This weekend I took the kids to our local Frontier Heritage Fair. It has become a much anticipated annual event for our family, with demonstrations of traditional skills and all sorts of practical, useful things you can find there that they just don’t make anymore. It’s kind of like a trip to the shopping mall for homesteaders. My daughter talks all year about picking out a new sunbonnet, finding some exciting beads, and saving up for a rag doll. My son talks about those maple sugar cakes. I peruse the tables drooling over wooden bowls, aprons, cast iron, antler buttons and hides the way I imagine most women do at their favorite department store. Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century.
This year my kids decided they were going to dress up. They made quite a fashionable pair, my daughter in her bonnet and shawl, and my son in his faux coonskin cap and thrift-score buckskin jacket. Several ladies in pioneer clothing came up and exclaimed over how much they loved our sense of fashion. Every year, lots of people ask us what Civil War re-enactment group we belong to. I always explain that this is us in real life. I have long hair and like wearing skirts. My daughter likes to wear her pioneer skirt and bonnet to school from time to time. My son frequently wears that jacket and cap around, and the dirt on his face is the real deal. We’re just homesteading type folks. They’re always very impressed that my kids know how to grind grain, churn butter, plant seeds, care for chickens, and possess so many traditional living skills.
My son enjoyed the woodworking and blacksmithing booths, which were the only thing that seemed to distract him from asking when we were going to find those maple sugar cakes.
I was drawn in to the stocking booth with all the fun, bright colors. I don’t know if the wild stripes were around in frontier times, but they do carry all the traditional white, grey and red thick cotton knits and garters to hold them up. I think these are far more fun and functional than those throw-away pantyhose that are always running. I like my socks to stay put!
Then I oohed and ahhed over the pioneer dresses for a while. I managed to find a cotton skirt and two very useful aprons. When I explained to the vendor that I was not part of any Civil War re-enactment group and that I planned on using these for just wearing around, she looked at me kind of funny, but she was the one in a bonnet, after all.
The old-time merchantile booth was nothing short of amazing. The shelves were packed with pioneer sewing kits, stainless steel cups and plates, wooden bowls, candles, handkerchiefs, wooden buttons and all sorts of handy items. The lack of plastic was a welcome sight. My daughter found herself a rag doll and a new pair of white starched bloomers, and my son got an Abraham Lincoln top hat to use for his magic tricks. They were absolutely delighted with their purchases. It often seems to me that there should be a revival of the old fashioned merchantile with basic, real goods with real prices. I mention the last part because there are plenty of green living stores out there with many of these same items, and they are all wildly expensive. It would be great to go to one store where you could find dried bulk goods, cotton and wool fabrics, tools, and basic household items. And of course, maple sugar cakes.
We watched a spinning demonstration for a while at the Fort Umpqua Muzzleloaders booth. Spinning is one of those skills I admire greatly and just haven’t found the time to take up yet. Since I don’t know how to do it, yarn still holds an amazing magical quality for me. I’m very impressed with anyone who can turn wool into beautiful balls of yarn.
Here I took some time to admire the yarn they were selling. I was especially enamoured with that rich golden yellow.
The highlight of the day was finding the table with the jars of old-fashioned treats. Cane sugar cones, maple sugar cakes, black tea, and Mexican chocolate beckoned from jars beside the beeswax and gunpowder tea.
My son very generously bought a sugar cake for his sister as well as one for himself, and they were very well occupied with that the rest of our time there. We headed home with heads full of good ideas, mouths full of maple sugar, and arms full of useful homesteading finds.
Ahhhhhh, that would be heaven for me! I'd LOVE to go to a store like the one you described. Such a heavenly time. I'm like you and I want to actually live the life, not play at it on weekends (not that there's anything wrong with that either). Again, that sounds like a heavenly time! My husband and I both feel like were were born in the wrong century…..I think mid to late 1700's would've been a good time for us.
Oh, this is wonderful. I know I was born in the wrong century. Thank you for sharing. I think I will talk to our small heritage museum here and see if they might be interested in hosting something like this.
Warm wishes, Tonya
I had never been to a Frontier Fair until moving here, and I'm impressed by how simple yet fun it is. Everyplace should have one! I think our historical society puts it on together with local muzzleloader groups and Civil War re-enactment groups. Each organization or vendor has their own table in a room at the fairgrounds, each offering their own demonstrations so everyone does a little part to make the fair what it is. A storyteller comes and tells tales at different points during the day, and it's great entertainment! It would be a great place for modern day homesteaders like ourselves to have a booth, sell some crafts and tell folks about what we do. I hope one starts up in your communities, Goodwife and Tonya.
Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong century too! 🙂