Catching Up with October

Please be sure to check the PHMC Events Calendar for information on upcoming programs (in-person and virtual). I've included highlights for the coming week below. The Trailheads Rec Room pages to the right of your screen offer an array of online content generated by Trails of History sites. Also, if you're looking for a Covid vaccine provider, check out Vaccines.gov and enter your zip code.

Please note that staff and volunteers at Commonwealth of PA worksites, including the PA Trails of History, are wearing masks while indoors. Visitors are encouraged, though not required, to do so as well.

Join us on Oct. 26 (details below) to learn about the Roberts Torpedo (like the one used on this oil well), chainsaws, boarding axes, train couplers, machine guns, and sawmills (photo courtesy Drake Well Museum)

Trailheads HQ has been on a little break this week. Please be sure to check ahead to make sure there's been no change of plans, especially for this weekend's events (I'll catch up in the coming week). Thank you!

Upcoming Events (virtual and in-person)

Today, October 22

• Learn at Lunchtime (virtual): tune in for a variety of perspectives on special exhibits, programs, and initiatives, The State Museum of PA, 12:15-12:45 pm (L@L info)
• Haunted Lantern Tours (in-person): your guide will take you through shadowy rooms and halls of the Keith House and relate tales of the past, Graeme Park, 7-10:30 pm, tickets must be purchased in advance, this program also offered on Oct. 29 (Lantern Tour info and Oct. 22 ticket link)

Saturday, October 23

• Trains & Treats (in-person): visit historic locomotives, railroad cars and interactive exhibits and pick up treats along the way, Railroad Museum of PA, 10:30 am-3 pm, geared to kids age 3-12 and included in regular admission (Trains & Treats details)
• Historical Halloween (in-person): trick-or-treating long lantern-lit pathways and other family-friendly activities, Somerset Historical Center, 5-8 pm (Historical Halloween details)
• Spooky Lantern Tours (in-person): guides will take groups on an after-dark tour of the museum grounds with trick-or-treating and other activities, Pennsylvania Lumber Museum, 6:30-8:30 pm (Spooky Lantern Tours details)

Sunday, October 24

• Last Sunday Sewing Circle (in-person): bring sewing projects and hang out in the company of other needle arts enthusisasts, today's event is an exception to the usual last Sunday of the month schedule, Bushy Run Battlefield, 1-4 pm (Sewing Circle details)
• Beer Brewing & Garden Highlights (in-person): explore the recipes and plants that kept Pennsbury's early residents fed, Pennsbury Manor, 1-4 pm, included in regular admission (BB&GH details)

Tuesday, October 26

• PHMC Virtual Collections Showcase (virtual): this month's Halloween-adjacent theme is Most Dangerous Object, hosted by Railroad Museum of PA, 7-8 pm (Showcase info and registration)
• UPDATE: The Harmonist Connection (virtual): as part of an ongoing collaboration among Old Economy Village, Historic Harmony, and New Harmony this program will focus on Harmonist cemeteries and burial practices, 7-8 pm (Harmonist Connection info and registration)

Wednesday, October 27

• Explore! (in-person): learn about the rocks that make up Pennsylvania, The State Museum of PA, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, for kids in grades 3-5 and included in regular admission (Explore! info)

Thursday, October 28

• Curiosity Kids (in-person): discover the Giant Map of Pennsylvania and use your mapping skills during a scavenger hunt, The State Museum of PA, 11:30 am-12:30 pm, for kids in grades K-2 and included in regular admission, space is limited so sign up at the Ground Floor Information Desk when you arrive (Curiosity Kids info)