As part of the Intercourse Library's 50th anniversary celebration, the month of May will be dedicated to "Authors and Artists," and the library will kick off the month by honoring two local artists - Dolores Hackenberger, who lived for many years in Gordonville, and Milton E. Denlinger of Gap.

On Saturday, May 3, and Sunday, May 4, Denlinger's artwork will be on display in the Perella Schoolhouse section of the library, 31 Center St., Intercourse, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. on May 3 and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on May 4.

Sherry Denlinger Groff, who is Denlinger's granddaughter, will speak about his art on May 3, at 11 a.m. at the library. Denlinger, who lived from 1909 to 1991, was born and raised in Gap. He attended art schools in Coatesville and Philadelphia. Denlinger painted murals for five churches in the Lancaster County area. He also completed three 12-by-4-foot murals commissioned by Noah E. Martin in 1953 to depict seasonal scenes of Lancaster County. In addition to painting, he had an engraving business and did lettering on signs, vehicles, and mailboxes.

On May 4 at 2 p.m., Alan Emerick, owner of Dutchland Galleries in Kitchen Kettle Village, will give a talk at the library about his long association with Hackenberger, who died in December 2024.

Emerick first met Hackenberger through Kitchen Kettle founder Pat Burnly, who felt Hackenberger's artwork should be represented at Kitchen Kettle. "Dolores and Pat had been friends for many years," relayed Emerick. "Dolores' work was some of the first outsider art that I had the opportunity to study in depth." Emerick explained that "outsider art" is art that is produced by an artist who is largely self taught. "Fifty years ago, academics, museums and collectors began to appreciate the earnest quality of self-taught artists' work and other attributes they possess that is not found in contemporary 'mainstream' works of art," he noted.

Hackenberger's work is also known for her depiction of members of the Plain community. "Dolores had many Amish neighbors and friends. Her knowledge of the Plain sects in the area was significant," reported Emerick. Emerick knew Hackenberger for nearly 40 years, and he describes her character through the lens of that friendship. "She was truly one of a kind, unable to be categorized, a wild card with a heart bigger than can be imagined," he said. "She maintained a lifelong commitment to her family and those principles she believed in." Emerick went on to point out that somehow "that commitment is communicated in her paintings."

Following Emerick's talk, a tour of Osceola Mill House, a bed-and-breakfast located at 313 Osceola Mill Road, Gordonville, will be available. The tour will include an opportunity to see several pieces of Hackenberger's art in the house where she lived for many years.

Erica and Christopher Adams, current innkeepers and self-proclaimed stewards of the property, are looking forward to showing interested individuals around and serving up light refreshments along with tidbits of history of the house, which was home to Hackenberger from the 1960s until 1981. "Dolores started painting again when she lived here," noted Erica.

Erica and Christopher met Hackenberger quite accidentally a few months before she died. "Erica was trying to find a piece of decor on (Facebook) Marketplace," Christopher recalled. "She messaged someone about something, and that person turned out to be Denise (Archer) - Dolores' daughter."

"I got a long message (from Archer, who said), 'I know that house, and my room is the room you named the Hackenberger Studio,'" said Erica. "She invited us to her home." When they met Hackenberger, she was able to confirm that the frames on their paintings were made by either her husband or her son. She also gave them details about the house where they now live. "She told us that her dad put the paneling in the Gathering Room, which was originally the kitchen," said Erica.

During their visit with the artist, Hackenberger also dropped names about some of her famous clients. "She told us a story about Rod Stewart in a white suit carrying a painting out of this house," recalled Christopher. Erica remembers that Hackenberger said that Dick Van Dyke also showed up to make a purchase.

The idea to include a tour of Osceola Mill House as part of an event honoring Hackenberger came about when Intercourse Library board of trustees members Tammy McCauley and Michele Lichty visited the bed-and-breakfast as part of the Intercourse Merchants Association Lodging Christmas Cookie Tour. Lichty had recently inherited some Hackenberger pieces, and both women thought the history of the local artist who once lived in the house would make an interesting subject for a library event.

Readers who wish to attend the free event should register at https://intercourselib.org by Thursday, April 24.