Groundhogs Can't Agree

Snowdrops blooming at Old Economy Village in February (photo via OEV Facebook page)

Well, Punxsutawney Phil says we have six more weeks of winter. It hardly comes as a surprise, since it's early February in Pennsylvania, and it's likely our harshest winter weather lies ahead of us. And yet, you can also find snowdrops blooming (thanks to Old Economy's museum educator, David Miller, for another great photo). So, even though this weekend is supposed to be cooooooold, we can dream of spring. After all, Lancaster County's groundhogs say spring is coming. However you spend the week ahead, I hope it's happy and warm. If you want to learn more about the Pennsylvania German groundhog (or whistle pig) traditions, try VisitPA.org or, if you want a little science too, this piece on NPR's Morning Edition.

Up Next

Today, February 3

• StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA
• Hear a reading of Over and Under in the Snow by Kate Messner to discover what is happening under the snow and create a winter landscape. For ages 2 to pre-K and included in regular admission. Sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk when you arrive (StoryTime info).

Saturday, February 4

• PA Geography with the Giant Map (in-person); 10 am-Noon; The State Museum of PA
• Discover the giant map of Pennsylvania as we walk across the state. Test your geography skills playing a game. Included in regular admission (PA Geography program info).

Tuesday, February 7

• Sensory Hours (in-person); 3-5 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• Noise, light, and crowd levels will be lower, and there will be quiet spaces for breaks. Several historic trains will be open with staff on hand to answer questions. Advance tickets required (Feb. 7 Sensory Hours).

Wednesday, February 8

• Homeschool Program (in-person); 10-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA
• Today's session is "PA's Land and People" and features a presentation on T.M. Fowler's panoramic views of various cities and towns (created 1870-1920), a visit to the Giant Map of PA, and a chance to create your own passport to travel the state. Tickets are $10; deadline to register is Feb. 7 (Feb. Homeschool Program info and registration).

• Train Tour: Mad for Consolidations (virtual); 7-8:30 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• This is a virtual tour of 3 PRR H-Class locomotives, No. 1187, No. 2846, and No. 7688. Advance tickets are required; admission is by donation (Mad for Consolidations tickets).

Thursday, February 9

• Winter History Class (in-person & virtual); 9 am-noon; Ephrata Cloister
• This course runs every Thursday through March 30. Today's session is "High German in 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania" and "High German in Early Ephrata Texts" with Mark Louden, University of Wisconsin - Madison. If you have not already signed up for the full series, you can attend single sessions via Zoom only (Winter History Class registration options).

• Winter Academy (virtual); 6:30-7:30 pm; Drake Well Museum & Park
• Photographer and retired biology teacher Jeffrey Hall will present a virtual program, "Birds of Venango County," sharing facts and stories about the birds we all know, highlighting some of the birds that are "specialties" of Venango County, and introducing some of the rare birds that visit the county only occasionally (Winter Academy 2/9 info and registration).

Friday, February 10

• Family Gallery Tour: Paleontology (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• This family-friendly tour looks at life through time in Pennsylvania. Join Museum Educators to get hands-on with fossils of the plants and animals that roamed Earth during the Carboniferous Period to the present including dinosaurs and mastodons. Included in regular admission (Paleontology tour info).

• Artists Conversation (virtual); 12:15-12:45 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Join fine arts curator Amy Hammond as she talks with artist Matthew Cote about his work "Full Circle," recipient of the Art of the State 2022 Purchase Award. The program will be presented via Zoom; please register to receive the link (Artists Conversation info and registration).

Advance Tickets or Registrations

• Virtual Programs; Railroad Museum of PA
• Tuesday, Feb. 14, 10-10:30 am - Simple Machines and the Railroad (Grades K-6)
• Tuesday, Feb. 28, 10-10:30 am - Train Tour: The H6SB (Grades K-6)

• Learn at Lunchtime (virtual); Friday, Feb. 17, 12:15-12:45 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Brant Portner, environmental education specialist with the PA Game Commission, will talk about the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area, a popular spot for birds and bird watchers. The program is free and will be offered via Zoom; please register to receive the link (Learn at Lunchtime info and registration).

• The Dead of Winter (in-person); Saturday, Feb. 18, 5:30 and 7 pm; Graeme Park
• This program reenacts an early 20th-century seance and explores this popular form of spiritualism/entertainment. Programs at 5:30 and 7 pm, each limited to 20 people. Light refreshments will be served. In case of bad weather, program will be held Feb. 25. Advance tickets ($20) only (Dead of Winter info and tickets).

• Sensory Hours (in-person); Tuesday, Feb. 21, 9-11 am; Railroad Museum of PA
• Noise, light, and crowd levels will be lower, and there will be quiet spaces for breaks. Several historic trains will be open with staff on hand to answer questions. Advance tickets required (Feb. 21 Sensory Hours).

• The Harmonist Connection: Gardens (virtual); Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7-8 pm; Old Economy Village
• The latest in a series of virtual programs sponsored by Harmony Society sites in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Tonight, Kent Schuette from Historic New Harmony (IN) and Joe Pulgini from Old Economy Village will talk about the work both carry out to maintain modern gardens that draw on the traditions of the Harmonists. Free and offered via Zoom (Harmonist Connection info and registration).

• Revolutionary Speaker Series (in-person); Noon-2 pm; Brandywine Battlefield Park
• Wade Catts, president of South River Heritage Consulting, LLC, will present "Archaeology and the Preservation of Sites of America's War for Independence, with special focus on new studies of the Brandywine Battlefield (Rev Speaker Series info).

• Rails & Ales 2023 (in-person); Saturday, April 1, 5:30-9 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
• Taste craft beers among the museum's world-class collection of historic trains in Rolling Stock Hall. Must be age 21 or older to attend; photo ID required at the door. Advance tickets only; VIP tickets tend to sell out quickly (ticket options, including designated driver tickets).

• Colonial Camp Week (in-person); Monday-Friday, July 17-21, 9 am-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
• Campers 6 to 8 years old will spend the week exploring the entire site with a talented team of living history experts. Sessions run 9 am-4 pm each day; before- and after-care are available for an additional fee (registration info).