According to Circle Legacy Center's mission statement, the nonprofit's goal is "to represent Native America to our local businesses, organizations and educational institutions, both the enduring traditions of the past as well as their thriving and challenging contemporary culture." Despite having no official headquarters, Circle Legacy Center strives to bridge the gap between the Native American community and the public by partnering with local organizations, attending events and offering monthly programs in downtown Lancaster.

Circle Legacy Center will host its next Second Friday program from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Nov. 8 at Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster, 328 W. Orange St., Lancaster. The event will feature a performance from Barry Lee of the Native American music group Spirit Wing. Lee will sing and use a water drum to play traditional music from the Eastern Woodland Tribes, and he will give a talk about what Thanksgiving Day means to Native Americans. Lee will also explain the meaning of the songs and offer interactive demonstrations of Native American dancing.

"With November being Native American History Month, we wanted to do something festive," said Victoria Valentine of Millersville, who founded Circle Legacy Center in 2007. "A lot of our programs can get pretty deep and upsetting when talking about Native American history, so we wanted to make this program about music, dancing and having fun."

Circle Legacy Center's Second Friday programs highlight a variety of topics related to Native American culture, history and challenges that Indigenous tribes face in modern times. In the past, the series has explored historical events and discussed movements such as Every Child Matters, which seeks to raise awareness of the treatment of Native American children in residential schools.

This year, Circle Legacy Center partnered with Franklin & Marshall College to assist with Reckoning with Lancaster, a project supported by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that aims to shed light on Lancaster's complex history and relationship to local Native American communities. Through the partnership, members of Circle Legacy Center such as Lee and board president MaryAnn Robins teach classes about Native American culture at Franklin & Marshall College.

In addition to its educational programs and partnerships, Circle Legacy Center frequently participates in community events held by organizations such as the Conestoga Area Historical Society, Blue Rock Heritage Center and Mennonite Life. Members of Circle Legacy Center typically attend events such as Washington Boro Heritage Day and Maize and Snitz Fest to offer demonstrations of Native American traditions and crafts.

Circle Legacy Center's Second Friday programs will continue with an arts and crafts event in December and a movie night in January.

For more information, search for "Circle Legacy Center" on Facebook.