Landis Valley Associates

Programs: Landis valley associates (lva) provides educational programs and special events for the landis valley village and farm museum. The educational programs consist of interpretive components for school groups of different grade levels and include experiential components and educational materials tied to curriculum requirements. The lva also sponsors special events and programs throughout the year for the public. The two largest events include "herb and garden faire" in may and "harvest days" in october. Other special events include charter day; talks and lectures; september sundays interpretive programming; the country christmas village holiday program and other events.

the lva sponsors the institute for rural life in june ("summer institute") and in february ("winter institute"). The "institutes" consist of a several day teaching and learning experience for adults who participate in classes to learn historic trades, crafts and domestic activities (such as cooking on an open hearth); hearing talks and lectures by noted historians; and taking field trips of a historic and experiential nature. "institute" is a long standing tradition at landis valley which keeps alive many traditions of the pennsylvania germans in lancaster county.

the lva funds the farm program at the landis valley village and farm museum which includes keeping and propagating various breeds of historic livestock such as draft horses, oxen, sheep, pigs and fowl. The museum demonstrates plowing and working fields with the draft animals and provides horse-drawn wagon rides for visitors and school students throughout the year. The staff also conducts classes in draft horse driving for the public. The farm program also includes the "heirloom seed project" which involves planting and harvesting seeds of non-hybridized heirloom varieties of vegetables, herbs, flowers and small grains. The museum maintains period gardens and fields as part of the museum experience and sells the harvested seeds to the public and to other museums. The museum also produces for publication pamphlets and books relating to the farming program and the history of pennsylvania german gardens and farming practices.

the lva provides crafts people and interpreters to man the historic and exhibition buildings at the landis valley village and farm museum which is one of the largest open air museums in the northeast. The museum consists of 100 acres and 50 structures which include historic structures from the 19th century. Crafts people and interpreters man the museum six days per week from march through october; other forms of interpretation are utilized five days per week from november through february. The lva also provides other interpretive and museum support including helping to fund changing exhibits, upgrading labels and graphics in exhibit galleries and funding reproduction garb and costuming.