LANCASTER, PA — The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum at LancasterHistory will host a special April Nature Series extravaganza, "Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day," on Saturday, April 18 from 10am - 2pm at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center. This new, four-hour event features programs for all ages, ranging from an Arbor Day Storytime and craft for kids, to a tree dedication commemorating America250, to tree walks of the Tanger Arboretum, and more.

The Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum (pronounced “tan’-jer”) is an 11-acre arboretum featuring a multitude of plant specimens and garden features on the grounds of LancasterHistory and President James Buchanan’s Wheatland in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The Arboretum includes over 100 species of trees from all over the world as well as two Pennsylvania State Champion trees, pollinator gardens, and an American Conifer Society Reference Garden. The Arboretum is cared for and conserved by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary of LancasterHistory.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
The following events are scheduled for "Leaf & Learn."

• 10am - Tree Walk with Lancaster County Senior Naturalist Lisa Sanchez (all ages welcome);
• 10am - Arbor Day Storytime & Craft (suggested for ages 3-7);
• 11:15am - America250 Tree Dedication (all ages welcome);
• 12pm - Tree Talk with Len Eiserer on "Tanger's America250 Tree & The Patriot Oak" (all ages welcome);
• 12pm - Nature Scavenger Hunt for Kids (suggested for ages 6-12); and
• 1pm - Tree Walk with Lancaster County Senior Naturalist Lisa Sanchez (all ages welcome).

All events are free and open to the public. Registration is requested to help staff and volunteers plan accordingly. To register for any or all of the events, please visit lancasterhistory.org/arborday.

ADDITIONAL THINGS-TO-DO
The Nodding Onion Band will be on-site, jamming to ambient, post-rock music led by electrical frequencies from plants, from 10am-12pm. There will also be light refreshments while supplies last, and vendors with information from 10am-2pm.

AMERICA250 TREE DEDICATION
The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum have selected a Bitternut Hickory (Carya cordiformis) to plant in commemoration of the United States' 250th birthday. The Bitternut Hickory was selected due to Lancaster's ties to hickories. When settlers arrived to the Lancaster area in the 1700s, hickory trees were prevalent, earning the town its first name, "Hickorytown." Hickory forests were vast and thick, and cultivated by local Native Americans for food and medicinal purposes. The tree was instrumental to early life in Lancaster, also providing wood for furniture, flooring, and tools.

"We're thrilled to add this new tree to the Tanger Arboretum. It's a wonderful intersection between natural history and the history of Lancaster, and a perfect fit to commemorate America250," said Emily Miller, Director of Operations. "At the dedication on April 18, we'll have brief remarks and attendees will get to be a part of this community tree planting."

"Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day" will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 10am-2pm at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster. The event is rain or shine, with most programs held outdoors in fair weather and moved indoors in the event of rain. More information and individual event registration is now available at lancasterhistory.org/arborday. Questions can be directed to Emily Miller at emily.miller@lancasterhistory.org.

Thank you to our "Leaf & Learn" sponsors, Pine Brook Farm, Inc. and Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care!

We hope to welcome the Lancaster community to this exciting event, commemorating history and learning about our natural environment!

About The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum
The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.

About LancasterHistory
LancasterHistory is a community-based, not-for-profit organization established to educate the public on the history of Lancaster County and its place in the history of Pennsylvania and the United States, to advance the missions of regional historical organizations, and to promote the acquisition, preservation, and interpretation of resources representing the history of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania within the broader context of state and national history, including the homes of 15th US President James Buchanan and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens and Lydia Hamilton Smith.