OK, so I’m several weeks late sharing this, but better late than never, right?
We drove down to Frohna, MO, again this year for the Fall Festival at the Saxon Lutheran Memorial. It was a beautiful day to be there–not quite as hot as last year, but still warm and sunny, with a nice breeze. Like last year, we really enjoyed seeing all of the demonstrations, and even getting to try out a few things ourselves.
One of the children’s favorite demonstrations every year is fiber-making. First, they had to pull wool apart to separate it, then twist it to make a, (very short), piece of yarn. The lady doing the demonstration was very nice, and also very quick at her work. It took us a little while to catch on to the technique, but once we got the hang of it, I think we were able to do a pretty good job!
I really enjoyed watching another lady making lace. I don’t remember seeing that done last year, and it was fascinating to see all of the work that goes into it. I can understand all of the jokes about women going blind making lace, now–it’s very exacting, finely detailed work!
Although we resisted buying a sample to try, we did get to see donuts being made. They looked delicious, especially after their bath in the glaze!
We also watched apple butter being cooked in a huge kettle over a fire. I’m glad I didn’t have that job–it was really hot over there!
Another one of the children’s favorite demonstrations was the laundry area. They thought it was great fun to wring out the wet rags–I wonder how they would feel about it if they had to do that job on a regular basis? I know that after watching all of the scrubbing and rinsing and wringing, I’m very grateful for my washing machine, (not to mention the dryer!).
Everyone also got a chance at sawing logs. Turkey really took this job very seriously, and he was quite proud of himself when he was done!
We visited the wood-carver, and once again, I was astonished by how many different tools were needed in that profession. The workshop there is quite impressive, and the wood-carver is very nice.
Of course, the day wouldn’t have been complete without singing/seeing “The Schnitzelbank.” That’s definitely my favorite part of the trip, and I wasn’t disappointed. We also enjoyed having a nice lunch of brats while waiting for the singing to start.
There were many other demonstrations that we saw while we were there–a cider press, a blacksmith, sorghum-making, quilting, weaving, and candle-making to name a few. (There were also a few that we somehow missed, including butter-churning and rope-making.) The children also got to swing on a rope swing in the barn, and even climbed the ladder up to the barn loft, (guess who was nominated to go up there with them?). We didn’t stay for the showing of the new Walther movie, but that was to be done outside at dusk, complete with a hot dog and marshmallow roast.
It’s an amazingly fun, (and educational!), experience, and well worth the drive. It really gave me an idea of what our Saxon-Lutheran ancestors were like, and what kind of lives they lived!