Robert, Lancaster County

“AI is going to be helpful to people in a number of ways, and in other ways it’s going to be disrupting to our society. AI is going to take over some of the jobs currently done by people. The people lose their income and the people creating/owning AI are going to make huge profits. What are the newly jobless going to do to make a living?

A much more urgent problem is the ongoing strife to improve AI to make it smarter and smarter. AI may at some point be able to make decisions on its own other than ‘its task set by people,’ i.e. have agency. Currently there’s disagreement whether or not AI has reached that point. Either way, AI may hide that from us.

It may well be that the day comes when AI has agency and begins to consider ‘us vs them.’ Will we be able to stop AI at that time?”

— Michael, Lansdale

“My greatest concern is that AI might start to blur the line between what is real and what is not. When misused, AI could potentially be exploited by criminals or oppressive governments to deceive on a global scale. There’s also a fear that this technology could evolve beyond our control, challenging human rights, questioning our beliefs and religions, and even aspiring to become a ‘God’ figure.”

— Kim Duffin, Philadelphia

“I think AI can be both positive and negative depending on way too many factors to know at the moment. If there’s a way to opt in or out of AI issues that could affect one’s life, everyone would be able to decide for themselves.”

— Joe G., Mercer

Let us know how you feel about AI becoming more integrated into everyday life, and please let us know where you live.

TELL US: How do you feel about the idea of AI becoming more integrated into everyday life?

• You might want to think twice about going outside today if you can help it: Pennsylvania officials have declared a rare Code Purple air quality alert for Friday due to the Canadian wildfires. Check out the map in this story.

• Drivers hoping to score Trump-promoted discount gas at Pennsylvania’s Freedom Fuel stations are finding prices aren’t much cheaper than the competition. Read more here.

• The western Pennsylvania-based grocery chain Giant Eagle has launched a new “On Sale This Season” promotion for summer, reducing prices on more than 300 popular grocery items through Sept. 9. More details here.

• After years of financial strain, Pennsylvania’s rape crisis centers are getting a major boost as the new state budget doubles funding for survivor services. Learn more here.

Finally…

Michael Pennington and Linda Majczyk exchange wedding vows June 18 at the foot of Tony Majczyk’s AHN Saint Vincent intensive care unit bed. The couple held the wedding there so that the father of the bride could attend the ceremony. (USA Today Network via Reuters Connect)

Tony Majczyk’s youngest daughter put on her wedding dress and walked into his intensive care unit room recently at AHN Saint Vincent in Erie.

Majczyk, 88, was nearing the end of a 10-year battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other lung illnesses. He was too weak to walk his daughter, Linda, down the aisle or even meet her at the hospital chapel for the ceremony.

So the wedding came to him.

“Saint Vincent had arranged flowers in the room and had a really nice blanket on him,” said Linda Majczak, who works as a nurse at an AHN medical office. “He saw me and instantly lit up. I said, ‘Are we having a wedding here today?’ He smiled really big and put out his arms for a hug.”

Learn more about the bedside wedding between Linda Majczyk and her fiancé, Michael Pennington, in this story.

Would you recommend this newsletter to your friends and family?

Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with stories from Kalena Thomhave, USA Today via Reuters Connect, and Whitney Downard of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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