$8 Adults, $6 Seniors/Students with I.D., Members and children 4 and under Free. $20.00 family cap (up to 4 individuals in one household. Half price for additional guests).
Our Halloween Festival features exhibitions and activities about the history of Halloween traditions reaching back over the centuries since the holiday's beginning. Explore the galleries and art by looking for clues in "Castle Quest," our Harry Potter scavenger hunt. Observe a live demonstration of the ancient art of wheat weaving and straw craft. Take our cell phone audio tour, "Angels, Devils and Spirits." Stop by the Castle Cafe, and don't forget to come in costume!
Halloween Festival Press Release 2011: New café offerings this year: lunch, pastries and cider
Glencairn Halloween Festival to feature Harry Potter scavenger hunt, wheat-weaving, ‘Angels, Devils & Spirits’ cell phone audio tour of museum.
A Harry Potter scavenger hunt, wheat-weaving demonstrations, trick-or-treat activity, face painting and an “Angels, Devils and Spirits” cell phone audio tour will highlight a Halloween Festival Oct. 29 at Glencairn Museum in Bryn Athyn.
The family-friendly event for all ages will be held from noon to 5 p.m. at the museum of religious art and history housed in a nine-story medieval-style castle at 1001 Cathedral Rd. This year’s festival also features a light lunch, pastries, coffee, tea, and apple cider.
Also new are the demonstrations of wheat weaving, “an ancient activity associated with the harvest,” said Joralyn Echols, Glencairn’s outreach and public relations coordinator. “In England they are called corn dollies,” she said, “and they were made to ensure a bountiful harvest. Some of the designs brought good luck and protected against witchcraft.” Kirsten Hansen Gyllenhaal of Bryn Athyn will give wheat weaving demonstrations throughout the afternoon and will provide information about the history and significance of several traditional designs on exhibit.
During the Harry Potter scavenger hunt, visitors will search various rooms in the castle for artifacts that relate to episodes in the popular Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling. In the Asian Gallery, participants will search for a Chinese phoenix reminiscent of Fawkes, the magical phoenix who came to Harry’s rescue in the Chamber of Secrets. Visitors also may take a cell phone audio tour “Angels, Devils and Spirits” that explores Glencairn’s art collections or a guided highlights tour of the permanent collection.
The museum’s first floor opens at noon to coincide with conclusion of a Candy Apple event at nearby Cairnwood Estate, 1005 Cathedral Rd., from 10 a.m. to noon. Halloween activities, demonstrations and more will be on the first floor, with the entire museum opening at 1 p.m. for the scavenger hunt, face painting, guided and self-guided tours and the “Angels, Devils and Spirits” cell phone audio tour. Children who decorate their own trick-or-treat bag will receive a candy reward for their efforts.
A light lunch including meat or vegetable chili, served by Valley Green Coffee Co. of Glenside, can be purchased beginning at 12:30 p.m. Beverages will be available beginning at noon.
Admission is $8; $6 for seniors and students with ID; free for museum members and children 4 and younger. Glencairn will offer a $20 family cap on admission for up to four individuals per household, with half price charged for additional guests in the party. Visitors are invited to come in costume, and stop by the Castle Café and gift shop.
For additional information, call Glencairn at 267.502.2600 or visit www.glencairnmuseum.org.