Staten
Travel back in time to learn about pioneer life in Indiana!
Join us at the Trafalgar branch of the Johnson County Public Library on Sept. 7, from noon to 4 p.m. for the Library on the Prairie Festival. If you’ve ever wondered what life was like in Johnson County in the 1800s, our hands-on event will give you a glimpse into the past with pioneer-era demonstrations, performances, storytellers and traditional crafts.
The program kicks off at noon with a performance from the Freetown Village Singers, who will showcase traditional folk songs and African-American spirituals. A storytelling event with Danny Russel as Daniel Boone will follow their performance. Later in the day, we’ll have music from the folk duo Patchwork Music and a clogging demonstration from the Circle City Cloggers.
In addition to the entertainment, there will be a variety of learning experiences throughout the prairie and inside the branch. Nimble Thimble Quilting Club will be in the community room holding quilting demonstrations all day with fun sewing-inspired activities you can do. Watch a live blacksmith at work in our blacksmith’s forge, check out antique farm machinery, and attend storytime in a one-room school house. Discover Civil War history with Bill Hendricks, where you’ll be able to see uniforms from the period and pretend you’re in the army, too.
Have fun just like pioneer kids did with pioneer games. Learn what it was like to wash clothes without a washing machine or play dress-up with our costumes so you can snap an old-timey photo. Then, experience the Oregon Trail in virtual reality.
Do you have an old secret family pie recipe, or maybe you just enjoy pie making? Be sure to enter the Library on the Prairie Pie Contest. The contest is open to adults ages 18 and older, and all ingredients must be homemade, including the crust. Register by Sept. 5, and drop your pie off between 1 and 2 p.m. the day of the event. Make sure you stick around to see the top three winning pies, which will be revealed at 3 p.m.
We’ll also have a variety of barnyard animals you can visit with, prairie tours with Johnson County Soil & Water, beekeeping demonstrations, games, crafts and a pie-baking demonstration from JCPL library director Lisa Lintner.
This event is funded by gifts to the JCPL Foundation. For a full schedule of events for the day and to enter the pie contest, please visit PageAfterPage.org/LOTP. We hope you’ll join us for an unforgettable time!
Kelly Staten is JCPL’s Programming Manager. JCPL staff members share in writing this twice-monthly column for the Daily Journal. Send comments to [email protected].
