Visitors Center, Renfrew Park

Raised hands with trash and recycle sign, vector illustration Co-sponsored by Antietam Watershed Association and The Institute at Renfrew. Still confused about what’s recyclable and what isn’t? Local experts address the status of recycling in the Waynesboro area and Franklin County. Panelists include: Washington Township Manager, Jeff Geesaman; Waynesboro Boro Manager, Jason Stains; Franklin County […]

To celebrate 25 years of the Institute at Renfrew’s spring kite fly event, kite masters George and Sam Adams will present a program on kite power. Learn how kites have been used historically—not just for recreation, but to move machines and generate electricity. The Adams brothers will then help guests build their own kite from […]

The safety and health of our community are of utmost importance to us. This program has been postponed. The new date is yet to be determined and will be posted here when confirmed.  Presented by Andre Weltman, Chairman, Friends of Pine Grove Furnace State Park. Andre Weltman will discuss the impact of the iron industry—in […]

Presented by Roger Swartz, Author, Educator & Historian and Deborah ‘Turtle’ Swartz, Native American Living Historian & Authority An illustrated overview of the history and way of life of Pennsylvania’s Native Americans will be presented. Covering the period from circa 1525 through 1800, the Swartzes will talk about the major groups of Native Americans living […]

Dr. Lawrence Marschall, Professor of Physics Emeritus, Gettysburg College, discusses what astronomical conditions can affect the climate of a planet. He asks, “How do we know that current climate change is not caused by astronomical changes?” Come to this free program to learn more about this “hot topic.” Night sky viewing after the program, weather […]

As reports of increasing numbers of snowy owl sightings emerged across Pennsylvania and other northern states in the winter of 2013–14, a team of researchers gathered to learn more about these owls, calling their effort Project SNOWstorm. Steve Huy is a co-founder of Project SNOWstorm, and co-director of Project Owlnet, a long term study of saw-whet […]

Lane Whigham with an Eastern Hellbender, a species of salamander that live in Pennsylvania waterways. Find out “What’s Up With the Chesapeake Bay?” during a free program on Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. in the visitors center at Renfrew Park. The program is presented by Renfrew Institute in partnership with the Antietam Watershed Association […]

Geologist Jeri Jones In partnership with the Franklin Co. Rock & Mineral Club, geologist Jeri Jones presents a fun and educational program. There have been many reports of gold found in southeastern Pennsylvania and Maryland, where commercial mines operated into the 1940s. Also, learn how fossils are formed and how to find them. Jones will […]

First program in the 3-part lecture series, Penn’s Woods Over Time. Presented by Dr. David Foster, Professor of Biology & Environmental Science, Messiah College (photo). A local author and forager, Foster spent over a year and a half living outside, and has studied the plants of the world from Pennsylvania to Washington state, Alaska, Florida and the desert […]

Donna Selfridge Spangler will lead a workshop to teach the historic art of the fraktur, a Pennsylvania German tradition to decorate documents such as birth or marriage certificates. Using pens, ink and watercolors, and their choice of laid or woven paper, both used during the time period of fraktur, participants will learn basic fraktur lettering and what […]

To celebrate 2018's designation as the Year of the Bird, Tom Keller, the bobwhite quail and wild pheasant biologist with the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), will discuss the reintroduction of the Northern Bobwhite Quail to the Letterkenny Army Depot area. Once a popular game bird and a beloved mascot of the Pennsylvania farmer, the bobwhite quail […]