Earth Day events at Nixon Park
Garlic mustard: a pest in the garden, brilliant in the kitchen. (gmayfield10/Flickr)
Nixon County Park celebrates Earth Day with free events from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 22, at the park, 5922 Nixon Drive, Springfield Township.
A family yoga class from noon to 1 p.m. will introduce the healthy, relaxing activity. Yoga mats will be provided for participants who don’t bring one.
From 1 to 4 p.m., attendees are invited to learn about garlic mustard, an invasive plant, and help pull it before trying food made with the plant.
Registration is required for the free programs.
For all the details, visit the York County Parks website or call (717) 428-1961.
Salamander Stroll at Nixon Park
Why, yes, I am strikingly adorable. Thank you for noticing. (Matt Niemi/Flickr)
The Salamander Stroll returns to Nixon County Park on Sunday, April 15, with two chances for eager amphibian-hunters to learn more about the creatures.
The indoor-outdoor program, which includes information about and a stroll looking for frog and toad eggs, adult frogs and toads and native Pennsylvania salamanders, will be offered at 1 p.m. and again at 3 p.m.
Registration is required. Attendees should meet at the Nixon Park Nature Center, 5922 Nixon Drive, Springfield Township.
Be sure to dress for the weather.
For all the details, visit the York County Parks website or call (717) 428-1961.
Backyard Chickens at Dillsburg library
Penn State Extension educator Mary Jo Kraft will talk about keeping chickens in the back yard in a free program at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, at the Dillsburg Area Public Library, 17 S. Baltimore St., Dillsburg.
The program is designed to teach families how to care for a small flock of chickens, including feeding and maintenance.
For all the details, visit the library website or call (717) 432-5613.
Weekly picks: Pa. Herb and Garden Festival
Don’t consider yourself a gardener? Maybe it’s time to start. The Pennsylvania Herb and Garden Festival could change your mind with its easy-for-beginners approach.
The show will feature dozens of vendors and plenty of workshops to help novices get started and allow experts to trade best practices. Learn all about the show — and just how many ways you can use herbs — in the York Weekend feature story.
The herb festival runs from noon to 7 p.m. Friday, April 13, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 14, in Memorial Hall at the York Expo Center, 334 Carlisle Ave., West Manchester Township. Admission is $5.
For all the details, visit the festival website or call the expo center at (717) 848-2596.
If you missed it, catch the York Weekend interview with comedian Kathleen Madigan, who’ll be at the Strand on April 14. Here are Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.
In Extras, try Blue October, the York Book and Paper Fair, dyeing eggs the natural way, some First Friday jazz, an Easter egg hunt and Hersheypark’s spring preview days.
In Openings, catch the fairy-tale story of Cinderella at the ballet or the psychosexual intensity of A Dangerous Method on the big screen.
In Couch Potato, Easter weekend brings the traditional showing of The Ten Commandments.
In Weekend Sports, women’s lacrosse and sprint-car racing are waiting.
For locations and trailers of new movies opening this week in York County, see the new movies post.
2012 Sunset Scramble bike ride schedule
The Sunset Scramble bike ride series returns to the York County Heritage Rail Trail from April through September.
The rides are free and cover 13 to 15 miles per trip. Participants should bring their bike, helmet, light, water and snack money and meet at the designated parking areas. The series repeats itself three times throughout the Scramble season; the second series is the only one with a ride on the trail’s northern extension.
Rides start at 6:30 p.m., head south from the starting point, and return.
The dates and parking areas for meeting up are below.
Hop aboard and go where the trail takes you. (m.giordano/Flickr)
2012 schedule
- April 10: Brillhart Station
- April 17: Glatfelter Station
- April 24: Seven Valleys
- May 1: Hanover Junction
- May 8: Glen Rock
- May 15: Railroad
- May 22: New Freedom
- May 29: Rudy Park – Northern Extension (note: this ride is only 3 to 5 miles)
- June 5: Brillhart Station
- June 12: Glatfelter Station
- June 19: Seven Valleys
- June 26: Hanover Junction
- July 3: Glen Rock
- July 10: Railroad
- July 17: New Freedom
- July 24: Brillhart
- July 31: Glatfelter Station
- Aug. 7: Seven Valleys
- Aug. 14: Hanover Junction
- Aug. 21: Glen Rock
- Aug. 28: Railroad
- Sept. 4: New Freedom
For all the details, visit the York County Parks website or call (717) 840-7440.
Springtime in the Park at Hersheypark
Take the plunge on Storm Runner during Springtime in the Park and prepare yourself for the new coaster, Sky Rush, opening in May. (Neuski/Flickr)
You might be forgiven for missing the fact that winter is over, given that it looked so much like spring this year.
But Hersheypark is happy to remind you with its Springtime in the Park festival, a two-weekend sneak peek at the delights of summer waiting just around the corner.
Dozens of rides, live shows, ZooAmerica and other Hersheypark elements will be up and running for the spring preview.
The fun goes from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, April 6, and on two Saturdays, April 7 and 14, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on two Sundays, April 8 and 15.
Admission is $28.95 for ages 9-54, $18.95 for ages 3-8 and 55 and older, and free for children 2 and younger.
For all the details, visit the Hersheypark website or call 1-800-HERSHEY.
