Instructions: Please click on the calendar of events for more details.
Events in May 2026
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April 26, 2026
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April 27, 2026(2 events)
6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:30 pm: Monday Lecture Series- "Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune and the Massachusetts 54th" hosted by Dakota Bricker6:30 pm: Monday Lecture Series- "Blue-Eyed Child of Fortune and the Massachusetts 54th" hosted by Dakota Bricker – The Fendrick library is excited to welcome, local historian, Dakota Bricker present:
"....For those men in the regiment who were either born in, resided in, or enlisted from south-central Pennsylvania, from where did they exactly come? Of the 124, a full one-quarter of them—32—claimed the small Franklin County town of Mercersburg as their home. Founded in 1780, Mercersburg—also the birthplace of James Buchanan, who preceded Abraham Lincoln in the White House—was a very small town. By 1860, the total population numbered only 900 men, women, and children, and, of this number, only 89 were identified as Black. While some of the 54th’s soldiers from south-central Pennsylvania may have come from Mercersburg-proper, most hailed from the area’s surrounding townships and rural farmlands. Many likely came from a thriving African American settlement located two miles west of Mercersburg known locally as “Little Africa,” which was home to more than 400 Black men, women, and children in the years before the war. Not surprisingly, this area of south-central Pennsylvania, being located so close to Maryland and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was a heavily traveled area along the Underground Railroad and many of the African Americans residents of “Little Africa” were either once enslaved or were the children of those who had previously and successfully achieved freedom. There they sought safe haven as well as the protection of a large community, composed also of free-born Pennsylvanians. Still, the Black residents of “Little Africa” and of all of south-central Pennsylvania remained ever wary and watchful for white Fugitive Slave Patrols and “slave catchers” from the South and from within neighboring communities. In total, 88 African American men from around Mercersburg and from “Little Africa” served in the Union army, 32 of them in the 54th Massachusetts.[8] From the area around Mercersburg came the Christy brothers—Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, and William, the sons of Jacob and Catherine Christy—who served side-by-side in the ranks of Company I, 54th Massachusetts. Of the four fighting Christy brothers, two were destined to be seriously wounded in combat, while a third died in enemy hands after falling wounded at the Battle of Olustee. There was another set of four brothers who also served from the area around Mercersburg. They were the Krunkleton Brothers (sometimes spelled Crunkleton). Cyrus, James, William, and Wesley Krunkleton—all farmers—were mustered into service on the same date—May 6, 1863—becoming privates in Company K, 54th Massachusetts. Another brother, Henry, fought in the 54th’s sister regiment, the all-Black 55th Massachusetts Infantry. Like the Christy family, the Krunkletons also paid a heavy price. Two of the brothers were wounded in combat but survived and returned home; the other two did not. Most of the 54th’s soldiers from Mercersburg and its surrounding area were mustered into service in either late April or early May 1863, having traveled to Camp Meigs, in Readville, Massachusetts, where the regiment was being trained and organized. In late May, the 54th departed Massachusetts and sailed to the coast of South Carolina. The men of the regiment from Mercersburg and all of south-central Pennsylvania were thus many hundreds of miles away from their homes and families when in late June 1863 soldiers of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia passed directly through their home area on the invasion that would ultimately culminate at the Battle of Gettysburg. Making their way north, Robert E. Lee’s men captured and kidnapped Black women, children, and men from southern Pennsylvania, bounding them by rope, placing them in wagons, and taking them south to be sold into slavery. This was especially true in and around Mercersburg. The Reverend Philip Schaaf recorded in his diary that “public and private houses were ransacked; horses, cows, sheep, and provisions stolen day by day without mercy; negroes captured and carried back into slavery (even those I know to have been born and raised on free soil).” It was, declared Schaaf, “a regular slave hunt” in Mercersburg, which presented the “worst spectacle” he saw during the course of the war. Thomas Creigh, also of Mercersburg, echoed Schaaf’s description of events, writing about one especially “terrible day” when Confederate “guerillas” passed several times through town with “several of our colored persons with them, to be sold into slavery.” When they finally left town that day, said Creigh, they carried with them “about a dozen colored persons, mostly contrabands, women and children. . . .Some of them were bound with ropes, and the children were mounted in front or behind the rebels on their horses.” One cannot know for certain, but there is a more than probable chance that among those so brutally hunted down, kidnapped, and sold into slavery while Lee’s Confederates operated in Pennsylvania were family members and friends of those 124 men who were serving in the 54th from south-central Pennsylvania, especially those who called Mercersburg home." - www.nps.gov/articles/000/54th-massachusetts-infantry.htm
Book Summary
"On the Boston Common stands one of the great Civil War memorials, a magnificent bronze sculpture by Augustus Saint-Gaudens. It depicts the black soldiers of the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry marching alongside their young white commander, Colonel Robert Gould Shaw. When the philosopher William James dedicated the memorial in May 1897, he stirred the assembled crowd with these words: "There they march, warm-blooded champions of a better day for man. There on horseback among them, in the very habit as he lived, sits the blue-eyed child of fortune. "In this book Shaw speaks for himself with equal eloquence through nearly two hundred letters he wrote to his family and friends during the Civil War. The portrait that emerges is of a man more divided and complex--though no less heroic--than the Shaw depicted in the celebrated film Glory. The pampered son of wealthy Boston abolitionists, Shaw was no abolitionist himself, but he was among the first patriots to respond to Lincoln's call for troops after the attack on Fort Sumter. After Cedar Mountain and Antietam, Shaw knew the carnage of war firsthand. Describing nightfall on the Antietam battlefield, he wrote, "the crickets chirped, and the frogs croaked, just as if nothing unusual had happened all day long, and presently the stars came out bright, and we lay down among the dead, and slept soundly until daylight. There were twenty dead bodies within a rod of me." When Federal war aims shifted from an emphasis on restoring the Union to the higher goal of emancipation for four million slaves, Shaw's mother pressured her son into accepting the command of the North's vanguard black regiment, the Fifty-fourth Massachusetts. A paternalist who never fully reconciled his own prejudices about black inferiority, Shaw assumed the command with great reluctance. Yet, as he trained his recruits in Readville, Massachusetts, during the early months of 1963, he came to respect their pluck and dedication. "There is not the least doubt," he wrote his mother, "that we shall leave the state, with as good a regiment, as any that has marched." Despite such expressions of confidence, Shaw in fact continued to worry about how well his troops would perform under fire. The ultimate test came in South Carolina in July 1863, when the Fifty-fourth led a brave but ill-fated charge on Fort Wagner, at the approach to Charleston Harbor. As Shaw waved his sword and urged his men forward, an enemy bullet felled him on the fort's parapet. A few hours later the Confederates dumped his body into a mass grave with the bodies of twenty of his men. Although the assault was a failure from a military standpoint, it proved the proposition to which Shaw had reluctantly dedicated himself when he took command of the Fifty-fourth: that black soldiers could indeed be fighting men. By year's end, sixty new black regiments were being organized. A previous selection of Shaw's correspondence was privately published by his family in 1864. For this volume, Russell Duncan has restored many passages omitted from the earlier edition and has provided detailed explanatory notes to the letters. In addition he has written a lengthy biographical essay that places the young colonel and his regiment in historical context." - muse.jhu.edu |
April 28, 2026
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April 29, 2026(3 events)
10:30 am: Preschool Storytime10:30 am: Preschool Storytime Join us for a storytime designed for children preschool ages as we share, grow, play and learn together through books and nursery rhymes. 6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Crochet Class6:00 pm: Crochet Class – Crochet Class meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM! |
April 30, 2026
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May 1, 2026
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May 2, 2026
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May 3, 2026
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May 4, 2026(2 events)
6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Youth Book Group6:00 pm: Youth Book Group – Who: Kids in grades 6-12 |
May 5, 2026
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May 6, 2026(3 events)
10:30 am: Preschool Storytime10:30 am: Preschool Storytime Join us for a storytime designed for children preschool ages as we share, grow, play and learn together through books and nursery rhymes. 6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Crochet Class6:00 pm: Crochet Class – Crochet Class meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM! |
May 7, 2026
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May 8, 2026(1 event)
7:00 pm: Fendrick Library Book Group7:00 pm: Fendrick Library Book Group Fendrick Library Book Group
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May 9, 2026(1 event)
9:00 am: Used Book Sale/ Spring Fest9:00 am: Used Book Sale/ Spring Fest – FENDRICK LIBRARY USED BOOK SALE during Historic Mercersburg's Spring Fest - Rain or Shine 9 AM- 3 PM, browse a huge used book selection indoors at the Fendrick Library! All books at the sale are donated by generous community members! Great prices and many genres to choose from: biographies, novels, classic literature, cookbooks, children’s, young adult, health, recreation, religion, history, FREE Magazines and much more! Paperbacks are $ .50, hardbacks are $1.00, plus shop our vintage & rare book table for starting at a $10 donation. All proceeds benefit the Fendrick Library, thank you for your continued support! Please call the library for more information, 717-328-9233
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May 10, 2026
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May 11, 2026(1 event)
6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 |
May 12, 2026
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May 13, 2026(3 events)
10:30 am: Preschool Storytime10:30 am: Preschool Storytime Join us for a storytime designed for children preschool ages as we share, grow, play and learn together through books and nursery rhymes. 6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Crochet Class6:00 pm: Crochet Class – Crochet Class meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM! |
May 14, 2026
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May 15, 2026
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May 16, 2026
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May 17, 2026
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May 18, 2026(2 events)
6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:30 pm: Monday Night Lecture Series- From Manuscript to Marketplace6:30 pm: Monday Night Lecture Series- From Manuscript to Marketplace – |
May 19, 2026
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May 20, 2026(3 events)
10:30 am: Preschool Storytime10:30 am: Preschool Storytime Join us for a storytime designed for children preschool ages as we share, grow, play and learn together through books and nursery rhymes. 6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Crochet Class6:00 pm: Crochet Class – Crochet Class meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM! |
May 21, 2026
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May 22, 2026
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May 23, 2026
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May 24, 2026
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May 25, 2026(1 event)
All day: CLOSED- Memorial DayAll day: CLOSED- Memorial Day All day |
May 26, 2026
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May 27, 2026(2 events)
6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages!6:00 pm: Chess for All Ages! – Join the Mercersburg Chess Club for chess matches every Monday and Wednesday evening from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the Fendrick Library, this club is open to all ages and skill levels, from beginners to advanced players. The Mercersburg Chess Club is hosted by Neil Coleman and Jef Savage. Under the expert guidance of Neil Coleman, participants will have the opportunity to learn new strategies, improve their game, and enjoy friendly competition. Whether you're a seasoned player or just starting, this club offers a supportive and welcoming environment for everyone. Our game evenings are great for kids and adults to put aside their blue screens on cell phones and tablets and have fun in a social setting. The game of chess improves concentration, pattern recognition, and problem-solving skills, and teaches valuable lessons in risk and reward. Play a calculated but risky move, and it may lead to a quick win or a rapid loss. Chess is recognized as an activity that can help preserve memory and cognitive skills. It teaches all players an important lesson: Success comes from accumulating small advantages. It's one of the secrets of life! Chess boards will be provided at the library. We look forward to seeing you there and making new friends over a game of chess! For more information, contact the library at 717-328-9233 6:00 pm: Crochet Class6:00 pm: Crochet Class – Crochet Class meets every Wednesday at 6:00 PM! |
May 28, 2026
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May 29, 2026
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May 30, 2026
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May 31, 2026
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June 1, 2026(2 events)
2:00 pm: Weaving Classes- Table Loom2:00 pm: Weaving Classes- Table Loom –
This is a FREE sampler program for ABSOLUTE Beginners. Fendrick Library, 20 North Main Street, Mercersburg. Mondays : June 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, July 6, 2026. 10:30am – 1:30pm Weaving has been around for 1000’s of years. We tend to link weaving with the larger floor looms that cost $1000’s, are heavy, take up a lot of floor space, and demand large quantities of yarn, making them an expensive proposition. Rigid heddle tabletop weaving looms are budget friendly, versatile, portable, have a small footprint & can fit on a tabletop making this form of weaving accessible. This program provides a creative weaving experience to those who would not normally consider trying weaving. Join Nancy Walker & Jef Savage as they take you on a weaving journey across warps and wefts, to a land of colors and patterns. This program is a practical hands-on experience. Participants will be introduced to the history of weaving from its first documented appearance to modern day weaving artists and their work, cultural context, traditions, practices, fabrics, and applications of weaving. The project will enable participants to design and create a table runner or center piece. All tools and looms are provided. Day One attendance is COMPULSORY. Course completion is impossible without Day One. Participants to provide 100% Cotton Yarn. Details will be provided via your email prior to the program. This is a FREE Program funded by Cultural Alliance of York County & Fendrick Library. Places are LIMITED as only 12 looms are available. To sign up call 717 328 9233 or email: librarian@fendrick.org Copyright Danza Antiqua. All rights reserved 2026.
6:00 pm: Youth Book Group6:00 pm: Youth Book Group – Who: Kids in grades 6-12 |
June 2, 2026
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June 3, 2026
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June 4, 2026
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June 5, 2026
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June 6, 2026
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