All things Pennsylvania

BY FRANCINE FULTON

Community members are invited to discover or rediscover many of the events, museums, attractions and getaways that Pennsylvania has to offer at the fifth annual PA Family Travel Fair, to be held on Saturday, April 15, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Calvary Church in Lancaster. The event, hosted by Where & When Pennsylvania, will also feature children’s activities, entertainment and food.

Those who visit the travel fair will also have opportunities to win prizes, including vacation packages. “The first 500 (attendees) will get a goodie bag to collect all of their swag from all of the vendors,” said Rachel Stebbins, marketing director at Engle Printing & Publishing Co., Inc., one of the event organizers. “There is a lot of opportunity throughout the event to register for prizes. Almost all of the vendors are bringing prizes to give away.” The grand prize will be a family getaway provided by the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau.

The event focuses on providing information about family-friendly activities that are available throughout the entire state, including locally in Lancaster County and as far away as the northern tier of Pennsylvania.

“When you are talking to vendors, they are not trying to sell you things. They are just providing information,” Stebbins emphasized. “The visitor’s bureaus will represent a lot of the (sites) in their areas, but we also have (representatives of) specific attractions that are coming to talk specifically about their places.”

Entertainment will include a magic show at noon by Papa Tater Magical Family Entertainment and a live show at 2 p.m. by Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland. Echo the Bat from Lincoln Caverns and Chipper from Herr Foods Inc. will greet visitors, and the Kids Cookie Break radio show will be on-site doing live interviews. Visitors will also be able to meet friendly service dogs from Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services (KPETS).

Food trucks will be available offering breakfast and lunch, as well as snacks and ice cream. New this year will be Joe on the GO Coffee Co., which will offer coffee, tea and breakfast selections.

Stebbins hopes that people will attend the event to learn about local attractions they may not even be aware of. “It’s nice to have options with what you can do without having to travel really far,” she stated. “You can have a nice, long weekend or you can go out and do some of these activities and be home at night because it’s just that close. People often don’t realize what is right around them.”

Calvary Church is located at 1051 Landis Valley Road, Lancaster. Admission to and parking at the PA Family Travel Fair are free. The event will be held rain or shine. For more information, including a complete list of exhibitors, food trucks, activities and giveaways, visit www.pafamilytravel.com. More information is also available at www.facebook.com/PAFamily TravelFair and www.instagram.com

/pafamilytravelfair

Tri-County Chiropractic of Douglassville will host an Easter egg hunt fundraiser on Friday, April 7, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Main Bird Park, 226 N. Water St., Birdsboro. In addition to the egg hunt, which will start at 5:45 p.m., there will be food, prizes and photo opportunities with the Easter Bunny. Children are asked to bring their own baskets to collect the eggs.

A donation fee will be collected per child; adults will be admitted for free. All proceeds will be used to assist with medical costs for a Douglassville family in need. For more information and a link to register for the egg hunt in advance, visit www.facebook.com/tcc douglassville and choose “Events.”

MCC (Moving Communities to Christ) will host Easter egg hunts at its Elverson and Birdsboro church campuses on Saturday, April 8. Children up to age 12 are welcome to participate. No preregistration is required.

The Birdsboro egg hunt will take place from 10 a.m. to noon in the church parking lot, 144 S. Walnut St., Birdsboro. The Elverson egg hunt will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. in the parking lot of the church, 4221 Main St., Elverson, as well as the adjacent field along Route 23.

See Easter egg hunts pg 4