On Saturday, North Augusta’s Living History Park turned into a bustling village from the Colonial Era as reenactors brought history to life.
Children stood mystified as blacksmiths demonstrated their trade — pounding away and stoking the fire. They rubbed beeswax to set the color on a freshly shaped and hammered door handle.
“See the difference? Isn’t that beautiful?” asked blacksmith Bob Kaltenbach.
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For 31 years, the park has welcomed an array of people who communicate to attendees just how much they love to spread awareness and knowledge of the 1700s through face-to-face interaction and displays for the annual Colonial Times: A Day To Remember.
A mother in Colonial garb cooked eggs over a fire while children in period clothing stuffed their faces with bread, butter and honey.
In true 18th century fashion, many volunteers have honed many individual skills to demonstrate including looming, cooking, blacksmithing, calligraphy, woodworking and artistry.
Sarah Steever Rick, a vendor artist, recreated silhouette pieces by cutting out subjects’ shadows, while children laugh down the hill at hilarious puppets who club each other as they banter.
Parents looked on while children were taught how to write skillful calligraphy and boy participants practice their whittling beside the woodworker.
For coordinator Lynn Thompson, who has dedicated her life to commemorating history, she believes in remembering those who fought for our country’s independence and honoring how they lived.
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“It is well worth it. The kids really enjoy it, and they want to come back and even dress up,” she said. “Without history they don’t have respect for how our forefathers lived.”
On more than one occasion Thompson has been shocked at the lack of history knowledge and the disconnect people have nowadays when it comes to traditional skills such as cooking over a fire.
She also said, especially in today’s world, she believes it is extremely important people fight to prioritize history and spread love of the subject. Some of her volunteers have even grown up attending the program and have returned to help out with the event and add their knowledge to it.
Volunteer, Jenny Stanley, who teaches band looming and hair memorabilia, said many children have become disconnected from where their food comes from and no longer appreciate the struggles of those before them.
She shared how a child attendee, from just the other day, was incapable of recognizing a potato but knew the identity of French fries.
Stanley said she believes the program allows children and adults to open their eyes to the luxury modern technology offers people and gives children the chance to get hands-on learning experience; she also believes it is important for people to know how to provide for themselves despite modern technology.
“Tomorrow is not promised, and how we live today with technology is not promised,” she said. “We’re such a working society now that we don’t take the time to even provide for ourselves … a lot of our history is being lost because the skills aren’t being taught.”
While she doesn’t hoard items or create emergency food kits, Stanley said she believes in hoarding knowledge because it gives her the comfort and power to know she can provide for herself should the need ever arise.
At another point during the event, children gathered around Benjamin Franklin and talked about his life with his wife rocking beside him, as the blacksmith and huntsman struck up a barter for goods down the gravelly road with the fire roaring in the background.
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Michael and Amy Clark, the parents of two, said the event allows their children to learn where they came from and how easy later generations live compared to those who survived in the 1700s.
“We’re spoiled with the luxuries we have today,” said Michael Clark. “[Without it] we wouldn’t understand how lucky we are and learn from the mistakes of the past.”
Amy Clark said she believes a frame of reference and real-world experiences make learning about history from textbooks more interesting and engaging for children – without these experiences, children have a harder time connecting with material.
Both highly enjoyed learning from experts who are passionate about their skillset and educating others; they also love how much their kids learn without even realizing it.
With a hand puppet show dating back to the 1600s, puppet master of Punch and Judy, Guy Thompson said he believes showing others traditional forms of entertainment such as puppetry cues them into the hard life of colonial times.
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“They get a real taste of what some of the lifestyle was, and the craftsmanship and the entertainment,” he said. “From a very young age people had to work very hard; this kind of a chance to leave that behind and escape from it for a little bit.”
Another attendee Clem Campbell, who came with his wife and grandkids, said he thinks historical, memorial events force others to get out of their comfort zone and learn about other
With seldom time spent outside and knowledge of where food originates, Campbell believes people would be lost without technology and electricity, and most would have a hard time surviving in the long run.
“A lot of people need to find out about their history and how to do this stuff in case something does happen, and we do need to fall back on these times,” he said. “We don’t do hardly anything anymore with manual labor.”
Playing in a small stream, children groaned at the end of the day as the town crier made his final announcements with his bell ringing in hand. Meanwhile, volunteers wrapped up their tools and leftovers to make their way home to rest up for Sunday where they will transport people back in time from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Another history event is the Christmas in the Backcountry scheduled for Nov. 26 and 27.
For more information visit: www.colonialtimes.us
Liz Wright is a staff writer covering education and general assignments for The Augusta Press. Reach her at liz@theaugustapress.com
