PCN Tours

PCN Tours celebrates its' 25th anniversary of being on-air this year! Come take a behind the scenes tour and learn more about what makes this Commonwealth a great place to live and work with PCN Tours. Each tour is led by a representative of the facility, allowing the viewer to experience television unscripted!

If you would like to suggest a PA manufacturer or museum, contact us. PCN does not charge or receive payment for producing a walking tour.

PCN Tours Weis Ice Cream, January 12th at 6pm - If you're a fan of ice cream, you'll want to tune in for this episode of PCN Tours. Come along as we tour the Weis Ice Cream Plant in Sunbury, PA. On this tour, the flavor of choice is their cookies and cream ice cream, but they make dozens of other flavors. Get the inside scoop […]

PCN Tours Kite Tales Weaving, January 19th at 6pm - Every year, when PCN covers the State Farm Show in Harrisburg, one event is certain to attract its share of curious viewers: the Sheep-to-Shawl Contest.   After the sheep are sheared, alert viewers notice that pre-dyed wool is loaded and ready in the loom.  Within a few minutes, that colored wool will be woven in with […]

PCN Tours Sunny Hill Farms Belgians, January 26th at 6pm - Fans of PCN’s coverage of the annual Pennsylvania Farm Show know when draft horses are on the screen, they’re an impressive sight.  And the Belgians that represent Sunny Hill Farms in Myerstown are always in the thick of the competition.  When they’re away from television cameras, the same horses are used for hauling chores by […]

Weekly PCN Tours Schedule

Putting Together PCN Tours

By: Larry Kaspar, Senior Producer and Host

“Assembly required” are words some people dread reading.  Often there’s a cartoon next to them to soften the blow that shows a hapless guy with crumpled instructions scratching his head and a bike with the handlebars where the seat should be.

Me, they make my heart sing.  I run for the toolbox.  I actually take inventory of the parts before I dive in.  Who does that? 

Anyone who’s seen and enjoyed PCN Tours knows what I mean.  The series shows how things are made in Pennsylvania.   

Back in 1995, Harley-Davidson in York was a logical place to start.  Their motorcycles inspire a unique brand of loyalty.  We asked them to do the narration as the bikes went down the production line.   That’s it.  No professional voice-over, no script, strictly spontaneous.  That simple, durable formula endures to this day. 

Ever see a wad of Silly Putty as large as your sofa? 

At the factory, the Silly Putty ingredients are put into a re-purposed dough kneader to mix them together.  You know how when you kneaded Silly Putty in your fingers, the air bubbles made little cracking sounds?    Well, the popping sounds at the factory might send you running for cover.  They sound like gunshots.   No kidding.    

Take Martin Guitars in Nazereth.  If you play acoustic guitar, this place is mecca.  When you see the craftsmanship here, you gain an appreciation for guitars, whether or not you’re a musician. 

These older episodes are a glimpse into the past, but viewers still stay in touch by giving us tips for new shows. Next time you’re intimidated by an assembly job, here’s a tip:  don’t do it on a deadline.  Then take a deep breath, take the plunge, and create.

PCN Tours airs on cable on Sundays at 7 PM, and streams on your device with the PCN Select streaming service.