Pumpkin Festival Pioneer Trades Village

As mentioned in the previous blog, the best, in my opinion, our very special pioneer trades village. Those in the village this third and last weekend included:

Frisky, Springer Spaniel, star of the show. Frisky travels with us to most of our events. He is a good dog. He likes people and attention, but not too much. Too much scares him and makes him jittery. Often he sleeps under a table. In this village he slept in Lynne’s tent with his nose poking out from underneath. Just enough to get a fair amount of attention, but also to be safe and secure. Many times people do not even know that he is on site. The only time he barked all weekend was after dark on Friday when Barb and Don drove up. He is kind of a watch dog, but sometimes, we just watches.

Lynne, basket weaving, gourding, crocheting, coordinator of the village. At this event, Lynne primarily weaves pine needle baskets made from Florida long leaf pine trees. It presents a great demonstration. Part of the overall process is to collect the pine needles. They have to be gathered at just the right time. Can’t be on the ground too long as they become brittle, but they shouldn’t be green either. Lynne dyes some of the needles…black, burgundy, teal, purple. And, of course, natural. She stitches either with raffia or waxed linen thread. One of her specialties is a tiny miniature basket that can be worn as a necklace. Sometimes she adds beads, hemlock cones, or tiny feathers for decoration. She offers for sale everything she has created, including her shawls. The shawls are crocheted with an acrylic blend variegated colors. She makes them extra long. Then if one is sitting on a cold seat, one can tuck the point under them to keep the seating part warm. Very versatile. Crocheted Victorian items…collars, snoods, purses, mitts. Gourds…painted, beaded and decorated. Jewelry...earrings, bracelets and necklaces. Very talented lady!

Beth, basket weaving. It is always good to see old time trades passed to the next generation. Beth is Lynne’s daughter. She is following in her mother’s footsteps in making baskets. Although she is left-handed and Mom is right-handed, she was able to look at one of Mom’s baskets and convert it. Beth’s baskets are primarily a reed type. She likes to use color…lots of purple and blue.

 

Paul (and his alter ego Ernesto), the blacksmith. He is a lot of fun and has a heart of gold (although he tries to hide this part of his personality). Ernesto terrorizes Miss Elizabeth. Ernesto is loud and oft obnoxious. Paul, on the other hand, not so much. Although he can make anything in iron, his specialty on site is personalized horseshoes. He gave me one for my birthday at our dinner which was held Saturday night with my name correctly spelled. The bellows is (are?) huge. When he cranks it up, it produces lots of smoke and fire. He demonstrates with the coals and anvil. And sells lots of iron products.

Danielle, the creator of brooms. Danielle demonstrates the making of brooms in our earlier days. She uses straw, intricately woven and tied. The broom handle is wood. It is tied with cord. A foot pedal is helpful in her process. She sells her finished product. Through her meddling (I think), the Sweeney Family Band came and sang “Happy Birthday” to me. Thank you, Danielle. It was fun.

Deb, the potter. She likes to tell people that “mud is good.” She plays with it regularly on her potter’s wheel. Her creations are for sale. On site, her specialties are small and utilitarian…cups, mugs, bowls. But, she will make larger items by special order. The audience likes it when she makes a heart shaped bowl, which is done quite easily upon making a round bowl on her potter’s wheel. The finished products after glazed and fired are usually in brown tones, but sometimes she makes several items in cobalt blue. I noticed that by Sunday afternoon, I think, all the blue items were gone (sold).

Elizabeth, the spinner. Miss Elizabeth often uses cotton to spin. She brings cotton bolls, picks the seeds out, cards it (this takes it from boll to a workable piece to spin) and then spins it into thread (which will eventually be used by a weaver to make cloth for clothes). She has a collection of spinning wheels. Most of them have one treadle, but she has one with a double treadle. She does not bring that one out, however. She also has a drop spindle which was often used by men on Naval sailing ships to make the thread for canvas. Elizabeth explains that there are various shades of cotton—white, of course, tan, brown, and a greenish. They cannot be grown near each other because there tends to be cross-pollination. Cross pollination causes produces new and different colors. Once the cross pollination happens, the cotton cannot go back to its original color. Elizabeth demonstrates only and does not sell any of her products.

Doug and Helen, the tanners with the tepee (in which they sleep). The tepee is the number one photographed part of our village (Frisky was second). It is empty except for the bed. When the flap is open, people are welcomed to walk into it. People do some awfully goofy things to have their pictures taken in the confines of the tepee (or sometimes just outside). Fingers behind ones head to look like feathers (??!!??). Sitting crossed-legged. Sometimes, just plain silly poses. Every parent seems to want to photograph their young’uns in front of it. Doug tans hides using the traditional method on site. Captured heat is part of the process. They also do some really great hand beaded works of art. The products that he sells are beaded items and other Native American chatskas (that’s sort of a mixed metaphor, I guess).

Steve V., the candlemaker. Beeswax. Steve has a variety of beeswax items. Molded beeswax. Blocks of beeswax. But his on-site specialty is dipping candles, which he sells. The candles are yellowish in color and have a great aroma. They last much longer than other waxed candles. He also carries honey “straws” in various flavors. One of my favorites. In his other life, he is an IT expert.

Darnell, the wood carver. He uses various types of wood, some rather exotic. These woods range in color from tan to brown; from reddish to black. Spoons—for stirring, measuring. Bowls. Rolling Pins. Crochet hooks—various sizes. Tatting shuttles in two sizes. His on-site specialty is small utilitarian items—small spoons and such. Darnell and I have done a fair amount of business over the years.

Butch, the ginner. Most people have no idea what a cotton gin is. It is a machine which removes cotton seeds from the cotton boll. Butch uses a portable version. The credit for the first gin in this country is given to Eli Whitney. However, it really was invested hundreds of years ago in Egypt. I’ve been known to tell people in describing the ginning process that Eli said (tongue in cheek, of course) “Get your cotton pickin’ hands off my gin!” Butch is a demonstrator only (no sales).

Kathy, the spinner. Kathy and Butch are married…still sort of newlyweds…a couple of years. They are truly a well matched couple…full of fun…and great musical talent. Kathy is not the person that the first impression gives one. She appears quiet. Ha! She has a great sense of humor and seems to love practical jokes. Kathy spins all types of natural material. Cotton (most often, since Butch is sitting next to her ginning). Wool. Linen (flax). Dog hair (Samoyed in its pure white color is the preferred). She might even use wolf or cat hair if the strands were long enough.



Articles made from thread spun by Kathy
Cotton and linen mostly



Crocheted from Samoyed dog hair spun by Kathy



 

Barb, the quilter. Barb and Don are a long-time married couple. Barb quilts…all hand stitched. She has the quilting form set up at the front of the tent. They have a rope bed which they display with the “doors” of their tent opened. They also have a table with chairs in their tent. No place like home. She has made some really beautiful quilts over the years. From king to baby. She has osome on display on the walls of the tent as well as the one on which she is working.

Don, the horn carver. The early sailors carved whale bone and tooth. Scrimshaw. Don does similar work only he uses land based horns…cattle, etc. His carvings go from the simple to intricate. Powder horns. Decorations. Barb and Don demonstrate and do not sell.

Terry, Mr. Monty’s Toys. All low tech, no tech toys. Most are made of wood. A great toy store. Parasols. Guns. Yo-yos. Toys, toys, and more toys. Some of the staff can sometimes be seen playing Graces or rolling a hoop. Too much fun to be work. All items are for sale.

Greg, the American Civil War sailor. I love Greg’s presentation. He always wears the navy uniform of the era…sometimes his white jumper; sometimes, the blue. He discusses various armaments (some guns, rifles, cutlasses (swords, etc.) and cannon aboard ships). He has many examples that he displays and demonstrates. Depending on the weather, he also displays several prints of the Civil War. His history presentation of the Navy in the earlier periods of our country is inspiring. If you ever see Greg, ask him about the insignia on the top of his cap (not this straw hat, but his white cap). During the American Civil War, we were just moving from sailing ships to power (motorized) ships.

Christina, inkle weaving. She uses the inkle weaver to make belts. Her goal is make a belt or two each year.

Future Customer Playing with one of Steve's Wagons

Steve, the woodworker, (my Steve). Steve’s special talents are rustic wood creations. His folding tables have been sold up and down the East Coast to re.enactors and modern day campers alike. Several sizes and designs. Wagons—to carry kids and small enough for kids to carry their dolls, bears and other toys. Rifles and revolvers. Eagles for wall display—with and without holes to save state quarters. And, a very big ET CETERA!

And Molly, the yakker—that be me! I don’t have any special "trade" talents.  Since I held the camera, no pictures of me are here.  Oh, well! 

Lynne has taught me to use the inkle weaver and knitting loom. This year I used the loom between lectures on various flags used by this great country. It is such an easy process. Yet, I have managed to mess it up. So, before I can try it again, it needs to be redone for the last couple of rows.

I am, however, an amateur vexologist (study of flags). I love my country’s various flags. Two of my favorite early American flags are the “Bennington” flag and the “Star Spangled Banner.” It is appropriate to call any United States of America flag the “Star Spangled Banner,” but this phrase was first used in 1814 in a poem which became our national anthem.

The true/first “Star Spangled Banner” is the flag which Francis Scott Key saw in the Baltimore Harbor in 1814 while he was held captive on a British war ship. That flag, made of cotton and wool, was 30’ x 42’ hand sown by the Mary Pickersgill and members of her family (including an indentured servant)  of Baltimore to kind of say “in your face” to the British. It is the only United States official flag that has more than thirteen stripes. When Vermont and Kentucky came into the Union after the original thirteen, Congress had issued a resolve that the flag would add one star and one strip for each new state.1795-1818. When the next four states came into being, Congress revised their resolve to use thirteen stripes for the original colonies/states and add a star for each new state.

Part two of this lecture is to ask each person when a star is added to the flag. Most people say that it is added when the state ratifies the Constitution or when they become a state. This is only partly true. A star is added only on July 4th of any given year. The star is added on the Fourth of July after a state has become part of Union as a state. So, if a state where to become a state on July 5th of a year, they would have to wait until the following July 4th. (This was verified by a visit to the Quartermaster Museum in Ft. Lee, Virginia earlier this year). In 1959, for instance, both Alaska and Hawaii became states. Alaska, in January. So, she got her star July 4, 1959. Hawaii came later in the year (December, I think). Her star was added July 4, 1960. So, our ever changing flag had forty-nine stars for one year.

I always have something historic to discuss. Sometimes, I tell about Florida long-horn cattle (the fifth most endangered domestic breed). Sometimes, I tell why University of Miami is known as the hurricanes and why their mascot is an angry ibis (well, I don’t really know why he’s angry, but I do know why it was an ibis). I oft talk about Florida Crackers. Some people believe this phrase is derogatory. But it is no more derogatory to the descendants of Florida Crackers than my being called a Yankee descended from those early Yankee traders (the first Yankees—when the word was first used--came about in the seventeenth century, not the nineteenth).

A lecture on Confederate flagS. Right, there is not one Confederate flag. There is NO such thing as THE Confederate flag. There are many. Like the US flag of which there have been many changes due to adding a new star for each state, the Confederacy had many flags.

God has given me an incredible mind for history and trivia. Sometimes, I feel like I have a capacity for a bunch of useless information. But, people never walk away from my tales. So, perhaps, it is not so useless after all.

At the end of the day on Saturday, we pool our tables and bring a covered dish whereby we dine by candlelight. Doug and Helen traditionally grill corn which, of course, gets slathered with real butter. (Yum). Butch somehow manages to give us our hot protein. Our first weekend, it was pork barbecue and smoked pork butt; the second weekend, I understand, it was ham. This last week it was in the form of turkey. Gravy. Cornbread and Cranberry Dressing. Cranberry Sauce. Cuke Salad. Pea and green bean salad. Brownies. Pie. Rolls and Butter.  A proper feast to celebrate the big SIX-FIVE with special friends!!!

After the dishes are cleared away, Kathy, Deb, Doug and Butch pool their musical talents and instruments for a concert/jam session for the rest of us to enjoy.

I learned how to do farfees this weekend. We are not sure of the spelling…farfee, farfe, farfy, farfie (all of which spellcheck did not like). But, anyway they are fun.

One of this group learned about farfies in college (glad to see that her or her parents money was well-spent). She has since taught others. It simply is a wad of clean toilet paper, soaked in water. Then tossed to the nearest receiver. That could be a fellow student’s wall. Or a dorm corrider. Or it might be someone’s trailer or car. Or perhaps the ceiling of one’s employer. It is a good way to get over a funk. It can give one a good case of the giggles. It apparently can stick for some time (usually until someone finds it and removes it physically). Well, pre-tearing down, a bit of farfeeing happened. Some found it almost immediately. But a couple of farfies stayed up for several hours that we know about. They may still be there for all we know.

Lynne brings an incredible amount of stuff. She has a van and a trailer, both full. Five women and Steve (he helped a lot with pulling stakes and other tuff work) broke down her tent and camp with an incredible amount of speed. The event was over at five. She was home shortly after seven. That is packing all her inventory, striking the tent and its contents, packing the van and trailer, stopping for groceries, and driving the forty miles to home.

Many hands make light work.  Cliches are cliches because often they are true.

Happy Trails to You! (song originally written by none other than Dale Evans).

See y’all next year!