A church volunteer helps a child press apples to make cider.
Visitors took a step back in time to the 18th century Saturday afternoon at the Mennonite Heritage Center’s 50th annual Apple Butter Frolic. The popular fall festival provided a glimpse into the colonial life of the Mennonites with farming and craft demonstrations, art and tractor displays and more.
One such demonstration was rifle-making, which the Mennonites used as farming “tools” to protect their wildlife from animal predators.
“Here they needed a tool like this on the farm to protect their livestock,” said the volunteer. “You could have your entire livelihood ruined otherwise.”
Another demonstration was tape weaving, featuring a loom used to make ribbon, called tape in the 18th century.
“It was used for shoelaces, hair ribbons, apron strings; everything we fasten things with is what they were using this tape for,” said Dianne Cram. “There’s 101 household uses for this tape or ribbon.”
Other demonstrations included picking and husking corn, rug hooking and braiding, woodworking, chair caning and flax processing.
Alongside the demonstrations were several art displays, such as hex signs and miniature portraits, a European craft imported to the colonies in the 1740s.
“Lincoln was done by a Lancaster artist, and it became his campaign picture,” said Ruth Williams, a miniature portrait artist. “George Washington wore an image of Martha every day, and Martha wore Washington’s image to her death bed. So, the importance was that you could carry someone with you — portable portraits.”
The festival also offered up traditional Pennsylvania Dutch food, including apple dumpings, apple fritters, apple pie, hot dogs with sauerkraut, shoo fly pie and fresh scrapple. Accompanying the food was a demonstration of traditional apple butter stirring by Harry Bauman of Bauman Family Apple Butter.
“We have to stir it to keep it from burning on the bottom,” said Bauman. “Green apples are more likely to burn than other fruits.”
Rounding out the festival were hit and miss engines, tractor displays and children’s activities, including applesauce making, a straw bale maze and a petting zoo with rabbits and ducks.
This article appears courtesy of a content share agreement between North Penn Now and The Reporter. To read more stories like this, visit www.thereporteronline.com.
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