Another Successful Prairie Days  

The Darke County Park District would like to thank all of those that came out to Shawnee Prairie Preserve for the 2013 Prairie Days Festival.  The weather for Saturday was all sunshine and guests came out in the thousands to see just what Prairie Days had to offer.  The morning began with an Opening Ceremony followed by the Blacksmith Shop Grand Opening.  Thank you to the Greenville Veterans Honor Guard and the Greenville High School Wavaires for their help.  Soon there were people flooding the craft tent, Log House and encampment area.  Crafts included, rag dolls, buzz saws, pottery, tin can lanterns and much more.  For adults and children, there were educational demonstrations from laundry and basket weaving to wooden shingles, chair caning and candle dipping.  Apples from Downing Fruit Farm were used to make fresh cider and apple butter.  With the addition of the Blacksmith Shop, people were able to stop in and see a local blacksmith at work.   New this year was the corner trading post where you could learn the value of furs and other goods that pioneers used to trade.  Sunday brought with it rain, but hundreds of people still came out to enjoy Prairie Days.   Volunteers kept a smile on their face throughout the day, despite being a little damp! 

Prairie Days would not be possible without the help of so many different groups and organizations.  A big thanks goes out to the Civic Theatre, Thien Snipps, True Lies and Silver Grass Band for keeping the stage alive with entertainment throughout the festival.   Thanks to all of the Demonstrators and Encampment dwellers for their willingness to share their knowledge.  Our Prairie Days Festival wouldn’t exist if we didn’t have the large number of strong, energetic and willing volunteers to help put it on.  “This year so many of the volunteers were willing to be involved with an additional shift/station because they were having so much fun during the festival,” stated Volunteer Coordinator, Laura Schwieterman.  “It’s amazing to see everyone show for their station and work so well together with the other volunteers and the public. Again I would like to thank each and every individual who volunteered for our 2013 Prairie Days Festival.” 

The dates are set for next year’s Festival:  September 27th and 28th, 2014.  Mark your calendars NOW!  You don’t want to miss out on this free, fun, family-oriented festival!  Visit our website at www.darkecountyparks.org for more information!