This season, there are plenty of fun and effective ways to get in physical activity beyond the gym. You can also learn a thing or two in the process of getting your steps in through some interesting educational offerings coming up in our region that involve local history.
The opportunities also present a chance to experience the bounty of colors the season offers in picturesque settings that serve as backdrops to the historic architecture and experiences that await.
These family-friendly events will enable visitors to view demonstrations; participate in hands-on activities; see interpretations and reenactments; go on guided tours to learn interesting facts, enjoy tasty food, live music and more.
At the Daniel Boone Homestead in Exeter Township, Berks County, you can experience their annual Heritage Day Fall Festival taking place on Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 4 pm.
Colonial and early American demonstrations
Heritage Day features a variety of Colonial and early American demonstrations, trades, and hands-on activities. Interpreters will demonstrate wood carving, candle dipping and more. You can also find fall activities for children, such as pumpkin painting, candle dipping, quill pen writing, and Colonial toys and games.
There will also be live colonial era music by Bob Mouland, along with craft and food vendors. In the Boone House, volunteers will be cooking a hearty meal over the hearth, where visitors can take a tour.
After experiencing all there is to offer at the Daniel Boone Homestead, you can head over to Exeter Friends’ Meetinghouse, also in Berks County, where the Boone family would have attended the monthly meeting.
“In conjunction with this event, we are thrilled to be partnering with the Exeter Friends’ Meetinghouse for open house tours to commemorate their 300th anniversary,” the Daniel Boone Homestead states on its website.
Free and open to the public, the meetinghouse is located less than three miles from the Homestead in Exeter Township, where they will be celebrating 300 years of peace, service and history.
“Make sure to plan a visit to the Exeter Friends’ meetinghouse on your way to or from the Homestead.”
Quaker wedding reenactment
At Exeter Friends’ Anniversary Celebration, which also takes place from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 19, you’ll get to go on guided tours of the meetinghouse and burial ground.
You can also enjoy complementary hot cider warmed over an open fire, attend a Quaker wedding reenactment, and learn about Quaker beliefs and traditions.
“Exeter Friends Meeting has been part of Berks County life since 1725, making it one of the region’s oldest community institutions,” said BK McDonough, who is co-leading the event’s organizing committee, along with Nick Bentley, both members of Exeter Friends Meeting.
“Marking the 300th anniversary allows us to honor the generations who built and sustained this Meeting, while also affirming that we are still here — active, engaged, and looking ahead. We’re part of a long continuum, and it’s our turn to carry the Meeting forward in ways that respond to today’s needs and opportunities.”Guided tour and quilt code display
At the event, you’ll also get to listen to live music played by Rowan DeMont, an award-winning, 13-year-old banjo player, and see a quilt code display by Exeter Friend, Joanne Nolan, that shows the patterns believed to be used to guide enslaved people to freedom on the underground railroad.
You’ll also get the opportunity to see some talented local artists at work on their easels outdoors, doing plein air painting of the historic meetinghouse and grounds.
“Early American architecture and stone arch bridges inspire me, much for its materials and character and how it blends well with the environment,” said Martin Pieczonka, an instructor at Chester Springs Studio at Historic Yellow Springs in Chester County, who will be plein air painting at the 300th Anniversary event.
“I am attracted to old ruins and remains of the past.”
History and celebration
In addition to seeing artists in action, visitors can look forward to a lively mix of history and celebration.
“Guests can tour the meetinghouse, enjoy storytelling and activities for all ages, and share in the warmth of today’s community,” McDonough said. “It’s a day to step back in time, celebrate the present, and make new memories together.”
By inviting the community, they look forward to sharing history, but also showing that Exeter Friends Meeting is still very much alive and positively impacting the community.
“I hope visitors leave with an appreciation, not only of our past, but of how the Meeting continues to stand for values like fairness, integrity, and service, and how those values remain relevant in addressing the challenges of our own time, McDonough said.
“Exeter Friends have been woven into local life through education, advocacy, service and care for neighbors.”
Daniel Boone Homestead’s Heritage Day Fall Festival will be held Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 4 p.m. For GPS directions, use 400 Daniel Boone Road, Birdsboro. Admission for adults is $12, seniors (65+) $10, youth (6-17) $5. Children 5 and under and DBHA members are free. For more information, visit www.thedanielboonehomestead.org.
Exeter Friends Meeting’s 300th Anniversary Celebration will be held Sunday, Oct. 19, from noon to 4 p.m. at 191 Meetinghouse Road, Douglassville. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.exeterquakers.org. Meeting for Worship takes place on Sundays at 10:30 am. All are welcome.
