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Out and About in Lebanon: Picnics, flowers and good music found around the valley


"Hot time, summer in the city"....with a nod to the Lovin' Spoonful....there's plenty of good music shimmering off the sidewalks and hangin' in the atmosphere this week. Whether you like pop, country, blue grass or hard rock, you've got places to go and things to do.

7 p.m. tonight >> The Lebanon Valley Civil War Roundtable will be meeting in Fredericksburg, directly behind the post office, with discussion on "Berdans' Sharp Shooters," by Marcus Riddell. The gathering is free and open to the public, for anyone interested in the Civil War or becoming a re-enactor. For more information, contact Dennis Shirk at (717) 933-4294.

10 a.m. Friday >> Tickets are on sale for now for "Marvel Universe: LIVE!," an epic show that will be coming to the Giant Center on Nov. 28, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., and on Nov. 29, at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. The show combines special effects with aerial stunts, martial arts, and more. Tickets range from $20 to $90 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com, at the Giant Center Box Office and at www.marveluniverselive.com.

2 p.m. Friday >> The Palmyra Garden Club Flower Show will be held in the community room of the Finkenbinder-Rothermel Funeral Home, 25 West Pine and Railroad streets, Palmyra. The design theme will be "Nursery Rhymes." The show is free and open to the public until 7 p.m.

4:30 p.m., Friday >> A "Summer Picnic and Charity Drive," hosted by the Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce, will be held at Ironwood Community Park, 14th Avenue, Lebanon. The event will last until 9:30 p.m. This is a fun-for-the-whole-family event, with everything from a "Sasquatch race" to a pie-eating contest. For more information, contact Nicole at 273-3727 or Angela at 673-0449.

7 p.m. Friday >> A Frank Sinatra Tribute concert will be performed by Michael Minor in Unity Church, 37 East Main St., Palmyra. For tickets or information, call (717) 838-7808. Tickets may be purchased at the door.

7 p.m. Friday >> The amazing Sterling Koch will be at Legends Cafe, 9 South Ninth St., working his magic on the sliding guitar, playing blues and rock and roll. He'll be playing until 9 p.m. For more information, call 273-7700.

Noon, Saturday >> The field opens at noon today for the Wengers of Myerstown "Tractor Cruise," held at the Wenger farmstead at 251 South Race Street. At 3 p.m., the tractor parade begins. A gift and basket auction will be held early in the evening, and the Twitty Fever Band will perform from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. All entry donations and food purchases benefit "On Fire Youth Ministry." For more information, call Rose or Molly at 866-2130.

3 p.m. Saturday >> A Blue Grass Festival featuring "The Goose Creek Boys" will be held in the Wenger Meetinghouse, 16 Supervisor's Road in Jonestown. Food, activities and vendors will be on the premises, and the event continues until 7 p.m. A demonstration will be held by the "Elite K-9 Corps." All proceeds will go toward the preservation of the 1870s-era meeting house. The event is free and open to the public.

7 p.m. Saturday >> If you like classic rock, come on out to Legends Cafe, South Ninth Street, for the awesome songs of Gary Messersmith and Ken Putt. The guys will be playing until 9 p.m. Good food, good coffee, and great music - find it all at Legends.

9 p.m. Saturday >> "Shea and Swish" will play acoustic rock and pop at The Mill, 810 Old West Chocolate Ave., Hershey. They'll be on until midnight, with a repertoire that ranges from Seals and Croft to Led Zeppelin.

9 a.m. Sunday >> A "Ride For Freedom" will be dedicated to prisoners of war and those missing in action and will be held by the Forget-Me-Nots Reading Motorcycle Club. Participants are asked to register between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., at Fifth and Franklin streets, Womelsdorf, with the ride departing at 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact Bernie at (610) 689-5040.

10 a.m. Sunday >> Tabor UCC Church, 124 South Tenth St., Lebanon, invites folks to a day of worship, a picnic and a movie. Doors open at 9:30 a.m. The film "God's Not Dead" will follow the picnic. The event is free.

6 p.m. Sunday >> Newmanstown's own "Music in the Park" will present "Rob and Marty" in Memorial Park, along Memorial Boulevard. Refreshments will be for sale starting at 5 p.m. Bring a lawn chair. A free-will offering will be taken. In case of rain, the music will continue in Living Stones Church, East Main Street Newmanstown.

7 p.m. Sunday >> The "Gold City" quartet from Alabama will be singing at the Coleman's Park Amphitheater, 1400 Maple Street, for this week's "Music in the Park." Nationally known, these guys set the standard for male quartets. Bring lawn chairs. A free-will offering will be taken. For more information, visit: www.musicinthe park.net.

10 a.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26 >> Turn off the TV - and the computer - and take the kids outside for a "Hands On Nature" program presented by the Governor Dick Environmental Center. This is nature immersion at its best for children ages 2 to 6. The cost is $5 per child. The environmental center is located at 3283 Pinch Road in Mt. Gretna. Please pre-register by calling (717) 964-3808 or go to governordick@hotmail.com. Leave a name and phone number in case program cancels.

6:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 31 >> Looking for something different to do? How about learning how to save seeds and prepare for next season's garden? The Richland Community Library will present "Seed Saving 101" at 6:30 p.m. in the library with Joanne Ranck-Dirks, the Heirloom Seed Project Coordinator for the Landis Valley Farm Museum. The Richland Library is located at 111 East Main Street. For more information, call (717) 866-4939.

9 p.m., Friday, Sept.4 >> The Luv Gods will be rocking it in the Hollywood Casino at Penn National, Grantville. This has "good time" written all over it. The band will play until 1 a.m.

9 p.m., Friday, Sept. 4 >> With the start of the academic year comes the start of the "Friday Night Comedy Series" at Lebanon Valley College in Annville. Comedian Alex Stone begins the series Sept.4 with his wry brand of storytelling. Stone was one of the top 100 comics selected for NBC's "Last Comic Standing" in 2014. For more information, contact LVC at (717) 867-6034 or go to: news@lvc.edu.

10 a.m., Sat., Sept. 5: Start a lifelong hobby when you try "Beginning Bird Watching" at the Governor Dick Environmental Center on Pinch Road in Mt. Gretna. Participants will meet at the Center to see what birds are about as the fall season approaches. With luck, some migrating species will be spotted. Please call 964-3808 to pre-register. If possible, bring binoculars and a field guide.

1 p.m., Sunday, Sept.6: It's "Music on the Porch" at the Governor Dick Environmental Center. Bring an instrument and a lawn chair to join the bluegrass and old country style music jam. Please call 964-3808 to pre-register. Then, get ready to have some old time fun!

10 a.m. Sat., Sept. 12: The Historic Schaefferstown Harvest Fair will usher out the summer and welcome fall at the Alexander Schaeffer Farm at 213 S. Carpenter St. in Schaefferstown. The Harvest Fair will continue on Sunday, Sept. 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5, with children under 12, free. Enjoy craftsmen demonstrating 18th century work, bake oven cooking, making cider, horse and farming demonstrations, and sawmill and blacksmith demonstrations. Guided tours of the Schaeffer house and garden are always a highlight. Wagon rides and games are on hand for the kids, and there will be music from that time period. For more information, go to: www.hsimuseum.org.

10 a.m. Friday, Sept.18: Christmas - not as far away as you might think! The Trans-Siberian Orchestra will be on the road with their 2015 Winter Tour and will be making a stop at the Giant Center on Friday, Dec. 18, to present a Yuletide tale called "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" at 4 p.m. and again, at 8 p.m. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra is well-known for their melding of rock, traditional ballads and Broadway that creates their one-of-a-kind music.

Tickets for this show range from $34.35 to $74.35 and are available at Hersheypark Stadium Box Office. They can be charged by phone at (717) 534-3911 or 800-745-3000 and online at www.HersheyEntertainment.com or www.TicketMaster.com. For more information, visit www.Trans-Siberian.com.