The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, 300 Gap Road, Strasburg, will offer its yearly Reading on the Rails event on Saturday, March 11. The event will be included in regular museum admission and will incorporate book readings from various members of the community every 30 minutes after the museum opens at 10 a.m.

During the morning, community members such as the director of the Strasburg-Heisler Library, a local author and the arts and communications manager from the Ware Center in Lancaster will have readings. In the afternoon, the director of the Railroad Museum and volunteers will present for attendees. Some of the books that will be read are on topics relating to the railroad; however, many readers choose to just bring their favorite books to share.

"We're a big group of readers here at the Railroad Museum, so we enjoy the convergence of reading and railroading," said Elizabeth Myers, program coordinator of the museum. "We always have a good mix of railroad and non-railroad-themed books to share."

During the afternoon portion of the event, therapy teams from Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services will be in attendance. Visitors will have an opportunity to practice reading to animals for this portion of Reading on the Rails.

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania first started hosting the event over 10 years ago for National Read Across America Day. The museum decided to put its own spin on the holiday and tie the activities into railroading. Children who participate will receive a cardboard suitcase that they can decorate. For each reading that they attend, kids can earn a sticker to adorn their suitcase with, including a paw print sticker, which may be earned by reading to one of the service animals. "It's fun to see the ways in which kids react to what's being read. Each reader brings their own spin, and hopefully, it fosters a lifelong love of reading in the community," Myers said.

The museum will be among nearly 20 museums and historic sites along Pennsylvania's Trails of History that will celebrate Charter Day on Sunday, March 12. The museum will offer free admission from noon to 4 p.m. Charter Day marks when King Charles II signed the original charter for the commonwealth of Pennsylvania in March 1681, conveying the land to William Penn.

On Tuesday, April 4, registration will open for the museum's summer camps. During the summer camps and the museum's other children's events, kids are able to view the museum's collection from behind the scenes and learn more about railroading and its impact on history. "We talk about history and how railroading changed lives and communities," Myers said. "We also show how it's still used today to bridge the past and future."

For more information, visit http://www.rrmuseumpa.org.