The Isaac Meier Homestead is welcoming the new year with a calendar full of rain-or-shine events that embrace the way of life from centuries past.
Michelle Voydik, chairperson of the Isaac Meier Homestead, provided LebTown with an update on the winter giving fence and what’s happening on the homestead now through May 2025.
Read More: Isaac Meier Homestead announces country fair, remaining 2024 events
At the start of the year, Voydik was required to submit a proposed list of events to Myerstown Borough for approval because the Isaac Meier Homestead organization rents the building from the borough. The proposed list of events has been approved.
Annual winter giving fence
According to Voydik, the winter giving fence was stocked with 118 items as of Tuesday, Jan. 7, with 26 of those items having been taken as of Sunday, Jan. 12.
The donated inventory includes hats, scarves, mittens, and gloves, with sizes ranging from infant through adult. In addition, the homestead received a large donation of handmade blankets, which will be set along with jackets in totes near the fence.
The fence is at 525 S. College St., Myerstown, and is open 24/7 now through Sunday, March 16, for community members to take what they need.
Voydik and Kathy Yang from the Myerstown Recreation Commission worked together to start this initiative as another way to serve the community. Voydik speaks to local school nurses and first responders, who come into contact with community members in need, about the winter giving fence and spreads the word via the Isaac Meier Homestead’s Facebook page.
Those interested in donating to the winter giving fence should place each item in a ziplock bag, mark it with the size, and drop it in the box labeled Winter Giving Fence at the Myerstown Community Library. Voydik said that she stops by the library once per week and takes the items to restock the fence.
Early 2025 classes with open spots
On Saturday, Feb. 15, Joan Betzold will travel from Maryland to lead a class on how to make a lunch basket, which measures about 10″x7″x11″, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $65. The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 20 participants. As of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class was not released to the public, so none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, Feb. 22, Janice Sonnen will lead a wool hooking class — featuring a festive heart-shaped design — from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $50. The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 12 participants, and all participants should bring their own scissors and a lunch. As of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class was not released to the public, so none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, March 8, Karen Wattai will teach a beginner’s class on tatting, which is a type of lacemaking, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $30 and includes everything necessary. The class has a maximum of eight participants. As of Sunday, Jan. 12, none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, March 22, Huberhaus Pottery owners Stephen and Susan Horst will lead a class on sgraffito, a type of redware, or dishware made out of red clay, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the homestead. Participants can choose to make a small plate, which measures about 7″x7″, for $30, or a large plate, which measures about 11″x11″, for $50. The Horsts will take the plates home to fire them and will call participants when they are ready to be picked up.
The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 12 participants, and all participants must bring their own apron and towel. As of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class was not released to the public, so none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, March 29, Sonnen will teach a penny rug class where participants will hand-stitch an oval-shaped penny rug with strawberries on it, from around 9 a.m. to around 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $50, and participants should bring their own scissors and lunch. The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 12 participants. As of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class was not released to the public, so none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, April 5, Betzold will lead a cat head basket class, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class’s cost is still being determined. The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 20 participants. Those interested should visit the Isaac Meier Homestead’s Facebook page for updates on the class.
On Sunday, April 6, Mariell Marencic, a Tower City resident, will teach a needle felting class — featuring a festive bunny-shaped design — from 9 to 11 a.m., at the homestead. The class costs $55 and covers everything except for a piece of foam that is 7 square inches and 2 inches thick that must be brought to the class. The class has a maximum of six participants. As of Sunday, Jan. 12, none of the spots were taken.
On Saturday, May 10, Sonnen will lead a class on creating an oval braided rug that could serve as a table centerpiece, from around 9 a.m. to around 4 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $50. The class has a minimum of five participants and a maximum of 12 participants, and all participants should bring their own scissors and lunch. As of Sunday, Jan. 12, none of the spots were taken.
The Sheepy Series
For the first class in the Sheepy Series, Margi Wright will teach community members how to get fleece ready to spin on Saturday, Feb. 8, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $25. The class has a maximum of 10 participants, with two spots already taken as of Tuesday, Jan. 7.
“We’ll have fleece there that they sheared off of a sheep, and then we’ll go through the process of picking through what’s good wool, what’s not, washing it, how you wash it, how you dry it, and then how you would brush it out, which they call carding,” Voydik said. Wright has been teaching a fair amount of classes at the homestead since Voydik contacted her early last year.
The second class in the Sheepy Series is a drop spindle class led by Wright on Saturday, April 12, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $25 and includes everything necessary. There will be drop spindles and wool available for purchase, with the price point still being determined due to a change in the supplier of the drop spindles. The class has a maximum of 10 participants. The class was released to the public, but none of the spots were taken as of Tuesday, Jan. 7.
For the final class in the Sheepy Series, Wright will teach a class on how to spin on a spinning wheel on Saturday, May 17, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the homestead.
The class costs $25. The class has a maximum of 10 participants, and all participants must bring their own spinning wheel. “We will have a few that you can rent for the day to do the class if you don’t have your own,” Voydik said. As of Tuesday, Jan. 7, the class was not released to the public, so none of the spots were taken.
As a special promotion, the homestead is offering community members who attend all three classes in the Sheepy series a free class that will be held after the series concludes.
Homeschool programming
The Isaac Meier Homestead is starting programming for homeschooled children and other children who are available in the early afternoon on weekdays. Depending on the turnout, the homestead will consider starting programming for other children who are not available at these times, according to Voydik.
Voydik, with the help of two homeschooling mothers, will lead a class on how to crochet a dishcloth on Monday, Feb. 10, starting at 1 p.m. and running until the homeschooled children have completed their dishcloths. The process is anticipated to take one to two hours. The class costs $5. Participants must be ages 10 and up and bring their own crochet hook and yarn.
Wright will teach children ages 10 and up how to open fire dye with natural dyes on Monday, Feb. 24, starting at 1 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $5, and each skein costs $10, with the option to purchase multiple skeins.
Voydik said that the homestead is hoping the children will attend the beginner’s class on crocheting and is “hoping that they come and dye the wool then and then that will be used for another crochet project then.”
Voydik, with the help of two homeschooling mothers, will lead a class on how to crochet a hat on Monday, March 17, which is St. Patrick’s Day, starting at 1 p.m., at the homestead. The class costs $5 and includes a pattern. Participants must be ages 10 and up and bring their own crochet hook and dyed yarn.
Pennsylvania’s birthday
Celebrate Pennsylvania’s birthday, formerly known as Charter Day, with a free trip to the Isaac Meier Homestead, 525 S. College St., Myerstown.
On Sunday, March 9, which also marks the start of Daylight Saving Time for 2025, the homestead will be open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. Community members can observe demonstrations — including a demonstration of hearth cooking and a potential demonstration of baking in the squirrel tail oven.
Peggy Allen-Geesaman will also discuss what theorem painting is — in short, the art of stenciling a picture on velvet fabric — and have several theorem paintings on display at the homestead that day.
Voydik also mentioned that the Conrad Weiser Homestead will also be open to the public on Pennsylvania’s birthday, so folks can squeeze in a visit to both homesteads on their outing.
Tavern night
Isaac Meier Homestead will host the first tavern night of 2025 on Saturday, March 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. Forbes Road Frolic will provide live music for guests to enjoy throughout the night.
Oakgrove Farm Historical Brewing owners and married couple Keith and Angela Taber will be the tavern keepers for the night, tentatively serving Fishhouse Punch, Hot Toddy Punch, Oakgrove Farm Grog, and Claret. In addition, they will discuss tavern life in colonial times as well as the gambling and games that went on back then.
Adults 21 and up can purchase a ticket for $40, with eight of the 30 spots having been taken as of Tuesday, Jan. 7. The ticket covers a colonial-style meal with dessert, as well as two tokens that can “buy” two drinks from the tavern keepers.
According to Voydik, some guests come dressed in attire inspired by the colonial times, while most opt to wear their usual threads.
Open house
Isaac Meier Homestead will host its first open house of the year on Saturday, April 26. Tour guides will take community members on free tours of the homestead from 1 to 3:30 p.m. There will also be demonstrations on prepping fleece.
See below for information about the homestead’s open house scheduled for May.
The Myerstown Carnival
The Elmer C. Ebling Memorial Charity, Inc. will host a carnival in Myerstown from Thursday, May 22, through Monday, May 26, which is Memorial Day. Voydik said the charity would like for the homestead to be open to tours throughout the week of the carnival.
While some of the details are still up in the air, Voydik said that the homestead would likely be open to tours most of the evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. She said that the homestead may have demonstrations going on throughout the week of the carnival as well.
On Saturday, May 24, the homestead will host another open house from 1 to 3:30 p.m., including a fleece-to-shawl demonstration by the BAAhd Girls, which they also exhibited at the 2025 Pennsylvania Farm Show, with the main difference between the demonstrations being that they won’t shear the sheep at the homestead.
Also during the open house, Greg Geesaman, husband of Allen-Geesaman, will demonstrate how gardening was done during the colonial times.
Other ways to get involved with the homestead
For community members interested in other ways to get involved with the Isaac Meier Homestead this year, Voydik said, “We are always looking for volunteers. … They just can message the homestead, and we’ll get back to them. Right now, we’re looking for a treasurer, possible secretary, [and] a vice president.”
Voydik added that the homestead offers flexible volunteer opportunities for community members, including youth. Interested participants would not be required to attend all the meetings or help out with all tours. In addition, or alternatively, they could help with event planning and hosting, planting and tending to the garden, and generally supporting homestead operations.
Community members can also support Isaac Meier Homestead by buying souvenirs, such as $50 prints of a recently commissioned painting of the homestead.
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