Reveal of the Fall 2025 "Spot the Gretna Cousin" Challenge

by Stacy Schroeder

It’s been seven weeks—have you cracked the case in our first Spot the Gretna Cousin challenge?

Before we share the answer — and celebrate our first reader to guess it correctly — let’s set the scene.

Spoiler alert: Prefer to guess first? Hop over to our Magazine page and check out Page 21 of our Fall 2025 issue before reading further.

Spot the Gretna Cousin is designed to spark connection across generations. While locals may have a slight advantage, nobody can rely on hometown knowledge alone. The challenge leans into three of our core values: playfulness, curiosity, and inclusivity. Everyone is invited in.

In our Fall 2025 debut issue, the game featured close-ups of cottage nameplates. Some of you may have recognized your own cottage or that of a neighbor; others may have spotted a familiar porch from a walk or a summer visit. But did you catch our out-of-town cousin?

Amy Greggs of Mechanicsburg, PA did. She correctly identified #7 — The Colonnade Cottage — as the image captured outside of Mount Gretna.

That photo was shared by Harrisburg reader Gwenn Trout, who took it on special assignment from creative director Stacy Schroeder while on her summer vacation. Gwenn's destination? New York’s Chautauqua Institution, the community that helped inspire the founding of the Gretna's Pennsylvania Chautauqua neighborhood. (Photographer Shannon Fretz captured all the other shots across several parts of Gretna.)

Enjoy this first round? We’d love your ideas for future Spot the Gretna Cousin challenges. Send suggestions to Stacy@MountGretnaMagazine.org.

Congratulations again to Amy — and a heartfelt thank-you to Gwenn for helping launch the very first edition of our community game.