Fall Festivals in the Ozarks

New wool hat that I bought at Truman Days recently from a lady that spun the wool from her own Shetland Sheep!

Living in the Ozark Mountains provides abundant opportunities to enjoy the spender of fall colors from the trees and native plants that are all around.  The cooler weather gets people outdoors more and the time for community gatherings increase.  Beginning in late September, Fall Festivals close to home are a time to see and experience the flavor of the local area.  It is also fun to visit other parts of the Ozarks not so close to home to see what our distant neighbors are doing too!  But for this article, I will concentrate on those festivals closest to where I live.

The first one is the Harvest Festival in Wheatland, Missouri.  On the town square are restored log cabins relocated from around the immediate area called Settlers Village.  My husband and I have about 1000 square feet of gardens that we've planted and maintained as Hickory County Master Gardeners.  It is our main service project and we have a variety of native plants, herbs, roses, perennials, and annuals.  About the second week of September, local crafters, musicians, vendors gather for a couple days as the weather is still warm but local gardens are at their best for harvesting and sharing.  There's a  parade on Main Street and last year my husband and I were in it!

Master Gardeners Parade Float at Wheatland's Harvest Festival in 2014.

Current gardens at Settlers Village a few days before the 2014 Harvest Festival. 
Local singers and musicians perform on the town gazebo:

                                      

The next one is also in September but towards the end of the month in Stockton, Missouri.  This is the Black Walnut Festival.  The time is right for the gathering of black walnuts in the area which are bought by the largest manufacturer and processor, Hammons Products, which is located just off the town square.  This year they are paying a record high of $14/100 lbs!  We didn't attend the festival this year but have in many previous years.

This was a few years ago when we still had our beloved Daffney dachshund.

In October, every weekend has something going on particularly at the wineries.  Most of them are north of where we live near Augusta and Hermann but we have been spending more time at the ones closer to home this year.  All of them have wonderful atmospheres with good food, wine, and live music.  It is a good way to enjoy the changing colors and have the options of outside or inside seating depending on the changing weather.  For more information about Missouri Wineries check out other articles in this blog with the Search This Blog tool on the main page by typing in "wineries."  Many of these wineries are visited in combination with my bicycling the Katy Trail.

Locally, the next community gathering is Pittsburg Days.  Pittsburg is an unincorporated town on Pomme de Terre Lake with a large number of lake residents living nearby.  The historic community building dates back to a simpler time before the lake was built and is a gathering place for many local events as well as housing old photos and lots of memories of times past.  The yearly celebration is very down-to-earth with mostly local crafters, musicians, and fund-raising baked goods and raffles.  This is where familiar faces and old friends get together in a simple relaxed atmosphere.  The landscape gardens are also one of the 11 service projects the Hickory County Master Gardeners do to beautify the county.

Pittsburg Community Building

For some local German flavor, Octoberfest in Cole Camp is the next festival.  A large population of Germans settled here and many Mennonite/Amish communities are very active as can be seen by the horse and buggy signs along the highways and the plain clothing people who come into towns.  Their baked goods and fine products are seen at about every festival!  In conduction with Octoberfest The Prairie Foundation, Missouri Department of Conservation, Missouri Master Naturalists and other nature groups meet in a big tent just a few miles from Cole Camp on a prairie called the Hi-Lonesome.  Here there's many educational displays and demonstrations as well as hands-on activities.

There's a ceremony for raising of the "FestBaum."

Chuckwagon display had information about a new monument/display recently constructed at nearby Sedalia (Remember the show "Rawhide?" It is THAT Sedalia!)

Double-seater

Gas/kerosene powered water pump--look at that powerful flow!

Old firetruck

Prize-winning gourds and pumpkins!

Dancers got to Dance!

                                                                     

Looks like the town's oldest German Patriarch and her new little dachshund that looks a lot like my Sassy many years ago.

                                  Singers got to Sing!  Love that good ol' German music:

Lots of gas powered engines for all kinds of farm-related jobs

My Master Naturalist group from Lake of the Ozarks was here cooking up some tasty Dutch-oven recipes…

…like pineapple upside down dump cake!  Yum!

Keith tried some archery with a homemade osage bow - he's still got it!

There was also some spear-throwing

Overview of the tent on the prairie

Taxidermy display

Woodworking

Finally, for us this year was the Truman Days at Warsaw, Missouri.  We came to Missouri in 1978 about the time Truman Dam and Lake was built and the Visitor's Center was opened.  So we watched it grow as we did with our two children and any friends and family that visited us.  This was the place to see how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers changed the area by building dams to alleviate flooding issues at Stockton, Hermitage, and Warsaw.  The federal government didn't want to repeat the same mistakes that were made at Bagnell Dam (Lake of the Ozarks) which was the first dam built in 1931.
I think the Visitor's Center looks like the Starship Enterprise hanging over a cliff!  It is a great place to go anytime but this weekend in mid-October hosts a Frontier theme with Mountain Men encampment and authentic crafts, skills, and products from the early 1800's.

Truman Visitor's Center at the Dam

Inside the Truman Visitor's Center there were many craft displays that are historic to the area.  This was the is first time I ever heard someone play a Psalter!  I understand that the instrument was mentioned in the Bible as it is so ancient.  Here's a little clip of what it sounds like…

Civil War enthusiasts shoot a cannon towards the dam - get ready…get set...

…BOOM!

I hope it went where they were aiming!

Lots of apples for apple butter means lots of apple peeling and cores.

Blacksmithing

Cedar Shingle-making

Keith found a really nice homemade knife but it was too expensive at over $500!

Lots of custom hunters & fighters knives made by W.M. Knives - Bill Miller from Warsaw

Gas-powered wringer washer by Maytag

Wool products

Spinning wool

Authentic tents and dress from the mid-1800's allowed in this area where they show skills and sell products/trinkets that are related to this era.

REAL Mountain Men (this weekend anyway!)

Hay bale playpen for baby while parents show off a couple of oxen.

Keith is checking out the saws.  Inside are many different kinds of tools used long ago.

Scottish Highland cow with calf and owner.

Boy sits on frame to keep horse going round and round to bring corn.

Making sorghum

Squeezing out the sap for the sorghum

The Tin Man

Lace Makers

Modern made log cabin made and furnished like the original ones.

Roasting a little pig on the spit

Old Schoolhouse that was moved in from nearby Quincy (Larry Gilbert)

Smokehouse made recently constructed in the old way.  See the smoke coming through the roof shingles?

Mary Limpus is the lady that made my new hat.  She's from Amsterdam, Missouri - limps@ckt.Net Mary raises Shetland Sheep and I'm guessing Mary has some little lambs too!  Haha

In the city of Warsaw is the more modern version with hundreds of crafters and vendors along Drake Harbor as well as participating businesses on Main Street.  This community is close enough to see familiar faces from our local community walking around.  This year we noticed a huge expansion of everything as it had been a few years since we were here.  It was wonderful and we attended both days!

Drake Harbor in Warsaw where all the crafters craft!

The last two weeks of October will be spent by me in a wilderness area in the SE corner of Missouri with my Master Naturalist group camping.  The four hour drive halfway across the state through the Mark Twain National Forest will hit the peak fall colors this third week of October.  Then the last week of the month Keith and I will attend a costumed Halloween Party at our new favorite winery at Sugarloaf Vineyards very close to home.  Watch for a couple new articles about these adventures coming soon to this blog!