It's a packed slate of events on Labor Day weekend at Historic Rock Ford, 881 Rockford Road, Lancaster.

The festivities will start on Sunday, Sept. 6, when Rock Ford welcomes The Jane Austen Playlist to the piazza of the Hand Mansion from 4 to 6 p.m.

Founded in 2019, the playlist is presented by a cast of Lancaster-based performers. The program features music from the Austen Family Music Books and is music that Austen played and loved. According to Rock Ford's website, "in addition to Jane's passion for writing, she also loved music. All of Jane's literary output, from her letters to her novels' colorful scenes, expresses music's role in her life."

"It's an archive in England, and it's intertwined with stories about her as well as her books," said Christina McSherry, executive director of Historic Rock Ford. "There's examples of all sorts of different types of love: tender love, unrequited love, fickle love, healthy love. ... The idea is that you get the music and also these stories told from Jane's life and books."

There is a set cost for reserved seating, which is reduced for Rock Ford members. The cost is further reduced for those who bring their own chair, and even more reduced for Rock Ford members who bring their own chair. Limited on-site parking is available and can be booked at http://www.historicrockford.org.

Tickets can be booked by visiting the aforementioned website and clicking on "Special Events" under the "Programs" tab. Attendees may also purchase tickets at the event.

On Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, baker Justin Cherry will arrive at Rock Hill to demonstrate the crossover between baking and Revolutionary history. Cherry owns Half Crown Bakehouse in Charleston, S.C., and more notably is the baker-in-residence at George Washington's Mount Vernon estate. Traveling the East Coast with a custom-built, 6,000 pound clay oven, Cherry combines his culinary expertise with a passion for 18th-century methods to revive traditional baking heritage.

"We're very excited to have him come up and do demonstrations," McSherry said. "He's bringing his oven, and he'll be setting up on the property and demonstrating how 18th-century bakers, particularly bakers with the army, would have cooked and baked."

He will hold a Half Crown Bakehouse demonstration from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Labor Day. During the demonstration, the General Edward Hand Mansion and the John J. Snyder, Jr. Gallery will be open for self-guided tours.

There is a fee for admission to the demonstration; Rock Ford members get in free. Tickets can be purchased on the aforementioned website.

After the demonstration, Cherry will stick around to give a lecture at 6 p.m. in the Langmuir Education Room located on the first floor of the Rock Ford Barn. There is a separate fee for admission, which is reduced for Rock Ford members. Walk-up registration is permitted at both Cherry-related events on Labor Day.

"It's an interesting sort of insight into the daily life of soldiers," McSherry said. "Of course, the army had to eat; of course, they had to have bread, but you don't think of all the logistics. ... The bakers actually had to travel with ovens and all of their supplies to continue to feed the army."

Also on Saturday, Lehigh County-based potter Denise Wilz will come to Rock Ford for a redware sgraffito workshop, although registration has closed for the workshop. The sgraffito technique was used by 18th- and 19th-century Pennsylvania German potters to make expressive designs in their folk art pottery. Sgraffito means "to scratch."

"It's really a fun-filled weekend of hands-on activities and active demonstrations," McSherry said. "Anybody who is interested in history, this is a really great weekend to come to Rock Ford, maybe more than once."