The Conestoga Area Historical Society, 51 Kendig Road, Conestoga, will host its annual Spring Fling on Saturday, April 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will entail a slew of children's activities, vendors, food trucks and demonstrations from craftspeople, and the museum will offer tours of its buildings and historic displays.

For its youth activities, the event will offer face painting, egg painting, an egg hunt a balloon artist and an egg race. Reservations are required for the egg race; to register a child for the activity, contact the kfrey0710@gmail.com.

Twenty-five vendors are scheduled to attend the Spring Fling to sell items such as jewelry, homemade crafts and soaps. Food and beverages will be available to be purchased from five food trucks.

The Conestoga Area Historical Society will celebrate the opening of its museum for the spring season on the day of the event. The Conestoga wagon will be on display, and craftspeople will demonstrate a variety of trades, such as broom making, tin smithing, blacksmithing, cloth weaving and pottery making. Each building on the property will be open for tours, and historical artifacts will be available to view in the Atkinson Log House, the Harnish Stone House and the Graver Tobacco Barn. The museum gift shop will be open from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from the day of the event until Sunday, Dec. 10, when the museum will close for the winter.

The Conestoga Area Historical Society began hosting the Spring Fling a couple years ago to engage with the community and to spark interest in the museum. "It's been really successful. We always get so many kids, and they love all of the activities," said Jim Kauffman, a member of the Conestoga Area Historical Society. "It brings people in that have never heard of the museum before, even those who live in Conestoga."

While the museum is closed for the winter, members of the historical society use the break as an opportunity to decorate for the spring, update museum displays and add items to exhibits. This time is also used to complete various projects around the property. Recently, Conestoga Township donated a pavilion near the museum to the historical society. The historical society decided to turn the pavilion into a display to house its Conestoga wagon, and with funds provided by Verizon, the historical society painted, sided, repaired and enclosed the wagon. The display is slated to be completed prior to the Spring Fling.

The Conestoga Historical Society will accept donations during the Spring Fling, which will help to cover the expenses of the event and support the museum's ongoing maintenance projects. The organization has also been raising funds by selling copies of a map of Manor Township from 1852, both framed and unframed. To purchase a copy of the map, visit the Conestoga Area Historical Society during its open hours or contact Kauffman at pawpawkrista@gmail.com.