5 things you may have missed this week on the Trails of History

With so many holiday programs going on (not to mention the rest of life), you can't possibly have been to all the events on the Trails of History this past couple of weeks. Happily, thanks to social media, many sites have shared photos. And yes, what follows is very likely more than 5 things you may have missed. Be sure to check the December program page for upcoming events.

Top: Capt. Jim Bloom, US Navy (Ret.) speaks during Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Tribute
Bottom: The Pennsy Guns, PA Military Museum (photos by Chuck Smith)

This first item is a somber one, but I didn't want to let it get lost amidst the more cheerful stuff. On Monday, Dec. 7, the Pennsylvania Military Museum hosted their annual Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day Tribute. The event took place beneath two 14-inch guns from the USS Pennsylvania, which was at Pearl Harbor and sustained damage during the attack. PCN-tv was on hand to record the event, but I wasn't able to find the footage just yet. News coverage was also provided by the Daily Collegian and the Centre Daily Times, and site staff provided the photos above.

The Surveyor's Office, Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum, via Facebook

Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is always busy during the holiday season, with Belsnickel events, Christmas Country Village (which continues Dec. 12-13), and the annual community bonfire. The photo above shows the Surveyor's Office decorated by staff and volunteers from the Heirloom Seed Project. You can find more photos of Christmas Country Village on Landis Valley's Facebook page and check out photos of the site posted by photographer Jennifer MacNeill.

Site volunteers will be providing a make and take craft this evening (Dec. 11) for families taking part in the Ephrata Merchants' Association Jingle Bell Trolley Tour, which departs from the Ephrata Cloister parking lot. Sounds like a nice community cooperation effort. Also, there are (at least as of Dec. 10) still tickets available for Christmas at the Cloister, Dec. 14 and 15. It's a lovely program filled with music.

So I mentioned that lots of sites have shared photos from their holiday programs on social media. The potentially yummy photo above shows pedahoh (or perogies) being made for Somerset Historical Center's Ethnic Christmas Traditions program last weekend, which included food from Italian, Polish, Slovak, and German traditions (there was cultural info as well, but you know I always focus on the food). You can also find photos from Christmas at Eckley [Miners' Village], Christmas at Hope Lodge, and Pennsbury Manor's Holly Nights.

On Dec. 9, the Railroad Museum's Catcher the Cow, Anthracite Heritage Museum's coal mine mule, and the State Museum's firefly and Big Chick all hung out on Twitter and Facebook for #MuseumMascotDay.