Lansford wants you to come check out its history this summer, and stay to enjoy a local restaurant.

Museums and businesses in the historic coal mining town held their first Fridays in Lansford last week. The goal is to give visitors a fun, educational day in town.The nonprofit Lansford Alive has made flyers directing tourists to attractions and restaurants around town.The borough has two museums that showcase the rich history of the coal region. The No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum gives a firsthand look at what coal miners faced each day going underground in the valley’s deep coal mines. The Lansford Historical Society Museum documents social, school and church life when the town had about 10,000 residents.Several local attractions and businesses are offering special hours and specials. Here are some of the highlights.Fridays in Lansford runs through the end of the summer. For more details, visit Lansford Alive on Facebook.Farmers MarketThe Valley Road Farm is back in Lansford for a second year with a market selling fresh produce.“It was a very good season,” Valley Road’s LouAnne Bachert said. “We had a lot of repeat customers today.”They are open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the corner of Tunnel and Ridge streets.They sell vegetables fresh from the farm. They are eager to start selling two of their most popular items — sweet corn and pickle-sized cucumbers. Home pickling has become a trend.Bachert said that they have enjoyed working with Lansford and Lansford Alive.“They’re promoting us, and hopefully we are helping them to promote the town,” she said.Coal MineOn a hot summer afternoon, the cool air of the No. 9 Coal Mine and Museum is a great way to beat the heat.The No. 9 mine, located at 9 Dock St., is one of only three mine museums in northeast Pennsylvania. President Dave Kuchta said they try to keep it as close to the original as possible.“We want this original, not the Disney World version,” Kuchta said. “The only thing you don’t have is the dust and smoke and explosions,” he said.The museum, which is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday all summer, is also participating in Fridays in Lansford.No. 9 operated as a mine from the 1850s all the way up until 1972. Visitors can see firsthand the conditions miners faced as they mined to support their families. The train takes them 1,600 feet into the mine tunnel, then get to walk another 600 feet once inside.It opened as a museum in 2002. The museum draws about 10,000 people every year, mostly in the summer months. Each July the mine hosts its annual Miners Heritage Festival, including a coal-shoveling contest.“We’re trying to keep the heritage of the miners alive,” Kuchta said.MuseumThe Lansford Historical Society Museum is opening its doors for special Friday hours this summer.The museum preserves artifacts from a time when there were 10,000 residents and three movie theaters in the coal town. The regular hours are Thursday evenings.It’s a great companion to the Mine Museum. While the No. 9 Mine tells the story of the mine workers themselves, the Lansford Museum fills in the details on the culture of the coal region.“Many of the historic buildings are gone, but the stories of Lansford the town are just amazing,” Markovich said.Markovich’s favorite piece preserves handmade stained glass from more than 130 years ago. The glass came out of the former St. Ann’s convent. He spent more than 200 hours preserving it.The museum has artifacts from the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Co., native sons The Dorsey Brothers, as well as the old high schools in Lansford, Coaldale and Summit Hill. Older generations can remember how it was, and younger generations can get an idea for the Coal Region of their parents’ stories.The collection has been assembled from donations, buildings slated for demolition, and some have even been dug up from sites around the valley.“The long-term residents here are really tied to the valley, and the way that it once was,” Markovich said.