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Out and About in Lebanon: Street Fair, re-enactments and Music in the Park this weekend


LEBANON >> Summer fun is all around - take your pick! From "Music in the Park" to music at the street fair, a strawberry festival to a firemen's carnival, Colonial crafts to truck pulls, it's all there for you, lots of great times!

4 P.M. FRIDAY >> An annual event that so many folks look forward to: the Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary Street Fair is happening this weekend! And it is one happenin' place to be! As in the past several years, the street fair will be held at Eighth and Poplar streets Friday evening, beginning at 4 p.m., and all day Saturday, from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. Eighth Street will be closed from Oak to Orange streets. Plenty of great fair food, crafts, loads of books and plants for sale, so many fun activities for the kids!

5:30 P.M. FRIDAY >> The Lebanon Big Swing Band will kick off the 2015 Good Samaritan Hospital Auxiliary Street Fair as the evening's entertainment and those mellow sounds will be heard wafting through the city. The concert will continue until 7 p.m. Featured vocalist will be jazz singer Nichole Roberts of Mt. Gretna.

5 P.M., FRIDAY >> In the gallery at Re:Create, Arts Initiative, 39 S. Eighth St., will be sculptural creations by artist Brian Weaver, made from "upcycled" metal. The gallery will be open until 9 p.m.

At 7 p.m., come enjoy the music of "Electives," an eclectic instrumental trio from Central Pennsylvania. For more information, call (717) 269-3301.

7 P.M., SATURDAY >> Featured entertainment for the Good Samaritan Hospital Street Fair is the fabulous salsa band "Angel Rious y su Orquesta" Salsa Band. As much fun to dance to, as it is to listen to! Also performing Saturday will be folks from the Lebanon Community Theatre and local dance studios.

7 P.M. FRIDAY >> It's "Thunder at the Expo!" at the Lebanon Area Fairgrounds, 80 Rocherty Road. This is a 4X4 truck, semi, and tractor pull sponsored by Wengers of Myerstown. Admission is $10 for ages 12 and above; $5 for those 6 to 12; and under 6, free. Food is available and parking is free. For more information, go to:lebexpo.net or call 821-6994.

7:30 P.M. FRIDAY >> The PA Chautauqua in Mt. Gretna will present "The Life of a Civil War Soldier," as related by Bob Watson. For more information, call (717) 964-1830 or go to:www.pachautauqua.org.

10 A.M. SATURDAY >> The Conrad Weiser Homestead will be open until 4 p.m., and will feature a centuries-old Native American ceremony, translated into "Edge of the Woods." This special ceremony will take place at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. on the grounds of the homestead. It will demonstrate the custom that certain rituals had to be observed before any treaty negotiations could commence. Sponsored by Friends of the Conrad Weiser Homestead, the ceremony will be held in Conrad Weiser Park, along Route 422, at 28 Weiser Drive, just east of Womelsdorf. Also on tap that day, guides will explain the workings of an 18th-century farm.

11 a.m. Sunday: The annual Colonial Craft and Demonstration Day will be held at the Conrad Weiser Homestead. Crafters will demonstrate traditional 18th-century trades, including basket-making, tin smithing, using a loom, spinning, gun smithing, cordswanger, or working with leather, and many more. Different types of livestock will be at the Homestead too. Craft day continues until 4 p.m.

Both days, all events are free and open to the public.

8 A.M. SATURDAY >> The Lebanon County Family and Youth Field Day will be held at the Heidelberg Sports Club and is open to young people ages 8 through 16 and their families. Activities include fishing, marksmanship events, archery, turkey calling and other outdoor activities. All activities and lunch are free. The event will last until 3 p.m. For more information and electronic registration, go to: www.pgc.state.pa.us. Click on "attend a field day" link.

2 P.M. SATURDAY >> The annual "Strawberry Festival" will be held at Zion United Church of Christ, Womelsdorf, 12 S. Second and High streets, until 6 p.m. While there will be strawberries galore, there's also burgers, turkey and pork barbecue, hot dogs, soup, drinks, cake and ice cream. This is one summer picnic you don't want to miss! Entertainment is by "DJ Dean-O," from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. and there will also be a bake sale, basket raffle, and booster tickets.

10 A.M. SATURDAY >> For a lovely summer morning jaunt, come hike the perimeter at the Governor Dick Environmental Center, Pinch Road, Mt. Gretna. The hike is about six to seven miles, so bring water and snacks. The walk is free, but you must pre-register. Go to governordick@hotmail.com or call 964-3808 to register.

4:30 P.M. SATURDAY >> A Firemen's Carnival will be held on the Bellegrove Fire Company grounds in North Annville Township. Entertainment starts at 6:30 p.m. by singer Jesse Wade. This carnival has all the old-fashioned summer fun including games, bingo, and delicious refreshments all evening long. Bring a lawn chair! Admission is by donation.

1:30 P.M. SUNDAY >> A history of the Tabor Church will be presented in the auditorium of the Lebanon County Historical Society with historian Gregory N. Keller Jr. The event is free and open to the public.

7 P.M. SUNDAY >> You won't want to miss this first concert of the 25th season of "Music in the Park," featuring the jazz quartet, "Third Stream." As authentically Lebanon County as bologna and soft pretzels, "Music in the Park" has brought quality music to the people for so long that it's become a summer tradition. "Third Stream" features Tom Strohm, a professor of music at Lebanon Valley College.

The concert will be held in the Coleman's Park Veterans' Memorial Amphitheatre.

Spend a relaxing summer evening in a lovely setting, listening to soothing music. There's no admission charge, a free-will offering will be taken.

6:30 P.M. TUESDAY, JUNE 9 >> The Lebanon Community Library, 125 N. Seventh St., will host Phylis Campbell Dryden for the class entitled "So You Have Something To Say?" The evening will include tips on writing letters to the editor, guest opinion essays, and some of the best persuasive arguments.

Dryden has been writing letters to the editor since she was in high school. She is a frequent contributor of guest opinion essays to The Lebanon Daily News. Columns she wrote in 2014 recently won "Honorable Mention" in the Keystone Press Awards. Contact the library at (717) 273-7624 or go to: hawk@lclibs.org to register.

7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, JUNE 11 >> The Dave Stahl Big Band is coming to Lily's On Main Banquet Room. The banquet room is in the Brossman Business Center, 124 East Main Street, Ephrata. Renowned band leader and trumpet player Dave Stahl has performed as lead trumpet and as a soloist with many of the top bands in America, including Woody Herman, Count Basie, and Buddy Rich. Stahl was named the featured performer in the International Brass Conference tribute to Maynard Ferguson.

Doors open at 5 p.m. and the band will perform at 7:30 p.m. There is a $10 cover charge. Steve Brown, owner of Lily's On Main, has created a special menu for the event. Free parking is in the parking garage behind the building. For more information, go to: info@lilysonmain.com or phone (717) 738-2711.

7:30 P.M. THURSDAY, JUNE 11 >> The Broadway hit, Neil Simon's "The Odd Couple," is coming to the Ephrata Performing Arts Center at the Sharadin Bigler Theatre. "The Odd Couple" will run from June 11 through June 27. Show times are 7:30 p.n. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Saturday matinees. Prices range from $25 to $32 for evening shows and $22 for matinees. Tickets can be purchased by calling 733-7966, ext 1, or at: ephrataperformingartscenter.com.

6 P.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 13 >> Looking for a unique musical experience? "Music in the Orchard" returns this year to the 1719 Hans Herr House and Museum, Millstream Road, Lancaster. You can bring a picnic meal or purchase food from OCB Bakery and Java Junction, then enjoy a bite as you listen to the performances. The first concert of the season will feature "Sopa Sol." This duo features Frances Crowhill Miller and Daryl Snider, producing an organic blend of modern and traditional music. Openign for "Sopa Sol" will be Donna Nomick and Saint Elouise.

Shows begin at 6 p.m. and last approximately two hours. Tickets cost $8 per person, children under 12 are free and there is no need for advance registration.

Music in the Orchard concerts are part of "Over Fifty Lancaster Roots" 2015 events. For more information: wwwlancasterroots.org.

9 A.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 13 >> Historic Old Annville Days will be held in the town's historic center. The family event features plenty of good food, lots of activities for children, great music, vendors, and flea markets. Musical groups include Annville's own Washington Band, the Quittapahilla Highlanders bagpipe band, Lee Moyer's "Great American Songbook," and Celtic music and dance. Musical groups will be performing adjacent to Soprano's Italian Restaurant.

The day is sponsored by Friends of Old Annville. For more in formation, go to: www.fooa.org.

2 P.M. SATURDAY, JUNE 13 >> The Reading Railroad Heritage Museum will host an event called "Rails Go Bragh!" an outdoor multi-arts celebration of the Irish workers of the reading Railroad. Gates open at 2 p.m., with entertainment from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. This event will take place at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum at 500 South Third Street, Hamburg. Admission is $10 for adults, free for children under 16. The bands "Irish Mist," and "Shanachians" will be performing, as will Keegan Loesell on uilleann pipes and Aislinn Loesell, Irish dancing. A miniature hand-powered "Munchkin Railroad" will be on hand for the children.

This event celebrates the contribution of the Irish immigrant workers to the railroads in the 1800s. For more information, go to: www.readingrailroad .org.

NOON, FRIDAY, JUNE 19 >> Enjoy a bit of lunch-time music at the Lebanon Farmers' Market, 35 South Eighth St., as "Marty's One Man Orchestra" takes the stage. There will be songs celebrating the June holidays, such as Flag Day and Father's Day, and songs celebrating warm, wonderful summer. Food is also available and there's seating on the first and second floors. Take a few minutes out of your busy day to sit and enjoy some light-hearted music.