Explore Your Creativity on Sat. July 18

Take time to be inspired this summer during the annual Explore the Crafts Event at Sauder Village. On Saturday, July 18 guests will be encouraged to try pottery, drawing, embroidery, weaving, broom making, tinsmithing, printing and more while exploring the crafts at Ohio’s largest living-history destination!

“Our Explore the Crafts event offers guests a greater appreciation of the talented craftsmen that work each day at Sauder Village,” shared Kim Krieger, PR/Media Relations. “This popular day is filled with inspiration and creativity and provides great memories for all involved.”

During this fun-filled event, craftsmen will share their talents while allowing guests to explore their own creativity.  Visitors may want to try pottery, making wooden tops, mini decorative brooms, felt balls, wooden beaded necklaces, and tussie mussies. Some of the other hands-on activities planned for this event include assembling a wooden bucket, making a tin icicle ornament, spinning, weaving and embroidery. Guests participate in drawing activities, stamp bookmarks in the Print Shop and make a God’s eye ornament in the Basket Shop.

 

Families Invited to Celebrate Spring on the Farm

Families from throughout the region will be celebrating “Spring on the Farm” on Saturday, May 9 at Sauder Village. The first in the series of farm days, Spring on the Farm offers families the opportunity to try hands-on activities, watch unique demonstrations, enjoy stories and special music to experience life on an Ohio farm more than 100 years ago.

 

 “With fun activities like making butter, shelling beans, gathering eggs and meeting baby animals, Spring on the Farm continues to be one of our most popular events for families to enjoy,” shared Kim Krieger, Media Relations. “Our Farm Day series is a wonderful opportunity for families to experience how life on the farm changes with the seasons. We encourage families to join us this spring and then come back for Summer on the Farm on July 11, Fall on the Farm on October 10 and the new Preparing the Farm for Winter event on October 24.”

 

During Spring on the Farm guests can watch sheep shearing demonstrations and there will be new baby animals to visit in the barns. In the historic homes guests can wash dandelion greens, churn butter, grate horseradish, make noodles and wash clothes. Guests can help with spring cleaning in the homes by washing windows, beating rugs and hanging clothes on the line to dry. Other hands-on activities include shelling beans, making rope, cleaning gourds, collecting sunflower seeds and playing old-fashioned games. Throughout the day there will be soap making demonstrations and costumed guides will be preparing squash soup, breads and other historic recipes in the homes.

Performances by special guest Bob Ford are also a traditional part of this family event. A folk musician from Cedarville, Ohio, Bob Ford has been a recognized performer in the Historic Village for many years. Bob brings history to life through songs and stories. Weather permitting he will perform at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. A special book signing will also take place as part of the Spring on the Farm event. Local author Keri Aeschliman will be signing her novel In Paths of Righteousness from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Welcome Center lobby.

 

For more information about Spring on the Farm or other events planned for the 2015 season at Sauder Village, call 800-590-9755, visit www.saudervillage.org 

 

 

 

National Volunteer Week – Sauder Village Invites You to Get Involved!

National Volunteer Week, April 12-18, is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. Sauder Village volunteers are an essential part of the success of Ohio’s largest living history destination and even more people are encouraged to get involved this season!

“Operating non-profit Sauder Village is a labor-intensive undertaking,” shared Kim Krieger, PR/Media Relations. “Volunteer involvement helps us to keep Sauder Village viable and affordable for guests who visit from throughout the region and around the world. Again this season we are looking for additional volunteer help. Whether you want to interact with visitors in the Historic Village, help with hands-on activities or work behind the scenes – each job serves an important function that helps us keep the Sauder Village mission alive.”

Every year many youth and adult volunteers share their time and talents at Sauder Village. There are opportunities for all ages and skill levels to get involved – from youth, adults and families to school, church, scout, or 4-H groups. Some of the unique volunteer opportunities at Sauder Village include helping in the Historic Village as a costumed guide or craftsman, working in the gardens, or helping with special events. Volunteers can also assist in our education, curatorial, administrative, marketing or maintenance departments. Many volunteers also help as a clerk in the retail areas or by quilting, frosting cookies, greeting guests and so much more!

“National Volunteer Week is an opportune time for us to remind people about the importance of getting involved in your community,” Krieger added. “During National Volunteer Week we encourage people to explore the many volunteer opportunities available at Sauder Village.”

National Volunteer Week, a program of Points of Light, was established in 1974 and has grown exponentially year, with thousands of volunteer projects and special events scheduled throughout the week across the country.  National Volunteer Week is about taking action and encouraging individuals and their respective communities to be at the center of social change – discovering and actively demonstrating their collective power to make a difference.

For more information on how to get involved and share your time and talents at Sauder Village contact Sheri Friesner, volunteer coordinator, at 419.446.2541 or sheri.friesner@saudervillage.org

 

 

Heritage Shop Workday Planned on March 10

Attention all knitters, quilters, woodworkers, basket makers, rug hookers (or anyone who is creative or just wants to have fun!!) We are currently seeking creative people to help make handcrafted items for our Heritage Shop at Sauder Village.

Interested in getting involved? Join us on Tuesday, March10 for an opportunity to help make items for the shop and have fellowship with others who like to be creative!

A variety of projects will be available for people to help with from 1 – 4 p.m. in the Village Café.  The Heritage Shop Workday will give knitters an opportunity to make hats and headbands. Worsted weight yarn and a pattern will be available for people to use – just bring a size 8 – 17 inch Circular Needles and Size 8 Double Pointed Needles. If you are not a knitter there are still opportunities to get involved as another creative project will also be available.

The Heritage Shop features handmade exclusives made by friends of Sauder Village. Located in the lobby of the Welcome Center, all merchandise in the Heritage Shop is handcrafted and donated by people who care about the cultural and educational mission of Sauder Village. Items donated to the Heritage Shop are unique and go through a juried selection process. Donated items have been quilted, carved, painted, knitted, crocheted, hooked, woven, mixed media or fashioned in some other traditional method. Modern interpretations of traditional crafts are welcome and encouraged.

The Heritage Shop has been an excellent way for people to help support the mission of Sauder Village – either by donating a handcrafted item or by making a purchase from the shop. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, Sauder Village depends on gifts of time, talent and finances to help sustain our mission. Donating a handcrafted item to the Heritage Shop or participating in the Heritage Shop Workday are great ways to help support our efforts to keep costumed interpreters in our historic buildings, develop school programs, create new exhibits and provide hands-on demonstrations for guests to enjoy.

Interested in attending the Heritage Shop Workday or have an item you would like to donate to the shop? Contact Debbi Russell at 800.590.9755 or e-mail her at drussell@saudervillage.org

Want to learn more about the importance of supporting non-profit Sauder Village? View this short video featuring Maynard and Myrl Sauder about the community’s role in supporting non-profit Sauder Village. We hope you'll get involved!

 

 

Remodeling This Old House

What’s happening to the Grime Homestead at the Village?

Work has started on the Grime Homestead - the first phase in the expansion of our historic timeline into the 1920s. We are proceeding with upgrades to the home that include new siding, replacement of windows and doors, installation of a new heating/cooling system, new perimeter drainage and the addition of an ADA accessible ramp.  We are also restoring the interior plaster work, woodwork, chimney, and will be redecorating the house based on paint and wallpaper found during the renovation project.

Once construction is finished we will furnish the home to the 1920s period based on oral histories from family members and other contemporary local residents. The changes to the interior of the Grime Homestead will help illustrate the beginning of modern times.  The research into the Grime family, and other rural families in our region during that time period, show that they are accepting some modern technologies, while still clinging to some of the old ways.  The house will have a whole new look, and lots of new stories about the move into the modern age.  We plan to open this new exhibit this spring.

A bit of Grime Homestead History . . .
The Grime Homestead was built by Pierre Henri (Peter Henri better known as Henry) Grime (1832-1915) in 1860 for his new wife Adeline Felice Druhot (1842-1936).  Henry was the son of John Peter Grime (1789-1885) who immigrated with his wife, Francoise Flory (1810-1876) and six children in 1843 from the Alsace Lorraine area of France.  Adeline was the daughter of Jean C. E. and Elinora Eulilia (Bollett) Druhot.  Henry and Adeline had nine sons, of whom two died in childhood.  They sold their farm to their fourth son, Gustave Grime (1869-1943). In 1894 he married Amelia Anna Kretz (1874-1953) the daughter of Joseph and Anna Catherine (Griewald) Kretz.  They had one daughter Ethel Adeline who married Floyd Edwin Dominique in 1911.  The family was French Catholic and attended St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Archbold. 
 
The Grime Homestead was built in the Georgian style in 1860 and added onto in the T pattern about 1875-1880.  It originally sat further from the road and was moved to its current location around 1910 and placed on a basement when Gust purchased the farm from his parents. The original front porch added during the expanse in the late 1800s was enclosed at some point prior to its move in the teens and a new porch was added to the front.   

 

 

 

 

 

National Pie Day – A Delicious Holiday!

No matter how you cut it, pies are a great reason to celebrate on a cold winter day! Whether you love apple, peach, pumpkin or peanut butter – take time to celebrate the wholesome goodness of pie on National Pie Day – Friday, January 23.

A Taste of Pie History . . .

Historians trace the origin of pie to the Greeks who are thought to be the originators of the pastry shell. The early pies were predominately meat pies and the crust of the pie was often referred to as “coffyn”. Pies came to America with the first English settlers with the early colonists cooking their pies in long narrow pans. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts often were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling during baking. Pioneer women often served pies with every meal and with food at the heart of gatherings and celebrations, pie quickly moved to the forefront of contests at county fairs, picnics, and other social events. Through the years, pie has evolved to become a very traditional dessert and a unique part of the American culture.

Ways to Celebrate . . .

• Celebrate with us at Sauder Village! The Doughbox Bakery will be offering a deal of $1.00 off pies and free samples throughout the day, while supplies last. We’re also offering $1.00 off a slice of pie with any meal purchase at the Barn Restaurant on Jan. 23.
• Make a your own pie! Make special memories with your children or grandkids by baking a pie together (the Doughbox Bakery even sells homemade pie crust for you to bake in your own kitchen!).
• Try a new (or old!) pie recipe. Look through your cookbooks to find a new recipe or try one of these historic recipes we often prepare throughout the season in the Village.

Buttermilk Pie
(recipe from the Buckeye Cookery, published 1877)

½ heaping cup sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup butter, softened

¾ cup buttermilk

1 apple, thinly sliced

grated nutmeg

Beat together the sugar and eggs. Add butter and beat thoroughly. Add the buttermilk and mix thoroughly. Line the pie tin with crust (see pie crust recipe below). Lay apple slices on crust. Fill the crust with the mixture. Add a little nutmeg on top as garnish if desired and bake with no upper crust. Bake at 350 degrees about 45 minutes until set.

Simple Pie Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup shortening

½ cup water

In a large bowl combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Divide dough in half and shape into balls. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll out dough on floured counter. (Don’t over work it.) Use as directed in your pie recipe.       

   

Bicycles of Days Gone By at Sauder Village

From early high-wheelers and bone-shakers to the mountain bikes we see on trails today – bicycles have been part of the Midwest landscape for nearly 200 years! On August 2 & 3 the Ohio Wheelmen will celebrate the history of bicycles with their 20th Biennial Meet at Sauder Village. Nearly 80 wheelmen will share their love of cycling with antique bikes and accessories on display, demonstrations and a daily parade on the Village Green.

A Look at Bicycles of Days Gone By . . .
During the late nineteenth century, bicycles dramatically changed life throughout the Midwest. Horses and carriages were expensive to maintain in cities. There were only a few automobiles built and public transportation was often inadequate. The bicycle met the need for inexpensive, individual transportation – for business, deliveries, recreational riding and sport. What may seem a machine of modest and limited performance, in the 1890s the bicycle was recognized as a swift vehicle and fine machine.

Invented in 1817 by German Karl Drais, the first 2-wheeled tandem machine was called a Laufmaschine – a simple bike with a steerable front wheel. By the 1860s, the Velocipede was introduced. While this invention added cranks and pedals, its moderate-sized front wheel made it a little faster than walking and its wooden wheels and iron tires earned it the name “boneshaker.” Eventually the English persevered and introduced a bike with a larger front wheel to increase speed and smaller rear wheel for convenience. The “High-Wheel” bike also known as an “Ordinary” was born! While the “Ordinaries” were fun to ride, it was more for sport than transportation since rough roads often brought bad spills – one small bump and the rider went right over the handlebar, head down!

Finally, in 1885 the first Safety Bicycle was produced. Considerably safer than the high wheeler, the Safety Bike allowed the rider’s feet to always touch the ground and their head was only a few feet above the ground in case of a fall. Most accidents were limited to torn trousers, skinned knees and palms. The Safety Bike was the first vehicle that was practical and affordable for the common person and became a standard form of transportation in the late 1890s and early 1900s. Propelled by a chain running between two sprockets, the larger front sprocket at the pedals allowed the rear wheel to rotate faster than the rider pedaled. Early models had a wooden frame and hard rubber tires but later models were made of tubular steel and had inflatable pneumatic rubber tires – providing a more comfortable ride.

Today the bicycle is used for recreation, exercise and play in the United States. It is a primary source of transportation in much of the world. Join us to celebrate the great American tradition of bicycling. Check out the bicycle exhibit in our Museum Building and plan a visit on August 2 & 3 to meet the Wheelmen and see some amazing bicycles of “days gone by”.

Celebrating the Chocolate Chip Cookie!

Today is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

Did you know that half of all the cookies sold in the US today are chocolate chip? Locally, our home-made chocolate chip cookies have been a top-seller at the Doughbox Bakery since 1976.  Our recipe was even featured in an issue of Midwest Living Magazine!

Research shows that the invention of the chocolate chip cookie was actually a delicious surprise! The story goes that in 1930 Ruth Wakfield was making cookies for guests at a small inn when she realized she was out of baker’s chocolate. According to NESTLÉ®, she substituted semi-sweet chocolate chunks into the dough expecting them to melt. Instead, the chocolate held its shape and softened to a delicious, creamy texture . . . and the chocolate chip cookie was born!

The “Toll House Crunch Cookies” became a hit for guests at the Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts and the recipe was soon published in a Boston newspaper and eventually on the wrapper of the Nestle Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar. 

Thank you to Ms. Wakefield for this unexpected, yet delicious discovery! 

Stop by the Doughbox Bakery soon to try our version of the Chocolate Chip Cookie or check out our recipe that was featured in Midwest Living as one of the "Six Best-Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipes." Enjoy!

Ask The Expert - Meet Our Livestock Manager

As part of our blog series for this year, we're pleased to introduce you to another one of the many experts we have working at Sauder Village.  From gardening, crafts and preserving your artifacts to education, farming and historic cooking – we hope you enjoy meeting some of our talented staff and will take time to ask them a question or two. What a great way to learn something new!

We hope you enjoy meeting our Livestock Manager, Katie Frey. Please post any questions you have for Katie in the comment section below. Thanks!

Meet Katie Frey

Title:  Livestock Manager.  Katie Frey started working as a groomer at Sauder Village as a summer job during college. About 3 seasons ago she was hired as our Livestock Manager.

Main Responsibilities: Katie oversees all aspects of the livestock at Sauder Village. This includes feeding/nutrition, health/medical, and reproduction. She also does historic demonstrations and helps educate guests about our livestock.

Favorite Part of her Job: “I just really love working with animals and it's fun to teach others about our history and how livestock were such an integral part in shaping it,” Katie shared.

Anything new for guests to see this summer in our barnyard areas?  “Of course! We will be having piglets born throughout the season and two calves are expected - one in May and the other in August. We will have baby chicks, including a new breed called Dominique that will take the place of the Barred Plymouth Rocks, out at Pioneer Settlement. We also have two different breeds of sheep. The Merino will be housed at Pioneer Settlement and the Southdown are in the 1910 Barnyard Area."

Favorite Farm Animal at Sauder Village:   “I grew up raising beef cattle and continue to do so, so I have always loved cattle. I have never been around pigs much or raised them before, but Ms. Delores Piggy has really made me fond of her,” Katie shared. “Therefore I have to say it is a toss-up between our Jersey cow, Brownie, and Ms. Delores Piggy. They are both really sweet and fun to work with. I do love all of our animals though!”

What are your hobbies? Katie shared . . . I raise beef cattle. We breed and sell cattle for youth to show and that keeps me very busy! When I was in 4-H we showed cattle nationally as well as state-wide and it really gets in your blood. We also raise a few Boer goats for youth to show and I breed Australian Shepherd dogs. I also love to read books, play board games, watch movies and play cards. I also help with a youth program at church. Gardening is also a hobby. I like to collect seeds from year to year to see if I can grow my own flowers and vegetables. I usually create one new flower bed each year. My grandmother established most of the flower beds on our property, so now I am working on revamping those beds while still utilizing the same flowers that she planted. 

What is your greatest accomplishment at Sauder Village?   I really love that we have started to use our own products in our historic cooking demonstrations at the Village. I work closely with the foodways supervisor Gail Richardson and this past year we have incorporated our own eggs, milk and other products into our historic cooking. I think that this helps make our demonstrations so much more authentic and is a great way for guests to see how food gets to the table.



What other thoughts would you like to share about our farm animals?
“I always want to remind people that we are a working farm and that everyone needs to be careful around our farm animals. While animals may seem harmless, they can hurt someone without meaning to if not handled in a proper manner,” Katie shared.   Katie also wants guests to remember that our animals are fed a strict diet and something foreign can cause them to become very sick, so please don’t feed them grass, candy, or part of your ice-cream cone!

What do you hope people will learn from our livestock program at Sauder Village?  “I hope that guests walk away with the knowledge of how important farm animals were to the early pioneers as well as how important they are today,” Katie shared. “Livestock not only provided and continues to provide food, but also a means of transportation and companionship.” 

Katie also shared that she hopes our guests really come away with how much we love our animals at Sauder Village. “Growing up on a family farm, I also hope guests realize how much farmers love their animals as well. We are just caring people who love our animals, love what we do, and work very hard to provide food for others.”

What other information would you like to share?
We do practice modern day veterinary protocols at Sauder Village, so I am up-to-date on many concerns going on within the food industry today. Any questions or concerns about modern day food health issues or treatments of the animals I will welcome and try to answer to the best of my ability. And, if I don't know an answer to your question I will happily point you in the right direction to find out the answer.

Answers to Your Gardening Questions

We hope you enjoyed meeting our Grounds Supervisor, Susan Burkhart, in our blog article last week. Thanks to everyone who posted a question for our gardening expert! Susan is pleased to share her love of gardening/landscaping with others and hopes many people will learn something new and will stop by to visit the gardens this season at Sauder Village!
 
Why would you recommend trying some heirloom varieties of vegetables in your garden? What are the benefits?
The flavor of older varieties is sometimes much better than new ones! When new varieties come out they are geared to helping prevent insect problems or some diseases. By trying to fix one problem they sometimes lose some of the rich flavor of the vegetable.

 I am considering starting a small garden. What is your best advice for a newbie?
There are several ways you can garden. You could try having just a planter box with some vegetables or could even just place some plants within a flower bed. If space is not a problem then maybe make a bed just big enough to try a few easy to grow vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce or even green beans. There are many questions to consider when starting a garden. Is this for one person’s use or more? How much space do you have? How much time do you have to spend gardening?  Feel free to call and I can give you more information to get you started. Susan, 800.590.9755.

Students from local school volunteer to help prune bushes.

I'm never sure about when to prune the bushes in my yard (Lilac, Forsythia and Burning Bush). Any suggestions?
The rule of thumb I use:  If it’s a flowering scrub that blooms from buds that were formed on the previous season’s growth, you need to prune it right after it is done blooming.  The scrub needs a full year’s growth to produce the blossoms.  Among these are azalea, bridal wreath spirea, dogwood, forsythia, lilac, mock orange, climbing roses, snowball viburnum and wisteria.

Other scrubs bloom on buds of the current season’s growth. These would be pruned during the dormant period. I like to do it when the weather breaks in the early spring when most of the harsh winter is done so there isn’t a lot of winter die back. Butterfly bushes, clematis, highbush cranberry, honeysuckle, rose bushes, and rose of Sharon.

Burning Bushes can be done anytime but it is best to prune in early spring before it leafs out you can see the shape better while pruning. When scrubs are out of control, sometimes it is best to prune to the ground leaving just a few inches for them to start all over. 

I want to know how to safely get rid of squash bugs! My zucchini and summer squash start out looking great...then almost overnight they shrivel up and die and I find those bugs! I don't want that to happen again this year!
This is a hard one because the Squash Vine Borer has a small window of time to get it under control and by the time you see you have a problem it’s too late. Try starting the seeds inside early in the spring, so the plants are too large for the bug to bother. They feed only when they are caterpillars for about a month. You have to watch for the female moth laying eggs which can occur in June or July. After the eggs hatch the white larvae then bore into the stems. This may take a little patience in checking daily the backs of the leaves. Picking off the egg infested leaves is non-chemical way. The insecticide that you can use would be something with Methoxychlor. You would apply this during the egg-laying time.

How do you recommend keeping grass/weeds out of my asparagus patch? I've heard using salt - but is that OK? 
I spray a circle around the patch with round up. This keeps the grass or weeds from suckering under ground and taking over the entire patch. I do use the rock salt or ice cream salt right in and around the whole patch to help control the weeds.