The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum at LancasterHistory will host an April Nature Series event, "Leaf and Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day," on Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster.

A variety of activities will be available. Lancaster County senior naturalist Lisa Sanchez will lead tree walks at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and Len Eiserer will present "Tanger's America250 Tree and the Patriot Oak" at noon. The Nodding Onion Band will perform post-rock music featuring electrical frequencies from plants from 10 a.m. to noon. Light refreshments will be available while supplies last, and vendors will offer information from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Kids' activities will include a story time and craft, suggested for those ages 3 to 7, at 10 a.m. and a nature scavenger hunt, suggested for those ages 6 to 12, at noon.

A bitternut hickory tree (Carya cordiformis) planted in commemoration of the United States' 250th birthday will be dedicated at 11:15 a.m. The bitternut hickory was selected due to Lancaster's ties to hickories. When settlers arrived in the Lancaster area in the 1700s, hickory trees were prevalent, earning the town its first name, Hickorytown. Hickory forests were vast and thick and cultivated by local Native Americans for food and medicinal purposes. The tree was instrumental to early life in Lancaster, also providing wood for furniture, flooring, and tools.

All events are free and open to the public. The event will take place rain or shine, with most programs held outdoors in fair weather and moved indoors in the event of rain. For more information and registration for individual activities, visit http://www.lancasterhistory.org/arborday. Questions can be directed to Emily Miller at emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org.

The event sponsors are Pine Brook Farm Inc. and Ever Green Tree and Lawn Care.