October 7, 2007
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...even though it was 90 degrees and felt like the middle of summer, we went to a fall festival!
This particular festival is close to our hearts because it is hosted by my husband’s cousin. Dale Thomas of rural Douglas County, Missouri, lives on property that was homesteaded in the 1800s by Tom Brown, Dale’s great-grandfather and my husband’s great-great-grandfather. A few years after Dale inherited the property, a beautiful farm on Bryant Creek, he decided that he would invite all the cousins in this large clan to a gathering on the old homeplace. That year, 30 showed up. The next year his invitation garnered 200 attendees, and the third year about 500! Last year, the Thomases lost count, and this year I wouldn’t even guess at how many folks drove 4 miles down a dusty, unpaved road to this unique event.
They call it the Pioneer Descendants Gathering, and after the first year, it was opened to anyone who wants to come. Now folks come from all over southern Missouri and even a few other states. Local people who do heritage crafts are invited to demonstrate. There is no admission fee, and the Thomases do their best to keep this non-commercial and authentic. It’s simply one of the best festivals I’ve ever attended, a true CELEBRATION of a shared past. Here are some of the sights:
This precious lady is talented in so many ways, only one of which is basket making. She was spinning with a drop spindle in her idle moments.
The delicious aroma of apple butter cooking over an open fire whetted our appetites.
Mowing hay with a team of horses was exactly how Stan’s great-great-grandfather did it 100 years ago, in this very same field.
Tony Stillings (right, above) is an expert at cooking molasses. In fact, he and wife Linda had their own festival when they cooked up some of the good stuff two weeks ago at their place. There is positively nothing better on a hot, homemade biscuit than a generous dab of creamy butter topped with a spoonful of this sweetnin.
Joining us were Stan’s mother, Julia, daughter Susannah, son-in-law Derek and grandson Wyatt. This typical little boy was fascinated with the antique tractors on display, and he stood for five minutes figuring out how the steam engine that drove the grain mill worked.
David, also a Brown cousin, is a Civil War buff and attends re-enactments. He explained how his musket worked, while standing in the hot autumn sun in his all-wool uniform.
Can you tell that Wyatt wasn’t wanting to get close to this native American, with his real coyote headdress? It was eye-catching! He’s a Cherokee from Tahlequah, Oklahoma. As they progressed westward on the Trail of Tears, some Cherokee stopped off in the Ozarks and took to the hills, which reminded them of their native North Carolina.
Cousin Dale Thomas is a self-taught wheelwright…his interest was sparked when he found his grandfather’s old wagon abandoned in the woods and wanted to learn how to restore it. He demonstrates making wooden wagon wheels all over the country for various events.
This lady was cooking beans in one pot and yummy bread in the other…she gave out samples. Chickens on the spit added to the wonderful aroma.
Long before Rit, there was indigo! Dawn is demonstrating how to achieve different colors with natural materials, such as goldenrod, indigo and dozens of other plants. She is a true expert and goes to schools all over southern Missouri presenting her program. She is also a master weaver and raises sheep to provide the wool for her projects.
I hope you all had as nice a weekend as we had and that you’ll find at least one fall festival to visit before the snow flies!
Comments (9)
this looks like the most incredible festival, just wonderful – I have done drop spinning, plus spinning with a wheel, cooked outdoors, so it all brings back great memories.
What a fun day! I love old timey events like that. French Camp Academy has something similar in the spring with what they call Pioneer Days. We espcially enjoy the Mountain Music on the porches of the old timey log cabins.
I sent a comment, or thought I did, earlier, but it got lost in cyberspace! I was enjoying your pictures and descriptions of the fall festival! It was heartwarming and relaxing to read that after I had a busy weekend! Sounds like you had a wonderful time of reflection, a little history and culture, and a great day! It is hot here too – what’s up with these temperatures?
You can message me to let me know where this is and maybe we can come next fall. We will go to the fall fest in Warsaw this month. Think this one is call Heritage Days. Wouldn’t have enjoyed it in the heat this weekend but maybe next fall it will be more “fally”.
Loved the post!!! My father-in-law is 1/4 Chrokee…from hte Tahlequah, Oklahoma area!!! So that makes my hubby 1/8. He love it, because it means he can have a life time hunting and fishing license for free!
As for your rather amusing comment about the affects of poison ivy on your body that depended on how much you were actually in it as to how badly it affected you and how you wrote on and on in run-on sentences, I though it was very amusing! P.I. The bane of many a country girl!!!
It looks like a fascinating festival….maybe we’ll come next year. I’d love to know how to dye cloth with indigo…I think that would be so neat. Or to dye yarn and knit a hand-dyed sweater! The photos are great, and that Wyatt is just a doll. You’re so blessed to have one of your little ‘grans’ so close. And he is, too.
Oh boy, cooking over open fires in 90 degree weather…those are some women!
The sense of community must be very binding for you all. And the sense of history that pervades makes sure no one is forgotten. What a beautiful post.
glad you liked my snaps of the Cotswolds…how wonderful that you have been able to visit – are you planning ever to come again. That poem always ‘speaks’ to me, midst the rush rush of life….just taking time to stop and stare.