Published July 3, 2009, 9:25 AM EST

by JANE HOLAHAN

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Charles Demuth ran with a sophisticated crowd. The people in his circle — Georgia O'Keefe, Marcel DuChamp, Marsden Hartley, Alfred Steiglitz — were turning their backs on tradition to create a new American art form. They sat in cafes, bars and salons and talked and worked and sa......

Published July 3, 2009, 9:16 AM EST

by JANE HOLAHAN

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Julia Swartz paints in the heart of downtown Lancaster. From her second floor studio and gallery above the Prince Street Cafe, filled with huge windows, she can see all the hustle and bustle of the city. But on the canvas, she's taken herself to a quieter, simpler place in the county. ......

Published July 2, 2009, 7:21 PM EST

by CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Entertaining is usually at its peak in the summer months, with holiday celebrations this weekend followed by picnics, pool parties and barbecues.Decorating for these events can be stressful and costly, or you may be left scrambling for a quick hostess gift to take to that neighborhood cook......

Published June 25, 2009, 1:12 PM EST

by LAURA KNOWLES

COLUMBIA - It seems that the 29th Annual Columbia Antique, Art and Craft Show lives up to its name. There are antiques and collectibles. There are paintings and artwork. There are lots of crafts and furniture too. And, of course, the juried outdoor show has been happening for 29 years on the last Satur......

Published June 18, 2009, 7:41 PM EST

by CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - It's soon the Fourth of July, and parties, picnics and gatherings are planned for family and friends.Decorating for this festive occasion can be fun and requires no thought about color scheme, as tradition pretty much rules that decision. Straying from the color scheme is a sacred no-n......

Published June 17, 2009, 6:11 PM EST

by LINDA ESPENSHADE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - The earrings that Kenyan Mike Muchilwa sells to Ten Thousand Villages started as cans that otherwise would be thrown away.Soda cans or food cans — their metal is not only the basis for the earrings, it's income for the people in Kisumu and Nairobi who collect them. Collectors sel......

Published June 16, 2009, 12:48 AM EST

by JEFF HAWKES

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Making her first visit to the county's Youth Intervention Center, Cindy Moyer worked on calming her jitters.A Hempfield School District retiree, slender, white-haired and vivacious, Moyer taught art for 35 years and encountered every kind of student.But passing through a metal d......

Published June 10, 2009, 6:19 PM EST

by LINDA ESPENSHADE

LANCASTER, Pa. - Refugees who have come from around the world to make their home in Lancaster County will celebrate World Refugee Day with public performances of ethnic dances and music, preparation of traditional food and crafts from their home countries.The free public event will be held at Eastern Marke......

Published June 4, 2009, 5:39 PM EST

by CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Communication is the way of today, with people keeping in touch via e-mail, cell phones and text messages. As convenient as these forms are, a click of the wrong button can send that message to the trash with no return. Sometimes it's nostalgic to go back to the old-school way of leaving each......

Published May 28, 2009, 7:34 PM EST

by CLAUDIA W. ESBENSHADE

LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. - Finding new uses for discarded items can be a lot of fun. With a snip here or a cut there, the discarded item takes on new life and fools the eye as to its original purpose.If you are like me, you have stuff lying around "just in case" you might need it for crafting. I once was g......