Charter Day
March 9
noon – 5:00 p.m.
Celebrate the founding of Pennsylvania at eh Ephrata Cloister, an example of America’s heritage of religious freedom. Admission is FREE. The Ephrata Cloister Chorus will perform in the Saal at 2:00, 3:00 and 4:00 p.m.

Community Days
April 30, May 30, October 24
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Discover the activities of the Cloister during this special hands-on educational program. Stations present a variety of activities such as colonial clothing, printing, and the life of Ephrata’s earliest residents. Advance registration is strongly encouraged. Admission charged.

Sounds of Spring: Ephrata’s Musical Heritage
February 16
7:00 p.m.
Garden Spot Village, New Holland
April 13
4:00 p.m.
Elizabethtown College, Leffler Chapel
May 18
4:00 p.m.
Conestoga Church of the Brethren, Leola
The Ephrata Cloister Chorus presents music from the Ephrata Cloister and early America in concerts celebrating the sounds of the past. Donations collected.

Building History
May 3 and 4
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Discover the history of old houses and learn how to care for your historic home. Craftsmen will be demonstrating a wide variety of building techniques including 18th-centiury wall construction, log hewing and shingle making. Special lectures will offer information on preservation and clues to researching old houses. Admission charged.

Peace in War: Ephrata in the Revolution
July 12 and 13
Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, noon to 4:00 p.m.
As the American colonies sought independence, residents of Ephrata lived lives on non-violence and nonresistance. That changed when the American army used the Cloister as a hospital in 1777 and seized books from the printing office. Discover how the Revolution touched this small community with special activities and talks commemorating the 230th anniversary of Ephrata’s Revolutionary hospital. Admission charged.

Ephrata Cloister 1900
September 14
Noon to 5:00 p.m.
The 20th-century began with a memory of Victorian life and an eye set on the industrialization of a new age. New interest in the Cloister attracted artists, authors, tourists with cars and cameras. Relive the period from the 1880s through the 1920s as the day comes alive with antique cars, a baseball game, and tours of the upper levels of the Sisters’ House fitted with images of the displays that cone filled the empty rooms. Admission charged.

Apple Dumpling Day
October 11
beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Enjoy a tasty treat: a warm apple with cinnamon and sugar wrapped in a flaky crust. Funds raised at this event help purchase original Ephrata Cloister artifacts.

Christmas at the Cloister
December 8 and 9
6:30, 7:45 and 9:00 p.m.
Spend a few moments in quiet reflection with seasonal readings and holiday music in the historic Saal. Seating is limited and advance tickets are required. Tickets are available to members of the Ephrata Cloister Associates in The Museum Store beginning November 1, 2008 or by mail with a post mark dated on or after November 1, 2008. Tickets are available for the general public in The Museum Store on November 8, 2008 or by mail with a post mark dated on or after November 8, 2008. Mail requests for tickets must include a first and second choice of program day and time, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, a daytime contact phone number and $4.00 for each ticket. Tickets for the 9:00 p.m. programs are FREE. Checks can be mailed and made payable to: Ephrata Cloister Associates and mailed to: Christmas at the Cloister tickets,
632 West Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522. Requests will be filled in the order they are received. NO exchanges or refunds will be made.

Lantern Tours
December 26, 27, 28, 29
6:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tours begin every half hour
These tours take you back in time to visits the Cloister as it may have appeared in the 1700s. Each year’s story offers a cast of junior and senior high school students playing the roles that bring history to life. Reservations are required. Call the Cloister after December 1. Admission charged.