Events: Family-Friendly

Storytime [May 2, 2024]

Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature this May during Storytime! Each week, we’ll read aloud from a book centered on a historical or environmental topic, and then lead a craft or activity. This May, we’ll explore gardening, growing, and other springtime themes!

Colorful book cover with a leaf border and three children walking.
Credit: Scholastic

On May 2, we’ll read We’re Going on a Nature Hunt by Steve Metzger (illustrated by Miki Sakamoto).

When three friends take off on a lovely spring morning, they have no idea where the day will lead them. Together, they explore the beauty nature has to offer. And together, they have fun everywhere they go off on an adventure, or right here at home! – Scholastic

Storytime is free, and registration is required to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Storytime is designed for young readers, ages 2-6, but older and younger siblings or friends are welcome to attend. Register for all Storytime programs or individual programs online or over the phone by calling (717) 392-4633.

Storytime will take place outdoors unless it rains, in which case it will be moved indoors. All attendees should abide by LancasterHistory’s Heath & Safety Protocols for Visitors. We kindly ask that at least one (1) adult 18 years or older attend for every household.

Children's Program Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor

May 2, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster 10 - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Spring Seasonal Gathering Tour

Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum for their Spring Seasonal Gathering Tour on Saturday, May 4 at 10am. Horticulturist Jeffrey (Jeff) Hazlett will lead attendees on a walking tour through the Arboretum for a glimpse at what’s new, blooming, or to come with the approach of warmer, sunnier months. In particular, attendees will learn about the many flowering trees on the grounds, the pollinator gardens, and the two recognized Pennsylvania Champion Trees that call the Arboretum home!

Jeff Hazlett
Presenter Jeff Hazlett

Jeff Hazlett is the current Vice President of the Board of the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum and past president of the organization. He studied horticulture at Penn State University and is currently the president of Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care in Lancaster, PA. Jeff is a nature lover and an active volunteer for the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum and LancasterHistory.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Spring Seasonal Gathering Tour,” will take place on Saturday, May 4, 2024 at 10am at LancasterHistory. Tickets are $5/Adult (18+) and $3/Child. Friends of the Tanger Arboretum members receive complimentary admission, but should still register for the program. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets recommended as the program has limited capacity. The tour will last approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. If you would like to attend but have questions or concerns about the accessibility of the walking route, please contact Emily Miller at (717) 392-4633, ext. 133 or emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org for more information.

The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum is a member of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program. AHS Reciprocal Admission Program members may register for tickets in advance and must show a valid membership card upon checking in. AHS Members should contact Emily Miller, emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org, with any questions or to register for tickets in advance.


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.

Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor Tour

May 4, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10am $5/Adults (18+) | $3/Children | FREE for Friends of the Tanger Arboretum Members

County Founding Day Open House

Celebrate Lancaster County’s 295th Birthday on the Campus of History!

An illustration of a cat wearing a toga next to text "County Founding Day."
LancasterHistory’s History Explorer’s program mascot, Harpo, dressed as Lady Justice.

On May 10, 1729, Governor Patrick Gordon granted a county charter to local citizens to create what would become Lancaster County. Join us on May 9 from 5-8pm (technically County Founding Day Eve!) as we celebrate 295 years of Lancaster County with extended museum hours and special tours of our major exhibit, Thieves & Vagabonds, which tells the story of the county’s origins and the complex history of law and justice in our community.

Open House activities include:

  • Curator’s Tours of Thieves & Vagabonds: A History of Law and Justice in Lancaster County, LancasterHistory’s latest major exhibition at 5:30 and 7pm;
  • “1729: The Year Lancaster Went Legit,” an illustrated presentation of Lancaster County’s geography by Ben Webber, Manheim Township Historical Society President, around 6pm;
  • Uncharted Lancaster Scavenger Hunt for the Campus of History, an activity for all ages;
  • Debut of “Harpo’s History Explorer’s Activity Sheet: Thieves & Vagabonds Edition,” an activity for kids based on the Thieves & Vagabonds exhibition; and
  • Birthday cake cutting around 6:30pm! Happy Birthday, Lancaster County!

Tickets for County Founding Day Open House are $10/Adults (18+), $8/Seniors (65+), $5 (Students 11-17 or with College ID), and free for children 10 and under. LancasterHistory Members receive complimentary admission!

Please register for tickets to the County Founding Day Open House online or by calling 717.392.4633. Registration is required so we have enough activities and cake for all!

PURCHASE TICKETS

Open House Family-Friendly In-Person Event

May 9, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA 5-8pm $10 - FREE

Storytime [May 9, 2024]

Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature this May during Storytime! Each week, we’ll read aloud from a book centered on a historical or environmental topic, and then lead a craft or activity. This May, we’ll explore gardening, growing, and other springtime themes!

Book cover with a man in a work apron and a farm field in the background
Credit: MacMillan Publishers

On May 9, we’ll read John Deere, That’s Who! by Tracy Nelson Maurer (illustrated by Tim Zeltner).

Back in the 1830s, who was a young blacksmith from Vermont, about to make his mark on American history? John Deere, that’s who! Who moved to Illinois, where farmers were struggling to plow through the thick, rich soil they called gumbo? Who tinkered and tweaked and tested until he invented a steel plow that sliced into the prairie easy as you please? Long before the first tractor, who changed farming forever? John Deere, that’s who! Beautiful illustrations—including spectacular landscapes—reflect the time period and bring John Deere’s remarkable story to life.MacMillan Publishers

Storytime is free, and registration is required to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Storytime is designed for young readers, ages 2-6, but older and younger siblings or friends are welcome to attend. Register for all Storytime programs or individual programs online or over the phone by calling (717) 392-4633.

Storytime will take place outdoors unless it rains, in which case it will be moved indoors. All attendees should abide by LancasterHistory’s Heath & Safety Protocols for Visitors. We kindly ask that at least one (1) adult 18 years or older attend for every household.

Children's Program Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor

May 9, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster 10 - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Nature Series: Native Plants of Hidden Valley

A graphic with a color photograph of an adult woman with light skin and curly black hair. She holds a vase with plants and a Luna moth.Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum on Saturday, May 11 at 10am for “Native Plants of Hidden Valley!” Presenter Lydia Martin, a local ecological design consultant, will explore her favorite native plants and how they aid the natural landscape and provide many benefits to wildlife at Hidden Valley, her 10-acre property in southern Lancaster County. Leave inspired to incorporate more native plants in your own green spaces and support the local plants in your ecological community!

Lydia Martin is an ecological design consultant who teaches private and public landowners how to restore and manage their properties for the benefit of people and wildlife. Lydia is also the Director of Community Engagement for Let’s Go 123, a local non-profit committed to bringing urban youth and families together through outdoor and nature-based activities. For more than 15 years she’s pursued her love of conservation and is passionate about promoting access, education, and advocacy to Lancaster’s diverse community about trails, green space, native plant restoration, and waterways in central Pennsylvania. Lydia manages 10 acres of woodlands, wetlands, ponds, and meadow habitats at “Hidden Valley” with her family in southern Lancaster County.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Native Plants of Hidden Valley,” will take place on Saturday, May 11 at 10am at LancasterHistory. Tickets are $5/Adult (18+) and $3/Child. Friends of the Tanger Arboretum members receive complimentary admission, but should still register for the program. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets recommended as the program has limited capacity.

The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum is a member of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program. AHS Reciprocal Admission Program members may register for tickets in advance and must show a valid membership card upon checking in. AHS Members should contact Emily Miller, emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org, with any questions or to register for tickets in advance.


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.

Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Program

May 11, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave, Lancaster 10am $5/Adults | $3/Children (17 & Under) | FREE Friends of Tanger Arboretum Members

Stevens & Smith Center Ceremonial Groundbreaking

A vibrant contemporary photo of historic brick buildings along a road.
The Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy on the corner of South Queen and Vine Streets in Lancaster City.

Join LancasterHistory for a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Thaddeus Stevens & Lydia Hamilton Smith Center for History and Democracy on Monday, May 13, 2024! The event will begin at 9am in Commons on Vine in the Lancaster County Convention Center with coffee and pastries, followed by remarks from local dignitaries. After remarks, the public is invited to tour the Stevens & Smith Center for behind-the-scenes looks at the space before construction officially begins.

This event is free and open to the public, but requires registration and space is limited.

Register Online for the Groundbreaking

Registrations may also be made over the phone by calling 717.392.4633.

Parking for the event is available at local garages for a fee, including the Penn Square Garage at 28 S. Duke Street.

This event has also been cross-posted to stevensandsmithcenter.org.

Open House Dedication/Memorial Family-Friendly In-Person Event Off-Site Event Tour Reception

May 13, 2024 Commons on Vine, Lancaster County Convention Center 9am - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Storytime [May 16, 2024]

Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature this May during Storytime! Each week, we’ll read aloud from a book centered on a historical or environmental topic, and then lead a craft or activity. This May, we’ll explore gardening, growing, and other springtime themes!

Illustration of a blue sky and large white clouds with a boy and a dog. The boy is pulling a wagon with bird seed, flowers, and small critters.
Credit: MacMillan Publishers

On May 16, we’ll read And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano (illustrated by Erin E. Stead).

Following a snow-filled winter, a young boy and his dog decide that they’ve had enough of all that brown and resolve to plant a garden. They dig, they plant, they play, they wait . . . and wait . . . until at last, the brown becomes a more hopeful shade of brown, a sign that spring may finally be on its way.MacMillan Publishers

Storytime is free, and registration is required to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Storytime is designed for young readers, ages 2-6, but older and younger siblings or friends are welcome to attend. Register for all Storytime programs or individual programs online or over the phone by calling (717) 392-4633.

Storytime will take place outdoors unless it rains, in which case it will be moved indoors. All attendees should abide by LancasterHistory’s Heath & Safety Protocols for Visitors. We kindly ask that at least one (1) adult 18 years or older attend for every household.

Children's Program Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor

May 16, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster 10 - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Storytime [May 23, 2024]

Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature this May during Storytime! Each week, we’ll read aloud from a book centered on a historical or environmental topic, and then lead a craft or activity. This May, we’ll explore gardening, growing, and other springtime themes!

A colorful cover featuring a large, cartoonish monarch butterfly.
Credit: Scholastic

On May 23, we’ll read Senorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer (illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero).

At the end of each summer, monarch butterflies leave Canada to fly south to Mexico for the winter—and now, readers can come along for the ride! Rhyming text and lively illustrations showcase the epic trip taken by these international travelers—over mountains capped with snow to the deserts down below. Children will be delighted to share in the fascinating journey of the monarch butterflies while being introduced to the people and places they pass.Scholastic Book Club

Storytime is free, and registration is required to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Storytime is designed for young readers, ages 2-6, but older and younger siblings or friends are welcome to attend. Register for all Storytime programs or individual programs online or over the phone by calling (717) 392-4633.

Storytime will take place outdoors unless it rains, in which case it will be moved indoors. All attendees should abide by LancasterHistory’s Heath & Safety Protocols for Visitors. We kindly ask that at least one (1) adult 18 years or older attend for every household.

Children's Program Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor

May 23, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster 10 - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Storytime [May 30, 2024]

Enjoy the sights and sounds of nature this May during Storytime! Each week, we’ll read aloud from a book centered on a historical or environmental topic, and then lead a craft or activity. This May, we’ll explore gardening, growing, and other springtime themes!

A colorful, hand drawn cover of rain boots next to a downspout of a house, flowing with water.
Credit: Amazon

On May 30, we’ll read Let’s Build a Rain Garden, written and illustrated by Sally Wenczel.

Let’s Build a Rain Garden leads children into Great Lakes Region ecology through verse. They’ll get a close up look at the fun creatures and native plants that thrive inside a rain garden, while learning the more high-level terms STORMWATER and WATERSHED. The book is written for children, however adults will also enjoy taking notes on the basic steps for building a rain garden. Be a part of the solution to stop the pollution. It all begins with YOU! -Amazon

Storytime is free, and registration is required to ensure we have craft supplies for everyone. Storytime is designed for young readers, ages 2-6, but older and younger siblings or friends are welcome to attend. Register for all Storytime programs or individual programs online or over the phone by calling (717) 392-4633.

Storytime will take place outdoors unless it rains, in which case it will be moved indoors. All attendees should abide by LancasterHistory’s Heath & Safety Protocols for Visitors. We kindly ask that at least one (1) adult 18 years or older attend for every household.

Children's Program Family-Friendly In-Person Event Outdoor

May 30, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N President Avenue, Lancaster 10 - 11am FREE | Registration Required

Nature Series: The Ecology & Management of the Eastern Bluebird

A graphic with a color photograph of a man with light skin tending to a bird house on a golf course.
Dr. Dean Rust maintenances a bluebird box on a golf course.

Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum on Saturday, June 15 at 10am for “The Ecology & Management of the Eastern Bluebird.” Presenter Dr. Dean Rust, President of the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania, will discuss how to be a great caretaker of your backyard Bluebirds. Attendees will learn the ins and outs of installing nest boxes and monitoring their backyard Bluebirds, as well as learn about the life cycle of Bluebirds from nest building to fledgling.

Dr. Dean Rust is the current President of the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania, a position he’s held since 2012. He stewards 22 Bluebird trails, personally monitors over 450 Bluebird nest boxes, and fledges over 1,000 Bluebirds each summer. Rust is also the author of The Beloved and Charismatic Bluebird, a “hands-on” guide to Bluebirds, providing practical knowledge and proven techniques to advance the skill of the backyard Bluebirder. He maintains the website bluebirdconservation.com. Rust moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1972 and practiced general dentistry until his retirement in 2005. He also served as an umpire for high school and collegiate field hockey in the Lancaster area for 20 years.

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “The Ecology & Management of the Eastern Bluebird,” will take place on Saturday, June 15 at 10am at LancasterHistory. Tickets are $5/Adult (18+) and $3/Child. Friends of the Tanger Arboretum members receive complimentary admission, but should still register for the program. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets recommended as the program has limited capacity.

The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum is a member of the American Horticultural Society Reciprocal Admission Program. AHS Reciprocal Admission Program members may register for tickets in advance and must show a valid membership card upon checking in. AHS Members should contact Emily Miller, emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org, with any questions or to register for tickets in advance.


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.

Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Program

June 15, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave, Lancaster 10am $5/Adults | $3/Children (17 & Under) | FREE Friends of Tanger Arboretum Members