INTERCOURSE, Pa. -- First of all, Intercourse has nothing to do with intercourse, so get your mind out of the gutter.
In fact, the only thing dirty about Intercourse are its gutters. And even they offer an historic, Old World sort of charm, albeit the kind you'd want to avoid if you're wearing your church shoes.

This Intercourse is the wholesome kind of intercourse the whole family can enjoy together without risking a televised introduction to Jerry Springer.

Thanks to Harrison Ford, many moviegoers are already somewhat familiar with Intercourse. He played the lead in the 1985 film, Witness, filmed in and around the quaint town of 1,200, where every where you look are the signs of Intercourse.

There's the Intercourse Post Office, The Intercourse Canning Co., The Intercourse News and outside the Intercourse Fire Department, a memorial bell recognizing the heroic efforts of the honored veterans of Intercourse.

Still, it's no surprise that many businesses primly insert the word "village" before business names (Intercourse Village Restaurant, for instance). No one has yet dared to open the most obvious: Intercourse phone books show no listing for an Intercourse Adult Video.
Thus, the surest giggle-producer is the Intercourse Pretzel Factory, always a top spot for titillated tourists. It's straight-faced sign boasts "soft, stuffed, and hard" Intercourse pretzels.

"People sit on the bench under the sign and get their pictures taken to show folks back home," said owner Donna Clark. "People think it's hilarious, but that's what we sell."
The stuffed pretzels are rolled out soft pretzel dough, filled with tasty combinations of local meats, jams or relishes and baked.

Once tourists have had their fill of pretzels, they can move on to nearby craft and antique stores. Often they'll find the black, horse-drawn buggies of the Amish hitched on the street. The "English" business owners, as the Amish call them, try to discourage tourists from photographing the Amish, who find it offensive.

So why is Intercourse named Intercourse?
No one knows for sure, says Lisa Arrell, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Dutch Country Convention & Visitors Bureau, which promotes tourism in Lancaster County, which is home to Intercourse.

One local theory says the name hails from the town's location at the entrance of an 18th Century race course populated with pony-loving Scotch-Irish immigrants. In pre-spell checker days,"Enter-course" evolved into Intercourse.

Another is that the word "intercourse" was commonly used to describe fellowship and social interaction that took place here. Even today, the primary meaning of the word in most dictionaries refers to social interchange or communication.

It wasn't until the 1930s that the name began producing reflexive snickers when the phrase "sexual intercourse" became common, thus dooming Intercourse to a lifetime of teasing and titters from people who consider Adam Sandler's humor refined.

"I've lived within three miles of Intercourse my whole life," Clark said. "We love it here. The Amish are great neighbors and the best employees in the world. They are wonderful, simple people."
"The Plain folks" were lured to the area from Europe in the 1730s by William Penn's promise of religious tolerance. Today, Europe is devoid of Amish, but the sect continues to thrive in a string of colorfully named Lancaster towns like Bird in Hand, Blue Ball, Paradise and Intercourse, where horse-and-buggy traffic is almost as prevalent along the streets as motor vehicles.

It was here in Intercourse that filmmakers shot the 1985 Harrison Ford movie Witness.
"They never mentioned Intercourse in the movie, though," Clark said. "I guess they thought people would giggle."
Prudishness in Hollywood? Now, that takes some imagination.

Elmer Thomas, owner of the Intercourse Village Bed & Breakfast Suites, figures the world is divided into two types of people: Those who blush at the mention of the town where he grew up, and those who tell him they love to visit. here.

"The name is downright embarrassing for some people to even say, but others tell me Intercourse is their favorite place in the world," he said.

"If 50 percent of the people don't like it and 50 percent love it, I'll take the 50 percent who aren't shy about loving Intercourse."

If you're among the latter, Thomas wants you to know he's not offering any Valentine's Day specials. He doesn't have to.

"This is the most romantic place in the world," he said. "Virginia may be for lovers, but Pennsylvania has Intercourse."

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