Heritage Day at Brubaker Homestead will take place on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will be held at the 1792 Brubaker Homestead in Brubaker Park, 414 Long Lane, East Earl. The event will be a celebration of the rich history of Lancaster County from the 18th-century frontier to the early 20th century.

Historical interpretation and hands-on family activities will offer learning experiences for children. The event will feature 1700s frontier life, a trapper camp, Civil War soldiers, an early 1800s family homestead, an indigenous Leni Lenape settlement, domestic and industrial crafts and processes, artisans, historical interpreters, and re-enactors from all over the region. Visitors can interact with the artisans, craftspeople, historians, musicians, and representatives of the various traditional trades.

Youngsters can participate in the homestead scavenger hunt, play early American games, and create early toys and crafts. Family groups can register and compete in the new Woods Walk where they can experience life in a trappers' camp, participate in musket shooting, and compete in tomahawk throwing, archery, and more.

Entering the 19th century, visitors will learn how to make paper, listen to storytelling, and learn about open-fire cooking. The early farmstead had to fulfill all its own needs. Artisans and interpreters will show how soap was made and hides were tanned. Visitors will learn how bread was baked in an outdoor beehive oven and how cooking was done in the homestead kitchen fireplace. They will learn about spinning and weaving, talk with an early laundress and seamstress, and explore a country store.

Late 19th- and 20th-century industrial processes and equipment will be displayed and demonstrated. Everyone can meet the blacksmith and the metal casters and see early tractors.

There will be plenty of old-fashioned foods, including open fire-cooked apple butter, homemade soups, chicken barbecue, hot dogs, snacks, baked goods, and more. At noon, a themed basket auction will be held.

Admission and parking are free. This event is sponsored by the Pathways Community Homeschool in partnership with Brecknock Township. Net proceeds from this event support the Pathways Community Homeschool, a 501(c)(3) educational organization.