Old-time fun for everyone!

Join us Saturday, October 18, 2025, for a day to celebrate and share our history and heritage with all of our neighbors!
This special open house event on our campus will run from 9 am to 2 pm.

The following activities are being planned for this year’s event.

  • Heritage skill demonstrations:

    • Old-fashioned sorghum molasses making (demonstrations at 10:00 and 11:00)

    • Grist mill grinding (demonstrations at 10:30 and 11:30)

    • Cider pressing

    • Crosscut log sawing

    • Blacksmithing

    • Spinning and knitting

  • Fun, hands-on children’s activities:

    • Old-fashioned toys

    • Carpentry with hand tools

    • Tin punch

    • Butter churning

    • Corn shelling

    • Laundry scrubbing in the wash house

    • Farm-animal petting zoo

  • A singing school reenactment and shape note hymn singing (community singing at 9:00, 10:00 and 11:00)

  • Civil War storytelling (presentations at 11:00, 11:30 and 12:30)

  • Farm rides

  • Interpretive guides in our historic buildings

These activities will take place throughout the day from 9 am to 2 pm, so come when it suits and stay as long as you like! A lunch of homemade soup and pie will be available (for a freewill donation), as well as complimentary kettle-cooked popcorn.

In addition, there are some scheduled presentations during this year’s festival.

Weavers of Faith Exhibit Opening. We have a new exhibit! In the upstairs of the log house, new panels have been installed about the practice of weaving and weavers from our communities of faith. Join us for an introduction and dedication for this exhibit at 9:30.

Anabaptists, 500 Years and More. This year is the 500th anniversary of the first baptisms of the Anabaptist movement which includes Mennonites, Brethren and others. Listen to a panel give an introduction to the history of these groups at the pavilion at 1:00.

At this year’s event we’re excited to offer FREE ADMISSION! Many thanks to the business sponsors below who helped to make this possible!