From demonstrations of old-fashioned artistry to hands-on fun, Mayfest will offer something for everyone. The annual celebration will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 3. Activities will be held along West High Street and North and South King streets and in Legion Park, 20 N. King St., Maytown, all within walking distance of the Maytown Historical Society's museum at 4 W. High St.

Mayfest is a celebration of the past, an opportunity to mark the founding of the Maytown, which dates to May 1, 1760.

"Come to Mayfest to learn about your town's past and to have a fun family day," said Linda Good, Mayfest coordinator and vice president of the Maytown Historical Society. "You can expect to be entertained and also to learn about life in Maytown 265 years ago."

Historical demonstrators will set up along West High Street.

Patriots Daughters of Lancaster will operate an interactive stand, highlighting Civil War medical information.

"Kids can experience tearing bandages, washing clothes on a washboard, stuffing a mattress, along with information on rationing during that time period," Good explained.

The Color Green will offer a demonstration of glass blowing, and Deb Gepfer will demonstrate needlework. She will also have Maytown needlework sampler patterns available for purchase.

Kelly McCart will demonstrate a pottery wheel, and Alpacas of York will provide a fleece-to-shawl presentation.

Penny candy will be available for children only. John Scarpato will serve as the event's master of ceremonies and will rove throughout the festivities with a microphone, asking attendees historical questions for a chance to win prizes.

At 2 p.m., local couple Janie and Larry Garber will mark 50 years of marriage by renewing their vows at a ceremony in front of the museum.

Second-graders from Donegal Primary School will sing songs and dance to music written in the 1800s, Good shared. "Following the second-graders will be the traditional maypole dance done by students from Donegal Intermediate School (DIS)," she said. "To end the program, the entire town is invited to participate in a cake walk around the square." There is an incidental charge for participating in the cake walk, and the prizes will be homemade cakes and cookies.

"There will be a narrated bus tour highlighting Maytown's businesses in the 1800s," Good said, noting that there is a small fee for adults taking the tour but there is no charge for children who participate. "The bus will also stop, drop off and pick up at the huge vendor fair organized by the Shank Shoppe in Legion Park. There will be 93 stands in the park, with a variety of quality wares for sale and also including a petting area with goats."

Numerous food trucks will set up along King Street, and the museum will sell hot dogs, chili and baked goods.

"A family scavenger hunt will begin near the museum, and the questions and answers will take you on a trip around Mayfest," Good remarked. "Prizes for completing it will be a game played by kids in Maytown long ago."

Crafts and games for children will also be featured. Special pillowcases made by the DIS sewing club and artwork from DIS students will be on display at the Maytown Church of God, 14 W. Elizabeth St.

At Maytown Reformed Church, 11 E. Elizabeth St., pictures of Maytown historical houses, created by first-grade students, will be on display.

"All first-graders participated in Mayfest by drawing a picture of an actual house in Maytown," Good explained. "Pictures were judged, and winner ribbons will be on the winning pictures."

An old-fashioned popcorn wagon will be set up on High Street, and the old bank on West High Street, now a bed-and-breakfast, will be open for self-guided tours.

At 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., Bonnie Frank will showcase her prizewinning shelties in a dog agility show held at 111 S. River St. Access to the show will be through an alley behind the Church of God.

Tickets will be sold to win a hand-carved bird designed by local woodcarver Danny Ebersole, and the museum will be open with a new exhibit on Maytown businesses in the 1800s. The museum will also showcase a recently recovered needlework sampler made in Maytown. Two styles of handmade crocks - a jelly jar with a lid and a midsize crock - will also be sold to celebrate Maytown's birthday.

Proceeds from Mayfest are used to support efforts to preserve Maytown's past.

"We are having a capital campaign to raise money to make our outbuilding climate-controlled in order to preserve our valuable archive collection," Good said. "We also have monthly expenses to keep our museum and the property in good condition."

The rain date for Mayfest will be Sunday, May 4, but many of the activities will not be held if the event is postponed.

For more information or to volunteer, call or text Good at 717-725-2437.