Events: Dedication/Memorial

Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day

Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor day graphic with watercolor illustrations of a variety of trees.Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum on Saturday, April 18 from 10am – 2pm for a special April Nature Series extravaganza, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day!” This new, four-hour event features programs for all ages, ranging from an Arbor Day Storytime and craft for kids, a tree dedication commemorating America250, and tree walks of the Tanger Arboretum! All programs are free and open to the public, but advance registration is greatly appreciated to help us plan. Check out our complete schedule below and register for events.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

10AM – TREE WALK: Join Lancaster County Senior Naturalist Lisa Sanchez on a tree walk about the Tanger Arboretum! Discover the different varieties and gain a deeper appreciation for our leafy friends. All ages welcome. Limited to 30 people.
Register for the 10am Tree Walk

10AM – ARBOR DAY STORYTIME & CRAFT: Bring the little ones and enjoy a storytime featuring “Tell Me, Tree” by Gail Gibbons. We’ll then create leaf and tree bark finders to help you discover nature in your backyard, plus take a peek at some tree specimens up close and personal. Suggested for ages 3-7. Registering in advance helps us gather enough support and supplies.
Register for Nature Storytime

11:15AM – AMERICA250 TREE DEDICATION: Let’s all gather to celebrate America’s 250th birthday by planting a tree in the nation’s honor! We’ll get together for brief remarks before each attendee gets to shovel a small scoop of dirt to help plant our new Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis). No registration necessary. Dedication is rain or shine.

12PM – “TANGER’S AMERICA250 TREE & THE PATRIOT OAK”: Join us in Ryder Hall for a short lecture by Len Eiserer on the Tanger Arboretum’s newest addition, the Bitternut Hickory, and learn more about Lancaster’s “Patriot Oak,” the oak that has been alive since the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
Register for Lecture

12PM – NATURE SCAVENGER HUNT FOR KIDS: Want to go on an adventure? Are you good at riddles? You’ll need to exercise your brain to decipher nature-themed hints and clues around the Tanger Arboretum! Suggested for ages 6-12. Registering in advance helps us gather enough support and supplies.
Register for the Nature Scavenger Hunt

1PM – TREE WALK: Didn’t get to attend our 10am tree walk? Join Lisa for an encore walk about the Tanger Arboretum to discover the different varieties of tree species that call it home. All ages welcome. Limited to 30 people.
Register for the 1pm Tree Walk

PLUS THERE’S EVEN MORE TO DO!

We’re excited to welcome the Nodding Onion Band from 10am – 12pm, who will jam out to ambient, post-rock music led by electrical frequencies from plants!

Light refreshments and vendors will also be available from 10am-2pm. Vendors include:

  • Hickorytown Gardens, featuring a pop-up plant fundraiser with native plants, every dollar of each plant sold goes to the Tanger Arboretum! (cash and card accepted)
  • The American Chestnut
  • Earthbound Artisan
  • Lancaster County Parks & Recreation Environmental Education Center
  • Lancaster/York County Penn State Master Gardeners

The event is rain or shine. In pleasant weather, most programs will be between the Museum and Carriage House at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster. In the event of rain, all programs will be pulled inside either the Carriage House or Museum.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day” will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 10am-2pm at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center. The event is free and open to the public. We appreciate registrations in advance so we can be prepared to accommodate visitors as best as possible. All the links to individual activities are above.

If you have questions about “Leaf & Learn,” please contact Emily Miller, Director of Operations, at emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org. Thank you!


This event is hosted by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum. The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.


“Leaf & Learn:” A Celebration of Arbor Day is sponsored by Pine Brook Farm, Inc. and Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care.
Their support enables us to offer this new program to the community for free! Thank you for your generosity!

Children's Program Dedication/Memorial Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Outdoor Program Tour

April 18, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10am-2pm FREE | Registration Requested

2026 Annual Presidential Wreath-Laying Ceremony

Image of Buchanan's grave site in Woodward Hill Cemetery.Join LancasterHistory at Woodward Hill Cemetery for the Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony for President James Buchanan, the United States’ 15th President. Taking place two days after Buchanan’s birthday, the ceremony features the laying of fresh flowers at the gravesite of the former president and remarks by the presiding officer of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard as well as local dignitaries.

  • Command Sergeant Major Albert Singleton, Army National Guard
  • The Red Rose Veterans Honor Guard with Mr. Skip Walls as bugler
  • Masonic Lodge 43 with John Phillips, Senior Warden of Lodge 43, as a speaker
  • Lancaster Fencibles with a 21-gun salute
  • Scout Troop 58
  • Rev. Joel Petruschke, senior pastor of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, offering an Invocation and a Benediction.

This event is free and open to the public. No reservations are required. For directions to the Cemetery, please click here.

Dedication/Memorial In-Person Event Off-Site Event Outdoor

April 25, 2026 Woodward Hill Cemetery, 508 S. Queen St., Lancaster, PA 10am FREE | Registration NOT Required

Grand Opening Weekend of the Stevens & Smith Center

Graphic advertising the Grand Opening Weekend of May 1-2, 2026 for the Stevens & Smith Center.It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the Grand Opening of the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy!

Join LancasterHistory for a weekend celebration, including a ribbon cutting, Grand Opening Gala, and a family-friendly community block party!

Check out each event and register today!

Dedication/Memorial Family-Friendly In-Person Event Opening Reception

May 1, 2026 The Stevens & Smith Center, 13-15 E. Vine Str., Lancaster