The 1719 Museum, 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street, will host a candlelit evening of stories and songs on Friday, Jan. 9. Guests will experience traditions passed down through generations among Lancaster County's Indigenous and Mennonite communities. Tours will run every half hour starting at 4 p.m., with the final tour slot at 8 p.m.

Guests will spend 30 minutes in the Lancaster Longhouse and 30 minutes in the Herr House. In the Lancaster Longhouse, musicians will play and tell stories about the Indigenous flute. In the Herr House, guests will hear stories of music and songwriting that were important to Mennonites in the 18th century. A cappella singers will perform English translations of hymns from the Ausbund, a historic Mennonite hymnal used by the Herr family.

In the visitor center, children may use coloring pages and art supplies to create their own fraktur songbook bookplate. This craft is a Pennsylvania German tradition of making decorative name labels on the inside cover of personal books.

Joe on the Go Coffee Co's mobile cafe will be on-site with hot drinks and baked goods available for purchase. The museum store will be open for the event.

There is a fee for admission, with a discount for youths ages 6 to 16. Children age 5 and under will receive complimentary admission. The event is expected to sell out, and no walk-in admissions will be offered. To purchase tickets, visit http://www.mennonitelife.org/events.

In the case of inclement weather, Stories by Candlelight will take place on Saturday, Jan. 17, beginning at 4 p.m. Purchased tickets will apply to the same time slot.

Mennonite Life's vision is diverse communities connecting across boundaries by knowing and valuing their own and each other's stories of life, faith, cultures, and histories.