Moving On to July

Posted by Amy Killpatrick Fox on Friday, June 30, 2023
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Moving On to July
Crowd sits on a hillside watching two people try to knock each other off a log during the greased pole contest. The Visitor Center of the PA Lumber Museum is behind the men on the log.
Enjoy traditional "woodhick" activities, crafts, food, music, and more this weekend at the Bark Peelers' Festival (photo via PA Lumber Museum Facebook page)


Most Trails of History sites will be closed Tuesday, July 4, for Independence Day. Please see below for several sites that will be open with special programming. This weekend, you can take part in the July 4 traditions of the lumber region with the PA Lumber Museum's Bark Peelers' Festival (see photo above). And if you can't visit your favorite site in person, check out our great collection of PA History 2 Go videos, a series of virtual tours and presentations highlighting the history and activities of the Trails of History sites.

Up Next

Today, June 30

  • Reading Railroad Days, Part 1 (in-person); Today thru July 2, 10 am-4 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
    • Event highlights the historic Reading Railroad with an enormous, detailed HO scale model train layout of the Reading Railroad, operated by members of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Visitors also may view historic Reading Company equipment from the Museum’s premier collection. Included in regular admission (Reading Railroad Days info).
  • Scotty Trailer (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
    • Discover the story of Pennsylvania’s Scotty Trailer and how it revolutionized camping. Discover the places that you could have traveled to when the Scotty was introduced. Create your own Pennsylvania travel map. Included in regular admission (Scotty Trailer program info).

Saturday, July 1

  • Bark Peelers' Festival (in-person); Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-5 pm; PA Lumber Museum
    • Lively special events, contests, and demonstrations all celebrating “wood hick” skills. Unique food and craft vendors, live music, games at the kid’s corner, operation of our sawmill and birch still, blacksmithing, and chainsaw carving. Visitors are encouraged to compete in the greased pole, log rolling, crosscut saw, and birling competitions to earn the title “Grand Champion Bark-peeler” and the associated cash prizes. New this year: PLM's first Beard & Mustache Competition. Admission charged (Bark Peelers' Festival info).
  • Camp Life (in-person); 10 am-noon and 1-3 pm; The State Museum of PA
    • Explore objects that fed and protected Civil War soldiers at camp. Interact with items that occupied and entertained the troops. Create your own legend versus fact game. Included in regular admission (Civil War Camp Life program info).

Sunday, July 2

  • Historic Trades (in-person); 1-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
    • Blacksmiths, joyners, and spinners will be eager to talk to you about their work and its importance to life at Pennsbury. Included in regular admission (Historic Trades program info).

Tuesday, July 4

  • Independence Day (in-person); 11 am-3 pm; Daniel Boone Homestead
    • Learn about the different kinds of troops who fought for America’s freedom during the Revolutionary War including the Continentals, Dragoons, and Riflemen. Guided Boone House tours will be offered regularly throughout the day, as well as blacksmithing and gun building demonstrations. There will also be plenty of activities for children, including a muster activity, colonial toys and games, and crafts. Admission fee charged. Munchiez Food Truck and Cherry On Top ice cream truck will be on site (Boone Homestead Independence Day info).
  • Independence Day (in-person); 11:30 am-2:30 pm; Graeme Park
    • A celebration spanning several centuries: volunteers in colonial-era dress will reenact the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the Tapestry Historic Dance Ensemble will present dances popular in the late 19th-century when Independence Day became a federal holiday. There will be a free ice cream social and visitors are invited to try writing with a quill pen. And there will be tours of the Keith House. Donations welcome (Graeme Park Independence Day info).
  • Fourth at the Fort (in-person); Noon-4 pm; Fort Pitt Museum
    • This free event features living history demos, cannon firing, and 18th-century military music in Point State Park. Regular admission rates apply to visit the museum and its exhibits (Fourth at the Fort program info).

Wednesday, July 5

  • Reading Railroad Days, Part 2 (in-person); Today thru July 8, 10 am-4 pm; Railroad Museum of PA
    • Event highlights the historic Reading Railroad with an enormous, detailed HO scale model train layout of the Reading Railroad, operated by members of the Reading Company Technical & Historical Society. Visitors also may view historic Reading Company equipment from the Museum’s premier collection. Included in regular admission (Reading Railroad Days info).
  • Restoring Mammal Hall (in-person); 11:30 am and 1:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
    • Tour the exhibit that explores the science and art behind the 3-year project that restored Mammal Hall's dioramas. Included in regular admission (Restoring Mammal Hall program info).

Thursday, July 6

  • Storytime in the Garden (in-person); 10-11 am; Pennsbury Manor
    • Enjoy a story in the garden and then explore the grounds of Pennsbury Manor. Cost is a $3 grounds pass (additional fee to tour the Manor House). Suggested ages 4 to 8, but all are welcome (Pennsbury Storytime info).
  • Memory and Logic (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
    • Join us in Nature Lab (3rd floor) to explore how people think and remember information. Test your memory and logic through a series of challenging games and puzzles. Included in regular admission, but space is limited, so it's first come, first served (Memory & Logic program info).

Friday, July 7

  • StoryTime (in-person); 10:30-11:30 am; The State Museum of PA
    • Hear a reading of Birds by Kevin Henkes, learn about the many colors of birds, and paint with bird feathers. For ages 2 to Pre-K and included in regular admission. Sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk when you arrive (State Museum StoryTime info).
  • Travel by Land, Air, and Water (in-person); 1:30-2:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
    • Discover how the Scotty Trailer, Piper Cub and the Cowell Runabout changed recreational travel in Pennsylvania and beyond. Choose an adventure and create a travel itinerary and discover the items you would need along the way. Included in regular admission (Travel program info).
  • First Fridays (in-person); 5:30-8:30 pm; Somerset Historical Center
    • Enjoy an evening of music, family games, tractor rides, and food trucks. Some covered seating is provided, but feel free to bring lawn chairs and picnic blankets. Parking is $5 per car, but there is no admission fee (July First Fridays info).

Advance Tickets or Registrations

  • Acting Workshop (in-person); Saturday, July 15, 2-4 pm; Joseph Priestley House
    • Laurie McCants, co-founder of the Bloomsburg Theater Ensemble, will lead a two-part workshop for students age 8 to 12. Actors will choose a historical figure, research their life, write a script, and reenact them. Second session takes place July 22 (Acting Workshop info and registration).
  • Garden Workshop Series (in-person); Tuesday, July 25, 10-11 am; Pennsbury Manor
    • Today's workshop is about preserving produce. Geared for ages 12 and up. Registration required - $35 for non-members, $30 for members. Call 215/946-0400 (July Garden Workshop info).
  • Sensory Hours (in-person); Tuesday, Aug. 8, 3-5 pm, and Tuesday, Aug. 22, 9-11 am; Railroad Museum of PA
  • The Colemans and Martic Forge (hybrid); Tuesday, Aug. 8, 7-8 pm; Cornwall Iron Furnace
    • Jim Polczynski will present a program centered on the ownership of Martic Forge by three generations of the Coleman family (who also owned Cornwall Iron Furnace). You can attend the program in person at Freeman Hall, Cornwall Manor Retirement Community or virtually via Zoom (Martic Forge lecture info and registration).
  • The "Dead" of Summer (in-person); Saturday, Aug. 19, 7-9 pm; Graeme Park
    • Experience a reenactment of an early 20th-century seance focused on the period when many had lost loved ones to the 1918 flu pandemic or World War I and were susceptible to this form of entertainment. Tickets are limited and will be available online (Dead of Summer info and tickets).

Summer Camp Programs (camps are in-person unless marked otherwise)

  • Brandywine Battlefield Park (Brandywine camp info)
    • Step Into the Past Week (grades 3-4), July 11-14, 9 am-2 pm
    • Live the Battle Week (grades 5-6), July 18-21, 9 am-2 pm
    • Step Into the Past Week (grades 5-6), July 25-28, 9 am-2 pm
  • Drake Well Museum & Park (Drake Well camp info)
    • Discovery Days Camp (ages 8-12), July 6, 13, 20 & 27, 9 am-4 pm
  • Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum (LVVFM camp info)
    • A Child's Life in the Civil War (ages 5-11), July 18-21, 9 am-12:30 pm
  • Old Economy Village (OEV camp info)
    • July 17-21, Summer History Camp (ages 6-12), 9 am-Noon, and Summer Art Camp (ages 6-12), 12:30-3:30 pm
    • July 24-28, Summer Art Camp (ages 6-12), 9 am-Noon, and Summer History Camp (ages 6-12), 12:30-3:30 pm

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