The Conestoga Area Historical Society (CAHS), 51 Kendig Road, Conestoga, will host A Gathering of the People: A Native American Happening from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 6. The free community event will include various demonstrations of Native American cultural traditions, activities for children and an educational presentation from genealogist Scott Mellinger at 1 p.m.

Demonstrations will include Native American drumming, dancing and storytelling. Children may participate in an arrowhead hunt, and the youngster who finds the most arrowheads will receive a small prize.

Mellinger will offer a presentation on the Conestoga Massacre in 1763, when a group of unarmed Native Americans was killed by a violent mob of settlers known as the Paxton Boys. Mellinger will discuss information he discovered while researching the Conestoga Massacre, a theory that several captive members of the Conestoga tribe were protected from the violence by nearby families that adopted them.

This is the first time CAHS has hosted the event, although it held a similar community gathering last year to highlight its collection of Native American artifacts and historical accounts. Many of the items displayed in the museum have been found throughout Washington Boro and its surrounding areas, including a large collection of artifacts discovered in the 1920s.

"Our goal is to educate people in the community about the history of where we live," said CAHS member Jim Kauffman. "We have so much information on the Native Americans who were the first residents of the area."

CAHS is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m., and visitors may learn more about the museum's collection from docents who offer tours of the building.

For more information, visit http://www.pennmanorhistory.org.