Fall in Pennsylvania means festival season! Yesterday, Mike and I drove two hours southeast to celebrate the lifestyle of early Pennsylvania pioneers at the 58th Annual Springs Folk Festival. We stepped back in time and watched women quilting, tatting, weaving, and spinning flax while men built buckets, smoked meats, and forged metal into tools. Apple butter boiled in blackened copper kettles somewhere between dancing flames and billowing white smoke while chestnuts roasted soft, and everyone got a free taste.
Contemporary artisans demonstrated their skills and sold their wares in cozy, warm booths that welcomed us in out of the drizzle. This friendly gentleman carved small maple twigs into fine strips that curled and formed the daintiest of flowers. Some, he dyed vibrant colors. Others, he left in their natural state. All were mounted on goldenrod stems. Such creativity!
A loaf of soft, chewy bread straight out of the outdoor oven; butter homemade from the milk of five nearby cows; and a jar of fresh apple butter came home with us and made a tasty evening snack coupled with mugs of hot tea. I’m feeling quite thankful for Fall!
It really is amazing how creative some folks can be! I'll be a timber festival next weekend- it'll be noisy but I'm looking forward to seeing the sculptures!
@cejaanderson Yes, it really is fun to see the activities of yesteryear brought to life. It makes me appreciate how easy I have it compared to all of the work they had to do. For example, I sure am glad I don't have to make my own clothes! Thank you for commenting and for the fav, Jane. I appreciate your support of my project!
Busy hands make such interesting photographs. The angle you took this at highlight the flower that's being created. Beautiful write-up about your day. I love fall fests and all the goodies that come with them.
@lyndemc We thoroughly enjoyed our day at the festival, and watching the craftsmen work and passionately discuss their projects was pure joy! Thank you for commenting...I so appreciate your gift of time.
@pej It was, Paul! We had a wonderful day! The Fall leaves on the drive down to Springs were so beautiful and will probably be even more so in the next week or so. We're going to take a drive soon to take another look!
@lhart He crafted flower after flower and was more than happy to be photographed. The day was such fun. Thank you for taking the time to comment on my project!
