Hagley Museum

"Winter Life at Hagley" continues next Sunday in the second of two winter programs from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington.The museum, on the grounds of the original du Pont mills, estate and gardens, is dedicated to preserving the lifestyles of a 19th-century American industrial complex. During winter months Blacksmith Hill, the millworkers community, is normally closed to the public on weekends, but it will be open next Sunday. Visitors can stop at the Gibbons House, home of mill foremen during the mid 19th century.

Paintings from the Reign of Victoria Where:: Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington. When:: On view today through April 12. What:: Exhibit consists of 60 paintings from the Victorian period acquired by Thomas Holloway and installed in the women's college he founded in 1879, which today is known as Royal Holloway, University of London. Exhibit highlights scenes of historical events, landscapes, and animal and marine life by artists including Sir Edwin Landseer and William Powell Frith.

A flurry of fall activities creates a dilemma for next weekend's daytripper. Heritage celebrations, a fall festival, tour of horse farms, a garden fair and historic homes' tour -- these are all just a daytrip away."

`Invention Convention' If your kids love to build things, fix things or figure out how things work, then they are sure to get a charge out of Hagley's Invention Convention in Wilmington, Del. This year's convention takes place at the Hagley Museum and Library on Saturday and Jan. 14 and 15, and features three days of fun and educational and interactive activities. Young visitors can learn about the invention process by creating their own new gadget. Provided with all supplies, they can produce something unique that fills a need.

Work and leisure activities of the 19th century will be the focus of Family Day at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington next Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the sixth annual event and one of the museum's most popular. The entire 240-acre estate, formerly the site of the original du Pont black powder mills, will be open for tour. Demonstrations will show how black powder was made, and you can tour the 1803 du Pont family home and its restored French garden.Hands-on activities allow visitors an opportunity to learn the arts of papermaking, quilting and punch paper sewing, write with a quill pen, or make hand-cranked ice cream and sample the results.

Have a "Summer Blast" at the Hagley Museum and Library in Wilmington Saturday and next Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. This is a new family-style event, designed to celebrate the Hagley's past, when the site was the world's largest black-powder mill. Visitors will learn how various forms of explosive force were used to lighten workloads, speed travel, wage war and maintain peace.Blasts will be heard from cannons as well as from internal combustion engines. You will also see rocket-making and firing, and shooting demonstrations.

"Christmas at Hagley" is a view of a 19th-century holiday at the original du Pont mills and estate near Wilmington. Tours run daily through Jan. 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., giving visitors an opportunity to see Hagley's 240-acre property festively decorated for the holidays.At Eleutherian Mills, the 1803 du Pont family home, pine roping winds up the sweeping stairway. Hand-made decorations are used extensively and adorn the Victorian Christmas tree in the parlor. Also featured at the mansion is a collection of lace, including bonnets dating from 1815, a parasol, a Victorian neck piece and Belgian war lace made during World War I.One of the tour-stops is the 19th-century machine shop, where you can see demonstrations of steam toys.

Black History Month at Hagley Museum The Hagley Museum and Library will kick off Black History Month on Tuesday with a lecture titled "Madam C. J. Walker: Her Formula for Success." Walker, an early-20th-century businesswoman, founded the first firm to specialize in cosmetics for African-American women. A'Leila Bundles, the great-great granddaughter of Walker, will present the lecture. The museum will also offer a February exhibit titled "Pierre S. du Pont and African-American Education in Delaware."

Jazz on TilghmanJazz fans can get their fill this Saturday afternoon on the Eastern Shore. The Second Annual Tilghman Island Jazz Festival will be held at Back Creek Park.Among the scheduled performers are jazz flute player Frank Wess, singer and saxophonist Deanna Bogart, Charlie Byrd, Terry Gibbs and the Unified Jazz Ensemble. In addition to musical entertainment, the festival will offer arts, crafts and seafood.The jazz festival takes place Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. . Gates open at 10: 30 a.m. Tickets are $16.50 in advance; $20 at the gate.

Paintings from the Reign of Victoria Where:: Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington. When:: On view today through April 12. What:: Exhibit consists of 60 paintings from the Victorian period acquired by Thomas Holloway and installed in the women's college he founded in 1879, which today is known as Royal Holloway, University of London. Exhibit highlights scenes of historical events, landscapes, and animal and marine life by artists including Sir Edwin Landseer and William Powell Frith.

Candlelight tour of houses of worship Celebrate heritage and holiday customs Tuesday at the 14th annual Candlelight Tour of Historic Houses of Worship in Frederick. Three centuries of American architecture and history provide the setting for the self-guided tour, which also includes entertainment and light refreshments. Worship sites featured are All Saints Episcopal Church, Asbury United Methodist Church, Beth Sholom Synagogue, Calvary United Methodist Church, Centennial Memorial United Methodist Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Evangelical Reformed Church, First Baptist Church, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Frederick Visitation Chapel, Frederick Church of the Brethren, Frederick Presbyterian Church, Grace United Church of Christ, Monocacy Moravian Christian Fellowship, St. John's Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Trinity Chapel.

Country Fest and Auction Start the day munching on warm, home-baked doughnuts, then learn to churn butter, watch demonstrations of milking, grain grinding and cider pressing, and browse craft displays at the sixth annual Country Fest and Auction on Saturday at Garrett County Fairgrounds in McHenry. Also, take horse-and-buggy rides and bid on Amish-made furniture and collectibles at a mid-morning auction. Children can watch videos, participate in a pedal tractor pull and meet animals up close at a petting zoo. At 1 p.m., approximately 20 hand-stitched full- and queen-size quilts will be auctioned along with smaller quilts and wall hangings.

Black History Month at Hagley Museum The Hagley Museum and Library will kick off Black History Month on Tuesday with a lecture titled "Madam C. J. Walker: Her Formula for Success." Walker, an early-20th-century businesswoman, founded the first firm to specialize in cosmetics for African-American women. A'Leila Bundles, the great-great granddaughter of Walker, will present the lecture. The museum will also offer a February exhibit titled "Pierre S. du Pont and African-American Education in Delaware."

Tilghman Island DayVisit Tilghman Island and pay tribute to the Chesapeake Bay and learn about the life of a waterman -- from sailing skipjacks to clamming, oystering, crabbing and fishing. Be there for an opportunity to board the last commercial sailing vessels in North America and the largest fleet of skipjacks on the bay. There will be plenty of waterman's games, a skipjack race, workboat race and boat-docking contest. Live music will be provided by Bird Dog and the Road Kings. Seafood will be in abundance as vendors lay out a cornucopia of oysters, crabs, crab cakes, fried clams and oyster fritters.

OysterFestCelebrate the historical, commercial and culinary lure of the oyster at the 11th annual OysterFest Saturday at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels. Throughout the day, watch as watermen demonstrate traditional oyster tonging techniques or nippering for oysters. There will be working skipjack captains, lighthouse keepers, clammers and engine repairmen on hand to discuss how they make a living on the bay. And don't miss the oyster-shell skipping contests, shucking demonstrations and the Oyster Soup Cook-Off.

Child labor reformA picture is worth a thousand words, so learn a little bit of history through the photographs at the Hagley Museum's exhibition titled "Let Children Be Children: Lewis Wickes Hine's Crusade Against Child Labor." The exhibit will run from Saturday through Aug. 23 in the museum's Henry Clay Mill Gallery. The photographs were part of a project sponsored by the National Child Labor Committee in 1906 to document the harsh working conditions of children in this country.The Hagley Museum is on Route 141 in Wilmington, Del. The exhibit is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission for the exhibit is $4 for adults; $2 for children ages 6-14 and free for children under 6. Admission to the 235-acre museum is $9.75 for adults; $7.50 for students and seniors; $3.50 children ages 6-14 and free for children under 6 years of age. For more information, call 302-658-2400 or visit Hagley's Web site at http:/www.

Wildfowl artYou'll swear it's the real thing when the best wildfowl carvings in the world are presented in the Ward World Carving Championship in Ocean City this weekend. See competitors enter their pieces in novice, intermediate, open and world categories. And learn who wins the "Best in the World" honor, awarded to artwork that assuredly is about to fly off the table.If you're a bird-watcher you'll want to take part in the Delmarva Birding Weekend as well, taking place in conjunction with the World Carving Competition.