Snitz Fest & Heritage Day

A celebration of farm life and culture
What do iron, rye straw and butter have in common? They were all important in the life of the first settlers to Lancaster County in 1711. These three commodities were critical to survival and subsequent growth of the first European settlement in the county.

Join us at the Heritage Festival as we celebrate the agricultural heritage that is the foundation Lancaster County. The first European immigrants to Lancaster County were Mennonite farmers who cleared the land and worked it and created the breadbasket we know today. The Heritage Festival celebrates that hard work and the values left to us by those first immigrants.

Iron was used to make cooking pots, rifles for hunting, hinges for doors, and parts for farming equipment. Rye straw, which is bitter to rodents and bugs, was used for filling mattresses to sleep on, baskets and insulation in the walls of houses. Butter, made from cream, was not only eaten but used as a trading commodity for things like glass and paper.

Learn about all this and more from our master craftsmen and women who will teach you about life in the 18th and 19th centuries as lived by the Pa. Germans.  Dressed in authentic costumes, each volunteer will share their knowledge of life before electricity, cell phones, iPods and tractors.  

All Seasons Catering will be providing delicious traditional Lancaster County foods for purchase in our food tent.  As always, Herr House smoked sausage sandwiches will be available for purchase. 

Admission
$6.00 - Adults
$3.00 - Children 7 - 12
FREE - Children 6 and under

Heritage Festival
Join us at the Hans Herr House for a day filled with hands-on activities:

Thresher
Laundry
Bake Oven
Corn Husk Dolls
Weaving Loom
Decorative Arts
Shingle Making          
Shoe Making
Cooking Over a Fire
Quilting
Candle Making    
Heckling Flax
Butter Churning
Sausage Making