While We're Away

Learn about this art installation at The State Museum of Pennsylvania on Sunday (photo via SMOP calendar)

NOTE: Trailheads HQ has been on break this week. The info below was accurate (as far as we know) as of June 30, but it's a good idea to double check (especially weekend events) before heading to a site. Enjoy!

Up Next

Today, July 7

• Reading Railroad Days, Part 2 (in-person); Friday and Saturday, 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).

• 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).

Saturday, July 8

• Kids Day: Working Animals (in-person); 9 am-3 pm; PA Military Museum
• Learn how the military has used working animals throughout the centuries, from cats to carrier pigeons (Kids Day info).

• Mapping Mammal Hall (in-person); 10 am-Noon; The State Museum of PA
• Did you know that the dioramas in Mammal Hall are based on real locations in Pennsylvania? Locate each of these spots on the giant map of Pennsylvania and discover some interesting facts about our state mammals. Included in regular admission (Mammal Hall program info).

Sunday, July 9

• Living History Theater (in-person); 1-4 pm; Pennsbury Manor
• Join the townspeople of Philadelphia in the summer of 1700 as they discuss how to handle their newfound problem with pirates and rid themselves of these unwelcome intruders. Included in regular admission (Living History Theater info).

• Moving Art (in-person); 1:30-2:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Explore Continuum, a large-scale cast glass and stainless-steel kinetic sculpture by Robin Stanaway. The sculpture uses different elements working together to form a visual poem of Pennsylvania. Discover close-looking techniques and use your new knowledge and creativity to design your own movable work of art. Included in regular admission (Art program info).

Wednesday, July 12

• State Symbol: Firefly (in-person); 10-11 am; The State Museum of PA
• Pennsylvania is home to more than 15 species of fireflies and this nocturnal insect family was chosen as a state symbol to represent Pennsylvania in 1988. Learn more about this bioluminescent beetle, how it communicates and why it was selected as a state symbol. Included in regular admission (Firefly program info).

• Stargazing: Tonight's Sky (in-person); 2-3 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Join the Planetarium Director for a live chat exploring what you can see in the sky tonight. Learn about the basic motions of the sky, visible constellations and planets, and any special celestial events that are coming up in the next month. Admission and planetarium tickets must be purchased at least 5 minutes before showtime (Stargazing program info).

Thursday, July 13

• Giant Map of Pennsylvania (in-person); 10 am-Noon; The State Museum of PA
• Challenge your knowledge of the geography of Pennsylvania while exploring the giant map of the state. Included in regular admission (Giant Map of PA program info).

• 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 for ages 4 to 8, but all are welcome (Pennsbury Storytime info).

• Chemistry (in-person); 1:30-2:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• This family-friendly program offers and basic introduction to chemistry. Learn about the basic components of the matter around us, the elements and periodic table, and create your own compound to take home and play with. Included in regular admission, but space is limited. Sign up at the Ground Floor Info Desk when you arrive (Chemistry program info).

Friday, July 14

• Family Gallery Tour: Mammal Hall (in-person); 11:30 am-12:30 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Touch furs, hold antlers, view skulls and ask questions during a tour of Mammal Hall. Included in regular admission (Mammal Hall tour info).

• Chill and Build (in-person); 1-3 pm; The State Museum of PA
• Unwind with the family on a Friday afternoon. Choose the colors and shapes to make your own creation or follow the pattern on the design cards to make a tree, rocket and more using building blocks. Included in regular admission (Chill and Build program 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
• Light, sound, and crowd levels will be lower, and there will be some quiet spots in the galleries to take a break. Several historic trains will be open with staff on hand to answer questions. Advance tickets required (tickets for Aug. 8 Sensory Hours and tickets for Aug. 22 Sensory Hours).

• 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).

• Exploring the Armor (in-person); Saturday, Aug. 26, 2-4 pm; PA Military Museum
• Take a private history tour of the outside tracked vehicles and discuss the history of armored vehicles with a preeminent local historian. Limited space, reservations are required. $15.00 or $5.00 with annual Museum membership. Please note that we will not be accessing the inside of the tracked vehicles, but we will walk outside on the grounds, so please dress for the weather with appropriate footwear (Exploring the Armor registration).

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 13, 20 & 27, 9 am-4 pm

• Joseph Priestley House (Priestley House camp info)
• Summer History Camp (grades 1-6), July 26-28, 9 am-Noon

• 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

• Pennsbury Manor (Pennsbury camp info)
• Colonial Camp Week (ages 6-8), July 17-21, 9 am-4 pm

• PA Lumber Museum (Lumber Museum camp info)
• History Camp (ages 10-18), August 4-5, 9 am-2 pm