Schuylkill County History Fair,Saturday Feb. 11th.

[jeff of pa]

Schuylkill County History Fair, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Fairlane Village mall.


The free event, which has grown from a few people to hundreds, is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Usually, most of what is going on is right there in center court, and then it kind of spreads out from there."

as usual the weather will not be perfect, but doesn't look like a blizzard conditions this year.so attendance should be up. .




The point of the event, organized by the Schuylkill County Coalition of Historical Societies and Museums, is to give people a centralized location to learn about the history of the county and give them a chance to connect with the historical societies from local towns.

The Historical Society of Schuylkill County has been around since 1903. Since then, active societies have emerged in Orwigsburg, Pine Grove, Cressona, Ashland, Mahanoy City, Shenandoah, Frackville, Minersville, Port Clinton, Saint Clair, Schuylkill Haven, Tremont, Shenandoah, Girardville and Auburn.

The point of the event, organized by the Schuylkill County Coalition of Historical Societies and Museums, is to give people a centralized location to learn about the history of the county and give them a chance to connect with the historical societies from local towns.
Various societies will host informational displays and give talks and presentations about aspects of Schuylkill County's rich heritage.
People interested in various aspects of the county's history will not be disappointed. there will be presentations on mining, canals and daily life,
Native Americans, and the French and Indian War era in Pennsylvania.


There will be old maps, letters and other documents on view, including some rare original ones.

 

[jeff of pa]

Annual history fair continues to grow; adds new vendors for this year’s event



Eric Peddigree / Published: February 10, 2017
History buffs can delve into stories from Schuylkill County’s past this weekend at Fairlane Village mall.

The annual History Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the shopping center in Pottsville. The event is hosted by the Schuylkill County Coalition of Historical Societies in recognition of American History Month.

Jennifer Bowen, president of the coalition and the Orwigsburg Historical Society, said there are 18 participants this year. It’s the highest number in the fair’s history.
“This is the biggest we have ever had. It’s exciting for me and coalition members are excited about it,” Bowen said.
She said a new addition this year is Coal Region Racing. According to the group’s website, its motto is “preserving the history of the dirt track of Schuylkill County, PA.”
One of the participants will be the Schuylkill County Historical Society. They plan to have updates on what they have been doing over the past year, including changing records to digital form.
They will also have merchandise for sale, which is an important part of the event for the participating organizations, according to Bowen.
For example, Francis J. Burke, author of “Schuylkill County’s Buried Past: An Introduction to Archaeology,” will be at the fair. His book was published by the Orwigsburg Historical Society in 2004.
“We’ll have his books for sale and he will be signing books, and he will be available to evaluate any artifact that someone brings,” Bowen said previously.
It is one of the factors that is bringing in larger crowds.
“It grows every year. Each year we get more and more people,” Bowen said.
Another factor for the fair’s growth is Bowen’s decision to hold the event on the same weekend every year — the second weekend of February. She said there are two reasons they hold the event in February. First, it’s American History Month. Second, there are not a lot of other events going on this time of year.
Despite the risk of wintry weather, the History Fair has never been canceled. In fact, there is no rain/snow date scheduled. According to the National Weather Service, there is a slight chance for snow Saturday morning, before changing to a chance of rain in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the low 40s.

http://republicanherald.com/news/an...s-new-vendors-for-this-year-s-event-1.2152895