The Mount Joy Area Historical Society will host Robert Phoenix as guest speaker at its monthly meeting to be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 16, at the Cemetery Road Schoolhouse, 120 Fairview St., Mount Joy.

Phoenix, known as "The Powwow Guy," will present a program about Powwowing, which is a Pennsylvania-born tradition of Christian faith healing and folk magic as developed within the Pennsylvania Dutch culture. The program will include a brief history of the tradition along with an approachable discussion of what Powwowers do and how they do it. The discussion will allow an opportunity for attendees to relate their own personal experiences with Powwowing, and a few Powwow rituals will be demonstrated.

A Powwower of Austrian/German ancestry, Phoenix has, for the past 20 years, endeavored to share information about the tradition of Powwow freely in an effort to dispel misinformation. In 2008, he initiated his website, http://www.PAGermanPowwow.com, where he shares his experiences and knowledge.

Mount Joy's monthly historical society meetings include a brief business session, followed by guest speakers from throughout the region presenting a variety of historic topics. Refreshments follow the program. The meetings are free and open to the public.

The society building is open every Sunday afternoon from 1 to 4 p.m. The community is welcome to stop by to do research and see the many displays of Mount Joy memorabilia. For more information, visit http://www.mountjoyhistory.com.