Summer Programs

Admissions: Adults $8.00 , Children (3-12) $5.00 , Children Under 3 FREE!
Group Tours - Minimum of $100.00 with advance reservations
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am-5 pm , Sunday 1 pm-5 pm
Closed Mondays

Tours of the barn and house are offered all summer:

Summer at Quiet Valley is a special time when the farm is alive with the sounds and smells of the 1800s. Visitors to the farm are encouraged to speak with our costumed staff about what life was like 150 years ago. Children especially enjoy meeting our farm animals and discovering how a child's life would have been different if they had been born almost two centuries ago!

The farm is an example of life on a self-sufficient homestead . "Family" guides in period clothing share the daily routine of a typical Pennsylvania German family and its descendants who lived at this location from 1765 to 1913. There are fourteen buildings, including original and reconstructed, on the farm. Our guides take you back in time to relive and observe the activities typical of nineteenth century farm life. The barnyard animals are here to watch, listen and touch. Learn about the role animals played in the daily life of the farm.

Download our Summer Vistor's Guides to get an idea
of our daily tour areas and schedules and a map of the farm:
Daily Visitor Guide
Sunday Visitor Guide

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Wednesdays are Quilting Day and Saturdays we gather around the Bake Oven for delicious freshly baked bread.

Quiet Valley offers glimpses at trades and skills of a bygone day during our Highlight days. Our calendar lists these Highlight days and other special events held during the season.

Summer Youth Programs

2008 Apprentice Groups :

The Summer Apprentice programs are open to boys and girls ages 10 through 14. The groups each meet a different day of the week Tuesdays through Fridays. All groups will meet from 9:30am until 1pm.

Participants can expect to enjoy a wide range of activities including learning about an 1800s farm, old time crafts and games, farm animals, gardening, nature, and more. There is always lots to learn, but with plenty of time to relax and make friends.

Programs range from 5 to 8 weeks in length and range in cost, depending on the program. Space is limited for apprentice groups so early sign up is recommended. Call the Farm at 570-992-6161 or E-mail us for further information or to register for any of these summer programs. Registration and payment for each program is due by June 6.

Apprentice Programs Offered:

Our theme for Harvest Festival this year will be “Cultivating Culture.” This means festival will be about exploring other cultural groups who also immigrated to the United States just like the Pennsylvania Germans. Everyone will learn about hex signs which adorned the barns of our State’s countryside for many years. Were these just decorative accent on the part of the Pennsylvania Dutch or did they have greater significance? Each apprentice will design a hex sign and paint one.

Our Apprentice Group will also explore other cultural influences of the Pennsylvania Germans. One project that will come from this exploration will be the construction of small, sturdy chests that can be painted with patterns typical of that time period.

Each year I try to do at least an introduction to spinning and weaving. We will card wool, try the dreaded drop spindle and our weaving project will consist of making a woven bird house that may be too nice to hang outside for the birds! We may also try a very simple type of tapestry loom that early civilization would have used.

We will do some linoleum block printing, and to tie in with printing lessons we may do a simple Quiet Valley newspaper and share it with the staff and visitors to the farm.

Since my group seems to enjoy cooking over the fire pit, one day we will make our traditional potato pancakes and griddle cookies. In addition to that, one of our Apprentice days will be held on a Saturday so we can work at the Quiet Valley bake oven. The head baker, “Luther”, will teach you how to knead the bread dough and shape a loaf. You will then learn how an outdoor wood-fired bake oven works and bake your loaf. We will discuss wheat, grind some into flour and learn how settlers got yeast to make their bread rise. Best of all we will get to eat our loaves of bread. Bread wouldn’t be the same without homemade butter, so we will each take a turn churning butter to put on our bread.

As a regular part of our summer we include some games (especially Treasure Hunt & Corner Ball), but this year we may try a new one, too. Hay jumping, animal petting and walks to the creek are all part of our summer. At our last session, on Aug. 14 we will have our homemade ice cream farewell party to which families are invited. There’s always a lot to learn, but with plenty of time to relax, have fun and make some new friends. So come on out to the farm and join Aunt Eunice and the Thursday Apprentice Group for a great summer!

Fridays on the Farm will involve a nice variety of activities this summer. We will do interesting things like learning about bees and honey and make a bees-wax candle. We’ll study useful plants like herbs and make chive blossom vinegar that we can try on a salad made from nice fresh Quiet Valley garden greens. Apprentices will get to explore the countryside and discover what trees grow here and the many uses Early Americans had for them. We will try a wood burning project and give you a chance to show the artist in you. Perhaps we’ll use walnuts or onion skins to dye wool and try a felt project. Paper Mache farm animals will be a messy, but fun project. Apprentices are sure to enjoy playing games like “Put and Take”, “Land, Sea or Air” or “Run for Your Supper”. A nice way to finish your Apprentice Program is with the traditional homemade ice cream party at the last session and families are invited to attend. If all this sounds like a good time, sign up for Fridays on the Farm and I’ll see you this summer. Samantha DiPasquale

Three Sessions:
Session 1 - July 7-11
Session 2 - July 14-18
Session 3 - July 21-25
Time: 9:30am to 2:30pm
Minimum of 6campers, maximum of 12
Children who completed 3rd, 4th or 5th grade
Cost: $110.00 or Members: $100.00
Leader: Cheryl Statham

The same program will be run each week and involves a variety of activities such as hiking on the farm, cooking, crafts, games and visits with the animals. Your week at camp is sure to be fun with lots to do and see. Please call Quiet Valley at 570-992-6161 or E-mail us for registration information. Camp fills up quickly so sign up early.