The community is invited to explore Lancaster County's early indigenous and European cultures at the Maize & Snitz Fest on Saturday, Sept. 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 1719 Museum, 1849 Hans Herr Drive, Willow Street. Visitors will be able to tour the home built in 1719 for the Herr Family and learn about local indigenous life at the Lancaster Longhouse. Also featured will be historical demonstrations, shopping from local vendors and food.

Interpreters and craftspeople will lead demonstrations throughout the day near the Herr House and the Lancaster Longhouse, offering insight into historic cultures, industries and art forms. Attendees will be able to visit the blacksmith shop, learn about gardening and medicinal plants, see a bake oven demonstration, learn about the craft of corn husk cordage and experience an interpretation of indigenous 18th-century life.

At the Herr House kitchen garden, visitors will be able to learn what the Herr family may have grown on their homestead and what the museum grew this year. A full demonstration schedule is available at http://www.mennonitelife.org/events.

Specific activities for children will include corn husk doll making; a scavenger hunt with prizes; scherenschnitte, which is German paper cutting; and fraktur, a Pennsylvania German form of illuminated script.

Fruit from the 1719 Museum's own orchard will be available for purchase as well as snitz fry pies, sausage sandwiches, apple dumplings, whoopie pies, apple cider and bottled water.

Traditional crafts at the artisan stalls will include fraktur and wood grain painting, important to 18th-century Pennsylvania German communities, and Native American pine needle crafts, finger weaving and drums. A woodworking vendor will feature bowls and utensils hand-hewn from branches using traditional tools; another vendor will demonstrate the process of yarn dyeing, spinning and weaving.

An admission fee will be charged. There will be separate prices for adults and youths ages 7 to 14. Admission is free for children age 6 and under. The event will be held rain or shine.