Shorts

“Stitches in Time: Quilts, Coverlets and Samplers from the Collection of the West­moreland Museum of Art” will showcase the Greensburg institution’s rare American textiles from Sunday, May 12 [1991], through Sunday, July 7 [1991]. The exhibition will feature thirty patchwork and appliquéd quilts, a dozen woven cover­lets and a number of embroi­dered samplers. To complement the exhibition, a series of quilting, weaving and lacemaking demonstrations will be given in early June [1991]. For more information regarding the exhibit and related pro­grams, write: Westmoreland Museum of Art, 221 North Main St., Greensburg, PA 15601; or telephone (412) 837-1500. Admission is free.

“Dolls and Dollhouses: Childhood Memories” will be on display through the month of June [1991] at the Chester County Historical Society in West Chester. The exhibit will fea­ture favorites from the socie­ty’s well-known doll collection, in addition to fully furnished dollhouses that will be trimmed with seasonal decora­tions. For additional informa­tion, write: Chester County Historical Society, 225 North High St., West Chester, PA 19380-2691; or telephone (215) 692-4800.

A landmark exhibition, “Just for Nice: Carving and Whittling Magic of Southeast­ern Pennsylvania,” has been mounted by the Historical Society of Berks County. On view through Saturday, Sep­tember 21 [1991], “Just for Nice,” illustrating the works of carvers and whittlers of the Commonwealth’s southeastern counties, is accompanied by a lavishly illustrated exhibition catalogue. Additional informa­tion is available by writing: Historical Society of Berks County, 940 Centre Ave., Reading, PA 19601; or by tele­phoning (215) 375-4375.

The Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and the South Side Community Council will sponsor the 1991 Hands-on History Festival on Saturday, May 4 [1991]. The festival is a showcase of student pro­jects on the architecture, heri­tage and local history of Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania. Hands-on activities will encourage both students and adults to create architec­tural columns, take antique car rides, make gargoyle masks, build straw towers and make rubbings of building grates. For further information, write: Pittsburgh History and Land­marks Foundation, 450 The Landmarks Building, One Station Sq., Pittsburgh, PA 15219-1170; or telephone (412) 471-5808.

“Something Old, Some­thing New” will be on display at the Heritage Center of Lan­caster County from Tuesday, April 30 [1991], through Saturday, November 23 [1991]. The exhibit will examine the aesthetics and workmanship of objects, both borrowed and owned by the Heritage Center, as expressions of the diversity of Lan­caster County’s decorative arts. Domestic life will be represented by new discov­eries in furniture, silver, tex­tiles and ceramics. For further information, write: Heritage Center of Lancaster County, Penn Sq., 13 West King St., Lancaster, PA 17603; or tele­phone (717) 299-6440.

The Highlands Historical Society will sponsor a Garden Party and Herb Sale on Wednesday and Thursday, May 22-23 [1991]. Wednesday’s events will include a lecture by Christa Wilmanns-Wells, pro­fessor at the University of Pennsylvania, on “Homes­capes and Healing Herbs.” Additional information is available by writing: High­lands Historical Society, 7001 Sheaff Ln., Fort Washington, PA 19034; or by telephoning (215) 641-2687.

“Art of the State ’91” will open at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg on Friday, May 17 [1991]. This exhibition is an integral component of the Greater Harrisburg Arts Festi­val, which will take place Memorial Day Weekend, May 25-27 [1991]. Now in its twenty­-fourth year, the juried exhibi­tion is co-sponsored by the Greater Harrisburg Arts Coun­cil and The State Museum. For additional information, write: The State Museum of Pennsyl­vania, P.O. Box 1026, Harris­burg, PA 17108-1026; or telephone (717) 787-4978.

The Sordoni Art Gallery will sponsor “Official Images: New Deal Photographs,” through Sunday, May 5 [1991]. Docu­mentary photographs from the 1930s by such well known artists as Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange are on dis­play. Commissioned by the federal government, the ex­hibit graphically portrays a distinctive cross section of rural and urban life-striking workers, farmers, older Ameri­cans, children and other sub­jects. For further information, write: Sordoni Art Gallery, 150 South River St., Wilkes-Barre, PA 18766; or telephone (717) 824-4651.

The Depreciation Lands Museum will hold “Commu­nity Friendship Weekend: Surveying-A Backward Glance” during the weekend of May 18-19 [1991]. On display will be antiques, surveying instru­ments and maps. For addi­tional information, write: Depreciation Lands Museum, 4743 South Pioneer Rd., Alli­son Park, PA 15101; or tele­phone (412) 486-2187.

The Historic Morrisville Society will celebrate Patriots Day on Saturday, June 8 [1991], to commemorate Robert Morris and George Clymer. For more information, write: Historic Morrisville Society, Hillerest and Legion Aves., Morrisville, PA 19067; or telephone (215) 295-5518.

The annual – and popular­ – historic house tour conducted by the Harmony Museum will be held this year on Saturday, May 18 [1991], from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. Visitors will tour historically and architecturally significant structures and buildings in and around the Butler County village settled by the Harmony Society. For further informa­tion, write: Harmony Mu­seum, Main and Mercer Sts., Harmony, PA 16037; or tele­phone (412) 452-7341.

The Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm will present “Farm Animal Frolic” during the weekends of May 25-26 [1991], and June 1-2 [1991]. This event gives children of all ages the oppor­tunity to see all the newborn farm animals-goats, pigs, calves and lambs . For addi­tional information, write: Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm, R.D. 2, Box 2495, Stroudsburg, PA 18360; or telephone (717) 992-6161.

“Conflict and Community: Monroe County During the Civil War” will be on display at the Monroe County Historical Association from Tuesday, April 9 [1991], through Sunday, July 28 [1991]. On display at the Stroud Community House will be military artifacts and Civil War era correspondence of local residents; the Driebe Freight Station will house the portion of the exhibit portraying the community at the time of the great conflict. For further infor­mation, write: Monroe County Historical Association, 537 Ann St., Stroudsburg, PA 18360; or telephone (717) 424-1776.

The Landis Valley Fair will be sponsored by the Landis Valley Associates on Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2 [1991]. This event, a colorful living history fair for both adults and chil­dren, will include music, crafts demonstrations, period enter­tainment and games, and military encampments. For more information, write: Lan­dis Valley Museum, 2451 Kissel Hill Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601; or telephone (717) 569-0401.

“Treasures of American Folk Art,” on display at The Carne­gie Museum of Art through Sunday, April 28 [1991], will feature selections of American folk art from the Abby Aldrich Rock­efeller Collection of Colonial Williamsburg. More than one hundred and eighty objects, including portraits. weather vanes, shop figures, trade signs, birth and marriage records, decoys, toys and quilts are included in the ex­hibit. Further information may be obtained by writing: The Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15213; or by telephoning (412) 622-3328.

An exhibition of furniture, carved objects and tools enti­tled “Philadelphia Craftsman: John H. Elliott, 1856-1934” is on view through Friday, Au­gust 2 [1991], at the Atwater Kent Museum in Philadelphia. A highly skilled woodcarver and cabinetmaker, Elliott worked on a number of public and private commissions, includ­ing the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan, the Library of Congress’ Jefferson Building and Philadelphia department store magnate John Wanamaker’s mansion in Philadelphia. More than forty pieces of furniture and carv­ings, as well as one hundred tools, are on display. Addi­tional information may be obtained by writing: Atwater Kent Museum, 15 South Sev­enth St., Philadelphia, PA 19106; or by telephoning (215) 686-3630 or 922-3031. Admis­sion is free.

Historic Schaefferstown will present its traditional Cherry Fair on Saturday, June 22 [1991], from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M. For more information, write: His­toric Schaefferstown, Alexan­der Schaeffer Farm, Schaefferstown, PA 17088; or telephone (717) 949-3705.

The Reading Public Mu­seum will present two exhibi­tions from Sunday, May 19 [1991] through Sunday, June 30 [1991]: “Ships and Seas,” a collection of ship models and paintings, and “The Lay of the Land,” a selection of maps of early America. For additional infor­mation, write: Reading Public Museum, 500 Museum Road, Reading, PA 19611-1425; or telephone (215) 371-5844.

Flag Day will be celebrated by the City of Philadelphia and the Betsy Ross House on Fri­day, June 14 [1991]. For more infor­mation, write: Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street, Phila­delphia, PA 19106; or tele­phone (215) 627-5343.

The Friends of Loudoun will open the historic house museum for guided tours on Monday, April 1 [1991]; tours will continue through mid­-December. For reservations or further information, write: Friends of Loudoun, 4650 Germantown Ave., Philadel­phia, PA 19144; or telephone (215) 677-7830.

A celebration of the ethnic and folk traditions of the an­thracite coal region’s company (or “patch”) towns will be held during the weekend of June 15-16 [1991] at Eckley Miners’ Vil­lage, located eight miles east of Hazleton. “Patch Town Days” will feature two full days of living history demon­strations of crafts that would have been found in coal min­ing villages, such as black­smithing, coopering, needleworking and quilting. Various ethnic groups will participate in presentations explaining their customs, and former residents of Eckley will discuss their “patch town” experiences. To obtain addi­tional details, write: Eckley Miners’ Village, R. R. 2, Box 236, Weatherly, PA 18255; or telephone (717) 636-2070. Ad­mission is charged.

Independence National Historical Park will hold an exhibition devoted to the works of Charles Willson Peale during April [1991] to celebrate the two hundred and fiftieth anni­versary of the famous artist’s birth. Peale, an eighteenth century portrait artist, natural­ist and inventor, painted sub­jects including George Washington, Thomas Jeffer­son, John Adams and Ben­jamin Franklin. Independence National Historical Park’s fine arts collection contains ninety original Peale portraits. For more information, write: Inde­pendence National Historical Park, 313 Walnut St., Philadel­phia, PA 19106; or telephone (215) 597-8974.

“Life Beyond Earth Sky Show” is being presented by the Buhl Science Center through Saturday, August 31 [1991]. This show combines special effects, photographs and con­jectures about communication with an alien society to probe the universe for evidence of extraterrestrial life. For further information, write: Buhl Sci­ence Center, Allegheny Sq., Pittsburgh, PA 15212; or tele­phone (412) 237-3337.

“Something Old, Some­thing New: Ethnic Weddings in America” will be on view at the Hershey Museum of American Life through Mon­day, June 24 [1991]. The exhibit is a delightful overview of the origins of customs ru1d tradi­tions that are part of contem­porary marriage ceremonies. Through the use of both pho­tographs and artifacts, visitors can discover the reasons why a bride wears white or why wedding rings are exchanged. For more information, write: Hershey Museum of American Life, 170 West HersheyPark Dr., Hershey, PA 17033; or telephone (717) 534-3439.

The Erie Art Museum will present its sixty-eighth annual Spring Show from Saturday, April 27 [1991], through Sunday, June 9 [1991]. A juried exhibition featuring works in all media (except crafts), the show con­sists of approximately sixty works selected from several hundred submissions. For more information, write: Erie Art Museum, 411 State St., Erie, PA 16501; or telephone (814} 459-5477.

The Pennsylvania Histori­cal and Museum Commission will sponsor its fourteenth annual Black History Confer­ence on Friday and Saturday, May 10-11 [1991], in Pittsburgh. The theme of this year’s conference is “Building African-American Communities in Pennsylva­nia,” featuring lectures and panel presentations, as well as cultural and social events. Additional information may be obtained by writing: 1991 Black History Conference, Pennsyl­vania Historical and Museum Commission, P. O. Box 1026, Harrisburg, PA 17108-1026; or by telephoning (717) 787-3034.

Historic Bethlehem Inc. will host the Handwork Festi­val on Saturday and Sunday, June 8 and 9 in the city’s noted eighteenth century industrial area. The event, featuring nearly thirty craftspeople, including those skilled in eighteenth and early nine­teenth century house building trades, will help celebrate Bethlehem’s two hundred and fiftieth anniversary. For more information, write: Historic Bethlehem Inc., 459 Old York Rd., Bethlehem, PA 18018; or telephone (215) 691-5300.

The Friends of Hope Lodge and Farmar’s Mill will sponsor a crafts show and sale on Sat­urday, April 13 [1991], featuring colonial style and contempo­rary objects. For additional information, write: Friends of Hope Lodge and Farmar’s Mill, 553 Bethlehem Pk., Fort Wash­ington, PA 19034; or telephone (215) 646-1641.

“How Do I Research My Family in County Records?” is both the title of – and the ques­tion answered by – an exhibit at the Chester County Histori­cal Society through the month of October [1991]. The exhibit illus­trates the use of county re­cords in family research and focuses on basic genealogical research techniques with ex­amples of common problems and mistakes. Additional in­formation may be obtained by writing: Chester County His­torical Society, 225 North High St., West Chester, PA 19380; or by telephoning (215) 692-4800.

The Middletown Area Historical Society will present its sixteenth annual Arts and Craft Fair during the weekend of June 8-9 [1991]. Featured will be one hundred and fifty juried colonial style arts and crafts, as well as period entertainment. For further information, write: Middletown Area Historical Society, Hoffer Park, Middle­town, PA 17057; or telephone (717) 944-3420.