July 9 is the 21+ Backlot Blast, 4 PM to 8 PM, at the Capitol Theatre. Great outdoor live music with The Regan Years 80s Tribute Band. Plan your date night or an evening with friends and we’ll see you soon!
Bring your chair and come chill out or get up and dance in the Capitol Theatre Center’s Backlot! Enjoy craft, specialty & domestic beer, wine,great music, good eats & games of chance!
Event is rain or shine. Purchase tickets here.
#143DayInPA
Kindness is central to Pennsylvania’s culture. It’s part of who we are. Celebrating for the fourth year in a row, Governor Wolf has called upon Pennsylvanians to once again share in acts of
kindness in celebration of 1-4-3 Day in Pennsylvania on May 23, 2022, a day established in honor of Pennsylvania’s native son, Fred Rogers. Whether it’s purchasing a gift card from a local PA restaurant, writing a thank you note for your mail carrier, or simply showing yourself grace, #143DayInPA is meant to inspire acts of kindness to both ourselves and those around us.
Pennsylvania native Fred Rogers, best known as Mister Rogers, regularly used 1-4-3 as a way of saying “l love you” throughout his life and on his beloved television series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. His reference was to the number of letters in each word: 1-4-3.So, we’re challenging all Pennsylvanians to show even more acts of kindness, love, and generosity to themselves, hardworking teachers, healthcare workers, dedicated small businesses, and neighbors in their lives on May 23.
HELP US SPREAD THE WORD
As a Pennsylvanian, here’s how you can participate in the #143DayInPA movement:
• Use our branded hashtag: #143DayInPA
• Post sample messages for Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook
• Post social media banners
• Share the Facebook event
• Visit the 1-4-3 Day websit
On Saturday, June 4, enjoy seeing the greatest Motown groups of all time, all on stage together again! That’s Forever Motown, and it’s so good for the soul. Hitsville churned out all the No. 1 hits back in the 60’s and 70’s…and this show celebrates the best of the best from Berry Gordy’s Detroit hit-making factory. A fabulous cast, backed by a band of incredible musicians, represents Motown royalty-performing the beloved songs from the greatest groups, artists, and songwriters of all time: The Four Tops, The Temptations, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson, Mary Wells, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, and Stevie Wonder. Tickets are $0, $35, $30 abd $20. Purchase here. Show begins at 7:30 PM.
“Clearly the best Motown Review to date”, raved CBS News; “Captures the essence of America’s own music in an evening of sheer fun, “ wrote the Washington Post. “Bring your dancing shoes, and bring the whole family. This is a show for everyone,“ exclaimed the Entertainment Review. Sing, dance and celebrate the music of your life to songs like “My Girl”, “I Heard It On The Grapevine,“ “Reach Out,” “Shop Around,” “Dancin’ In The Street,“ “Stop, In The Name Of Love,” “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You),” and “Uptight”-nearly thirty nonstop hits in all!
The Luhrs Center is a premier facility and is unmatched between Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Harrisonburg, Virginia. When the Center opened to the public in January 2006, Shippensburg became perfectly positioned to build upon its tradition of attracting national touring companies and nationally known performers and speakers. The Center currently attracts symphony orchestras, dance companies, and four-star performers.
With the goal of showcasing all that PA’s 121 state parks and 20 forest districts have to offer, the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation is participating in the inaugural I Love My State Parks Week, a campaign hosted by the National Association of State Parks Foundations (NASPF) May 8-15th.
The United States boasts more than 8,500 state parks and forests covering 18.6 million acres with 52,600 miles of trails. Along with these beloved natural areas comes an army of Friends groups and fellow volunteers dedicated to caring for them. NASPF was formed by the leadership of park foundations, including PPFF which serves as an umbrella organization to nearly 50 volunteer chapters throughout Pennsylvania. These foundations joined forces seeking to support one another, along with the vast networks of volunteers, in an effort to provide a national voice and advocate for all state parks. NASPF works to connect, build, elevate, and empower the statewide non-profit partners of America’s state parks and one effort toward this goal is I Love My State Parks Week.
Kicking off on Mother’s Day, I Love My State Parks Week aims to increase the visibility of state parks and raise awareness about their many benefits, engage new audiences and promote access, and connect with the public through personal testimonials, storytelling, and photos showing why these spaces are so important. With daily themes and a ready-to-go social media toolkit, NASPF encourages all members, state parks foundations, friends’ groups, state park agencies, and partners to share and amplify the I Love My State Parks Week content on their own social platforms to increase engagement.
You can participate by showing your love for PA’s state parks by sharing your outdoor adventures, photos, and special memories on social media, tag PPFF, and use the hashtags #ILoveMyStateParks, #ILoveMyStateParksWeek, #ILovePAStateParks, and #NASPF.
Concurrently, I Love My State Parks Week is one of several special outdoor holidays being celebrated throughout the year in PPFF’s new #GetMovingPA effort that calls for park and forest visitors and volunteers to share video footage of their adventures and volunteerism in PA’s parks and forests on social media. Learn more at https://paparksandforests.org/news/getmovingpa/.
Stay connected and learn about I Love My State Parks Week events with the Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation and our Friends Groups throughout the state by signing up to receive PPFF’s weekly Take Five e-blasts and by following us on social media.
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The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation
Ensuring a place and an experience for everyone in the outdoors!
The Pennsylvania Parks and Forests Foundation supports 121 state parks and 2.2 million acres of forest by coordinating volunteers, activities, and donations through its 48 chapters. The mission of the foundation is to inspire stewardship of Pennsylvania’s state parks and forests. To learn more about PPFF, visit https://paparksandforests.org/.
Enjoy an afternoon of tea and talk about Harriet Rebecca Lane, First Lady of Franklin County and the United States. Author Bob O’Connor will speak about Harriet Lane, sharing excerpts of his book, “Harriet Lane: The Original First Lady of Washington.” Emily Martin, a local thespian, will bring a young Miss Lane to life as she mixes and mingles with her visitors.
Event begins a 1 PM and runs until 3 PM and is being held in the 1865 lobby of the Franklin County Visitors Bureau at 15 South Main Street in Chambersburg. The 10,000 sq. ft. building served as a bank from 1865 to 2015.
A Little About Harriet
Harriet was born in Mercersburg, Franklin County, PA on May 9, 1830 to Elliott Tole Lane and Jane Buchanan Lane. Her grandfather was a merchant, who came from Donegal County in Ireland and established a good foundation for his family. Harriet’s father was a merchant, and her mother was the younger sister of James Buchanan. It was a family of ample means.
Even with a level of wealth, her life was not easy. At age nine, her mother died and two years later, her father. Her favorite uncle, James Buchanan, adopted Harriet. She would serve as his confidante and consultant, traveling to Great Britain when Buchanan served as Minister to England. She was a favorite of Queen Victoria and the royal court. When James Buchanan became president, she served as “First Lady” and was an accomplished hostess.
She chose to hold off marrying until she was 35 years old. Within three years, she would have two sons and a happy family life. Tragedy returned in 1881, 1882, and 1884 when she lost both sons to rheumatic fever and her husband died unexpectedly.
Harriet Lane came to understand the fleetingness of life, the value of family, and the importance of keeping a purpose. She gave generously to the research of children’s disease, endowed a school for boys, and planted the seed of a national art gallery.
The Perspective of a Celtic Blessing
“May God give you, for every storm, a rainbow, for every tear, a smile, for every care, a promise and a blessing in each trial. For every problem life sends, a faithful friend to share, for every sign a sweet song, and an answer for each prayer.”
Step back in time on Saturday, April 30 at 1 PM, as the Franklin County Visitors Bureau welcomes the public to a special portrayal of Frederick Douglass at the Franklin County 11/30 Visitors Center. The event, featuring “The U.S. Constitution in the Words of Frederick Douglass,” is inspired by the public talk Frederick Douglass gave in August 1859, just before meeting with John Brown to discuss Brown’s plans to raid the arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The April 30 presentation is offered at no charge and culminates the Franklin County Visitors Bureau’s April celebration Spring into History.
Author and storyteller Nathan M. Richardson will portray Frederick Douglass. Richardson visited the 11/30 Visitors Center in 2020 to bring Douglass to life in “A Conversation with Frederick Douglass and John Brown.”
Frederick Douglass lived an amazing life—from chattel to Renaissance man. He was a freedom fighter, self-made man, orator, author, activist, abolitionist, suffragist, and public servant. Born enslaved in 1818 as Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey, he changed his name to Frederick Douglass after escaping enslavement in 1837. He published his first book about his life called Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas in 1845. Douglass toured America and Europe, speaking about his life and freedom. Support of Douglass grew. In December 1846 through the efforts of English and Irish advocates, Frederick Douglass was legally and totally free. On his return to America as a free man, he began printing and publishing The North Star and completed a second book My Bondage and My Freedom in 1855. He continued his relationship with John Brown and hearing Brown’s plan for the Raid at Harpers Ferry, tried to convince Brown it would not be successful. The raid did not succeed. Douglass continued to carry the message of abolition and freedom. He served as a consultant to President Lincoln, advocating for USCT (United States Colored Troops) and abolition of slavery throughout the war. He was confirmed by the Senate to serve as a U.S. Marshall from 1877 to 1881, continued his work writing, and was a strong advocate of suffrage until he passed away at 77 years old.
Throughout his lifetime, Douglass had many experiences and opportunities to learn and evolve. With such experience comes a special perspective of the American Constitution. Register for this event here, or contact 866.646.8060.