Lancaster PA Events Calendar
January 2012

The Lancaster PA Events Calendar for January has a lot to offer.

This Calendar of Events page is updated regularly. You can be notified of updates to this page by selecting a Subscribe option at the bottom of the left navigation. You can receive an email of the month's highlights three days before the first of each month by subscribing to Visit Lancaster PA Events at the top of the right navigation.

Click on a link below to see the events in that category:

• Family
• Theatre
• Music
• Fridays in Lancaster County
• Other Special Events/Activities

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Family

New Year's Day Pork & Sauerkraut Dinner

January 1, 11am-3pm
Lititz Church of the Brethren
300 W. Orange St.
Lititz, PA

Join us January 1, 2012, for the annual community New Year's Day Pork and Sauerkraut dinner. Over 100 volunteers, including the church youth, prepare and serve this traditional New Year's Day feast that will be held 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. in the Family Life Center.

All proceeds, after expenses, go into the Youth Foundation Fund to help defray the cost for youth to attend work camps and other worthwhile activities.

The menu: Buffet style (one time through). Takeouts are also available.

• Roast Pork
• Sauerkraut
• Hot Dogs, for kids
• "Real" Mashed Potatoes
• Homemade Courtland Applesauce
• Rolls
• Dessert
• Choice of Drinks

Tickets: $10.00 (adults) and $4.00 (children) May be purchased at the door, or in advance at these locations:

McElroy Pharmacy

Stauffer's of Kissel Hill (courtesy desk)

Church Office

North Museum Planetarium

November 25 - January 29
North Museum
400 College Ave.
Lancaster, PA

• One World, One Sky: Big Bird's Adventure
  Saturdays, 11:00 am
  Ages 4-8
  Join Sesame Street's Big Bird and Elmo as they explore the night sky with Hu Hu Zhu, a Muppet from the Chinese co-production of Sesame Street. Together, they take an imaginary trip from Sesame Street to the starry night sky of constellations and to the moon, where they discover how different it is from Earth.
• Extreme-O-What?
  Saturdays & Sundays, 1:00 pm
  Ages 8-12
  With your host Ray O'Sunshine of the Late Night Astronomy talk show you'll answer that very question, Extreme-O-What? Join us for the third installment of live theater in the Planetarium as we explore the world of extremophiles. Travel to Yellowstone National Park, deep under the ocean, or Antarctica - places where we once thought life couldn't possibly exist. The choice is yours as the program has three possible endings.
• Planet Hunter
  Fridays, 1:00 pm
  Ages 8-12
  Join the Planet Hunter as he searches for planets beyond our solar system. This live theatrical performance incorporates audience participation as you'll help identify the planets in our solar system and demonstrate the distance between the sun and the earth. You'll also learn about the challenges in looking for other planets, the current Kepler mission, which is searching for the first earth-like planet beyond our solar system, and how astronomers go about looking for those extrasolar planets.
• Black Holes: the Other Side of Infinity
  Saturdays & Sundays, 2:00 pm
  Ages 10 & older
  Journey into the depths of a black hole with narrator Academy-Award nominated actor Liam Neeson. You'll explore the formation of the early universe, star birth and death, the collision of giant galaxies, and a simulated flight to a super-massive black hole lurking at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy. This cutting-edge production features high-resolution visualizations of cosmic phenomena, working with data generated by computer simulations, to bring the current science of black holes to the dome screen.
• Night Sky Tour
  Saturdays & Sundays, 3:00 pm
  Ages 10 & older
  Our planetarium staff will teach how to identify the stars, constellations, and planets of the current night sky, along with observing tips for upcoming celestial events. Packed with science facts, the sky will come alive and you'll really be able to identify constellations from your own backyard! Night Sky Tour program is different for each operator.
  
  All Night Sky Tour programs include the current night sky, but each operator also emphasizes an additional topic of personal interest.

Close to downtown Lancaster, the North Museum of Natural History & Science opens the window to the worlds of natural history and science. Meet the residents of the Live Animal Room, trace the history of the earliest inhabitants along the Susquehanna River, or travel to far reaching galaxies and beyond in Central Pennsylvania’s largest Planetarium. For more information go to the North Museum web site.

Hands-on House Children's Museum

Hands-on House Children's Museum
721 Landis Valley Road
Lancaster, PA
717-569-5437

Drop-in for Extra Family Fun
Experiment, Express, Explore extra fun and learning during our drop-in programs. Participation is free with regular admission to Hands-on House. All programs are designed for adults and children to experience together. Drop-in anytime during the scheduled time. No pre-registration required.

Ages: 2-10 years with adult
Cost: Free with regular admission to Hands-on House

• Barnyard Buddies
  Tuesday, January 10, Drop-in: 11am-2pm
  Get in the "moo-ed" for a day of fun down on the farm.
• Music Makers
  Janury 5, 6, 31, Drop-in: 11am-2pm
  Strike up the band! It’s time for a Hands-on House “kid’s only” concert in this make-it, take it workshop.
• Where Do You Hide a Dinosaur?
  January 29, Drop-in: 2pm-4pm
  Learn how to become a “fossil finder” when you play hide and seek with a dinosaur.
• Clowning Around
  January 8, 21 Drop-in: 2pm-4pm
  January 20, Drop-in: 5pm-7pm
  Floppy shoes? Red noses? Big silly hats? The clowns must be in town. Take one home with you in this make it, take it workshop.

Other Winter Programs

• "Snow" Much Fun
  January 12-13
  Today’s forecast calls for a “flurry of excitement” with Frosty and his friends. Skate in your socks on our indoor ice rink. Warm your tummy with snowman soup and make a snowman for your yard that will measure each snowfall this winter inch by inch. Please call to reserve a spot.
• Martian Rock
  January 25-26
  All systems are go as we blast off from the HOH space center on mission “Martian Rock”. Navigate with alien antennae as you hop on board our spacecraft for a tour of the solar system that is out of this world. Please call to reserve spot.

Hands-on House, Children’s Museum of Lancaster is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping kids learn and making sure they have lots of fun in the process. The museum is designed for children ages 2-10 years. For more information go to the Hands-on House Children's Museum.

Barnes and Noble

Barnes and Noble
1700 H Fruitville Pike
Lancaster, PA

• Tuesday Morning Storytime
  Every Tuesday 11am
  Join us for a Storytime every Tuesday morning as our booksellers read special stories just for you. Children of all ages are welcome. See you there!
• Wednesday Morning Storytime
  Every Wednesday 11am
  Join us for a Storytime every Wednesday morning as our booksellers read special stories just for you. Children of all ages are welcome. See you there!
• Saturday Afternoon Storytime
  Saturdays, 1pm (Except January 21)
  Join us for a Storytime every Saturday afternoon as our booksellers read special stories just for you. Children of all ages are welcome. See you there!
• Meet Chris, Beamer and the Delta therapy Dogs
  January 21, 1pm
  Join us for a very special Storytime with the Delta Therapy Dogs, who improve human health through their service. Join Beamer and his handler, Chris, as they read in support of literacy for children. See you there!

Paradise Township Model Train Exhibit

Saturdays & Sundays in December & January, 1pm-4pm (except Christmas Day)
Paradise Township Building
2 Township Drive
Paradise, PA

Admission $2.00 Adults, 12 & under FREE. Free Parking--multi-tickets available.

Read, Touch & Discover - 2012

January 5, 12, 19, 26, 10:30am
North Museum
400 College Ave.
Lancaster, PA

2, 4, 6, 8...who do we appreciate? LEGS, LEGS, LEGS! We'll explore what we can learn about animals just from looking at their feet and legs. Whether it's for digging, hopping, swimming, or kicking - legs can play a vital role in how animals survive and thrive. How do animals move with no legs?

Using a different book each week, this program encourages young children to explore their world. An adult is required and older siblings are welcome. Recommended for ages 3-6.

Chocolate Moose Days

January 28 & 29, 10:30am
North Museum
400 College Ave.
Lancaster, PA

A combination of a museum-wide scavenger hunt, crafts, games, and yummy treats has made Chocolate Moose Daze the sweetest event of the year at the North Museum.

Rumplestiltskin

January 7 - February 18
Saturdays - 10 am
Hole in the Wall Puppet Theatre
126 North Water Street
Lancaster, PA

This tale begins when the miller brags to the king that his beautiful daughter can spin straw into gold. Performed with marionettes.

Robert Brock, the founder and artistic director of Hole in the Wall Puppet Theatre, creates all the marionettes used in HIW productions, writes the scripts and music and performs in his unique one-man style-old. His humor apeals to children as well as adults.

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Theatre

Let's Murder Martha

January 27 - March 12
Rainbow Dinner Theatre
3065 Lincoln Hwy E (Route 30 East)
Paradise, PA

Tobias Gilmore and his lovely but ditzy wife Marsha have been extremely lucky in business and love. But lately Tobias works 24/7, and Marsha sits at home reading murder mysteries and wondering why they are growing apart. Is it his age, his work, another woman?! Or could it be he's plotting to kill her? With Marsha anything can happen and it does! Come for the mystery, come for the comedy, come for the fun-- make your reservation today!

A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline

December 23 - February 4
Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre
510 Centerville Road
Lancaster, PA

A tribute to Patsy’s spirit and a celebration of her music. Now you can relive all the passion, the drama, the glamour, and the songs of country music’s greatest legend. Hear all your favorites: Crazy, Sweet Dreams, Walkin’ After Midnight, Leavin’ On Your Mind, She’s Got You and more.

Amahl and the Night Visitors

January 7, 3pm & 7:30pm
OperaLancaster
The Ware Center, Millersville University
42 N. Prince St.
Lancaster, PA

Join us as we perform our annual Christmas show, Gian Carlo Menotti's classic Amahl and the Night Visitors! See how a young boy gets involved with history right before his very eyes! To order tickets, please call 717-872-3811. OperaLancaster is still the only workshop between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia that puts on fully staged opera with lights.

Walk Toward America

January 13-15
Theatre of the Seventh Sister
Stahr Center
438 N. Queen St.
Lancaster, PA

We will present a staged reading of Walking Toward America by award winning local playwright, Sandra Fenichel Asher with director David Montgomery from NYU and his wife Annie Meek as Ilga. Chosen for development as part of the 2011 New Plays for Young Audiences series at NYU’s historic Provincetown Playhouse, the play takes place in the 1940's and is based on a true story, which centers on a young Latvian refugee and her seven-year struggle to reach America.

Join us for our Annual Winter Dance Festival,(January 20-22)

"Sister Friend" & "Show Me the Franklins"

January 26 & 28, 7:30 pm
Millersville University
The Ware Center, Millersville University
42 N. Prince St.
Lancaster, PA

Theatre for Transformation presents an evening of one-act plays. Through music, movement, and sometimes humor, "Show Me The Franklins" dramatizes how our ancestors might have experienced American slavery and freedom. This play offers a fresh perspective on Franklin, who died as president of the abolitionist society without ever freeing one of his own slaves. Appropriate for ages 8 and up. Phyliss Wheatley, 18th century black poet and international celebrity comes to life in a 30-minute drama. This act portrays her friendship with Obour Tanner, as they explore love and understanding of the Divine. Suffused with African American spirituals.

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Music

American Music Theatre

American Music Theatre
2425 Lincoln Highway East
Lancaster, PA

• December 31 & January 2 - Cirque de la Symphonie, New Year's Celebration
• January 14 - Elvis Birthday Bash
• January 15 - Elvis Gospel Show with The Stamps Quartet
• January 27 - Roots & Boots
• January 29 - Bill Engvall

American Music Theatre is the only theatre of its kind in the country that features both touring concerts and Original Shows. The 1,600-seat theatre hosts more than 300 live performances a year –– from Broadway tours to rock legends to famous comedians to today’s hottest acts. For more information go to the American Music Theatre web site.

Elvis & Friends Variety Show

January 4, 11, 18, 25
The Fireside Tavern
1500 Historic Drive
Strasburg, PA
717-687-7979

Enjoy Fireside's fabulous buffet, then IMAGES of ELVIS from the 50’s to the 70’s as he’s visited by a PARADE of STARS. This is not your typical Elvis Tribute show. It's music & comedy at its best. EVERY WEDNESDAY - Matinee & Evening. Bus Tour & Group rates available! Free Parking!

Saturday Evening Concert Series

January 21, 7pm
Garden Spot Village
Chapel
433 S. Kinzer Ave.
New Holland, PA

Enjoy an evening of reverent jazz performed by the Four Piece Quartet as part of the 2011-2012 Garden Spot Village Saturday Evening Concert Series.

Sing for Hope Gala

January 21, 8pm
East Coast MCC
Fulton Theater
12 N. Prince St.
Lancaster, PA

Lancaster-native and renowned operatic soprano, Madeline Bender and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)'s education sponsorship program, Global Family are pleased to present the 4th Annual Sing for Hope, Winter Opera Gala. The evening of exceptional vocal performances will be held on Saturday evening, January 21st, at the Fulton Theatre and will include a range of musical styles, from spirituals and operatic pieces to excerpts from well-loved musicals. Inspired by the 30-year legacy of MCC's Global Family Program, all of the performers donate their time and their talents for both the concert and a master class. The concert proceeds enrich the lives of children and families around the globe by generating valuable funds for hundreds of educational and community projects. By supporting the Sing For Hope Winter Opera Gala, you help make creative, community-based education available to children and young adults.

Lancaster Symphony Orchestra

January 13, 14, 15
Lancaster Symphony Orchestra
Fulton Theater
12 N. Prince St.
Lancaster, PA

ROSSINI La Cenerentola Overture Rossini’s trademark crescendos and his penchant for having fun with his music are both exhibited in this overture to his comedic opera, La Cenerentola (Cinderella). Have a ball!

MOZART Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor, K. 466 Ignat Solzhenitsyn, piano His Nobel Prize-winning father made his mark in literature; Ignat has made his in music, in both Russia and the U.S. Join this renowned pianist as he interprets the dark drama of Mozart with our orchestra.

SCHUMANN Symphony No. 3 “Rhenish” Another first! We are delighted to share the first Pennsylvania presentation of the “Mahler Revisions.” Schumann’s Third Symphony, comprising five movements, was inspired by Wagner. Meet a “new” Schumann as you enjoy Gustav Mahler’s illuminating and exciting re-orchestration of this celebration of the Rhineland.

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Fridays in Lancaster County

First Fridays - Downtown Lancaster

A fun-filled celebration of the arts every month. Discover new exhibitions, performances, music, and more every month as you explore 70 diverse arts venues in this walkable and attractive urban center. Most venues open 5-9pm. Free. Details and map at Lancaster City Arts.

Second Fridays - Downtown Lititz

Join downtown merchants in a lively evening of shopping, live music performances, art exhibits, poetry readings, jewelry shows, special Lovin’ Lititz every 2nd Friday.

Fourth Fridays - Downtown Mount Joy

Always a happening evening in Downtown Mount Joy. Each Fourth Friday is different from the last, but always tons of fun. Fourth Friday events run from 5 PM to 8 PM in Downtown Mount Joy. Make Fourth Fridays your family night, call up your friends and spend time together, or create a date night with your special someone - Dine out, Stroll from place to place, Browse shops, and most of all - Enjoy yourself!

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Other Special Events/Activities

Community Clothing Giveaway

January 28 9am-1pm
Trinity Lutheran church
47 W. Main St.
Mount Joy, PA

Trinity Lutheran Church will have clothes of all sizes for people to pick up for free. They will also provide a free hot meal for all who come. For more information, please call 717-653-4168.

Excel in Motion Dance Convention

January 28-29
Lancaster County Convention Cener
25 South Queen St
Lancaster, PA

Excel in Motion is proud to host the East Coast's newest dance convention. Excel is sure to be a fun and challenging experience for all participants. Come join us and inspire the passion of dancers everywhere! For more information go to the Excel in Motion web site.

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