Blue Star Museums

Today is the official 2013 launch of Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 1,800 museums across America to offer free admission to all active duty military personnel and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2013. Sites on the Pennsylvania Trails of History® are among the participating museums and offer free admission to military families throughout the year. Leadership support has been provided by MetLife Foundation through Blue Star Families. The complete list of participating museums is available at www.arts.gov/bluestarmuseums.

It's the Weekend!

Another weekend is upon us. I hope you’ve had a great week and are looking for ways to make your weekend great too. The Trails of History are here for you. At this time of year, most sites are open, at least on the weekends, but you should always check to be sure. There are some special activities going on as well. (In case you missed it, we have a recap of our Volunteer of the Year awards here.)

Drake Well Museum
A 5K Trail Run is set for tomorrow (May 18) with proceeds going to support MEET-U, the museum’s mobile exhibit on energy. Registration opens at 7:30 am, with the run to start at 9 am. Go here for more info or call 814/827-2797 and ask for information on “MEET-U in 5.”

Ephrata Cloister
Sunday afternoon (May 19) the Ephrata Cloister Chorus will present their Spring Concert in the historic Meetinghouse (Saal). At 3 pm, Dr. Lucy Carroll will share some of her research on the history of music in this religious community, and the concert of early American music will begin at 4 pm. There will also be a small exhibit on the diet prescribed for singers by Ephrata’s leader Conrad Beissel. Admission on Sunday (which includes the regular historical offerings in addition to the concert) is: age 18-64, $10; age 65+, $9; age 6-17, $7; age 3-5, $6 (under 3 free). Members of the Ephrata Cloister Associates or the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation will receive a $2 discount.

Old Economy Village
Tomorrow (May 18) is Garden Mart from 10 am to 3 pm. Enjoy free admission to the historic gardens, visit plant and other gardening-related vendors from the area, and purchase plants from the OEV greenhouses.

Pennsbury Manor
At Pennsbury’s Sunday afternoon (May 19) programming, you can learn about dairying (specifically cheese making and cheese-related recipes) and beer brewing in the 17th century. Included in regular admission, 1-4 pm. (You’ll find a photo here of Pennsbury staff brewing 17th-century beer at last weekend’s Beerfest at Washington Crossing Historic Park (thanks to the Beerfest’s Facebook page for posting.)

Pennsylvania Military Museum
This Sunday (May 19) is the annual “Celebration of Service: Honoring Pennsylvania Veterans” sponsored by the Pennsylvania National Guard and presented on the grounds at the museum. You’ll find photos from last year’s event here. The ceremony starts at 12:30 pm (if you visit the museum you can also see a special exhibit on soldiers and their moms). Then, the middle of next week, the museum will be participating in CentreGives, a 36-hour online giving marathon. Donations will be partially matched (or “stretched”) by the Centre Foundation, and participating organizations will also be eligible for prizes. Go here anytime from May 22 at 6 am to May 23 at 6 pm to make a donation. Thanks!!

Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania
Pennsy Days, a salute to the Pennsylvania Railroad, started yesterday, but it’s not nearly over. Through Sunday, you’ll find speakers, model railroads, special tours, and other demos (included in regular admission). Go here for details. Be sure to check out the museum’s 2013 exhibit, “From Your Lens: Images of Contemporary Railroading,” featuring entries from a recent photography contest.

Somerset Historical Center
There’s a workshop on Heirloom Gardening tomorrow (May 18). Call 814/445-6077 to see if there’s still space; $20 fee includes materials ($15 for members).

Washington Crossing Historic Park
A Spring Cooking Demonstration on Sunday (May 19) explores seasonal cooking with 18th-century recipes, included in the regular site admission (site hours are 10 am to 4 pm).

Another Roundup

In an earlier post, we noted that the groundbreaking for the new visitor center at the Pennsylvania Lumber Museum was slated for April 22. You can see photos on the museum’s Facebook page here. We’ll try to keep you updated as the building project takes shape.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania’s Roundhouse project passed a milestone recently when approval of the design was received from the Strasburg Township Planning Commission. The new building will house historic locomotives from the Pennsylvania Railroad, providing for better preservation. You can find details on the museum’s website here. The museum also recently debuted a new photography exhibit, based on a contest open to the public. “From Your Lens: Images of Contemporary Railroading” will continue through December. And this just in, this weekend (May 11-12), in honor of National Train Day, you can purchase a ticket good for admission to the Railroad Museum of PA, the Choo Choo Barn, and the National Toy Train Museum, plus a coach train ride on the Strasburg Rail Road. Go here for details.

As part of “Perry 200,” the bicentennial of the Battle of Lake Erie, GoErie.com has a cool interactive where you can learn all kinds of things about the US Brig Niagara and the battle. You’ll find virtual tours of the ship, including below decks, with commentary by Capt. Wesley Heerssen plus lots of photos and Niagara’s sailing schedule and links to the ship and Erie Maritime Museum website. Go here to check it out.

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum’s Herb and Garden Faire runs today and tomorrow (go here for an old post about it or here for the event details). The authors of Living Crafts Historic Tools will be on hand to sign copies of this new book that looks at the history of hand crafts and how they became “collectible,” featuring artifacts in the museum’s collection. Also note that you have only about a month left to see “The Golden Age of an American Art Form: The Lancaster Long Rifle,” the museum’s award-winning exhibit closing June 10.

The National History Day in Pennsylvania contest was held last week and some of us from PHMC participated as judges over the two-day event. (The Pennsylvania House of Representatives passed a resolution designating May 4 National History Day in Pennsylvania.) It’s always heartening, to me, to see the interest and enthusiasm of so many students who have really dug into a topic and made it their own. They are our future visitors, supporters, and colleagues. The list of winning entries is here; first and second place awardees will advance to the national contest in June. Good luck to them and congratulations to all the students (and teachers and parents and resource people) who participated.

Saving the best of the best for last, we recently honored PHMC’s Volunteers of the Year at a ceremony at the State Museum in Harrisburg. It’s a really nice event and one that many of us look forward to as a chance to get together and celebrate the work that goes on every day on the Trails of History. You can find a group photo and a list of honorees here.