Harmon Field Heritage Days this weekend
Harmon Field will be a portal to the past Thursday, March 24 – Sunday, March 27 for Harmon Field Heritage Days.
You can meander through the Civil War Encampment along the Pacolet River, much the same as it would have been during the days of Stoneman’s Raid. Listen as soldiers discuss their battle plans. Smell the smoke from the fires as the women cook their meals.
Student days
On Thursday and Friday, March 24 and 25, approximately 900 area students will learn about crafts and games during the 1800s. They will also visit the Civil War encampment to learn about life as a soldier during the Civil War. If you home school your children, please register by calling 828-894-3370 or 828-817-1544 or by e-mailing serendipitykids@gmail.com.
At 9:15 a.m. on Friday, March 25, the students from Mr. David Riddle’s eighth-grade class from Polk County Middle School will release some of the trout they have raised from eggs. They have been involved with Trout in the Classroom, a project sponsored by the local chapter of Trout Unlimited. Students and visitors are invited to line-up along the Pacolet River just downstream from the footbridge for this special event.
General public activities
Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27, will be full days open to the general public. There will be activities for the whole family.
A soldier drill will be held at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The Battle Between the Blue and the Gray will take place both days at 2 p.m. Other demonstrations will happen spontaneously throughout both days as visitors wander through the encampment.
Take a leisurely ride around Harmon Field both Saturday and Sunday as you reminisce about life in the days of horse and carriage. Carolina Horse and Carriage will offer visitors a scenic tour of approximately 10 minutes around Harmon Field.
The Martin Family Photographers will return again this year to take pictures of you and your family in 1800s attire, with a setting to match. They will be located in the Harmon Field Community Building, next to Tryon Arts and Crafts.
Janet Pyatt of Pyatt’s Herbs & More in Spindale, N.C., will share her knowledge of herbs and their daily uses in the 18th and 19th centuries in the Harmon Field Community Building, next to Tryon Arts and Crafts. She will also introduce visitors to some herbs once common in kitchen gardens but now virtually unknown. As a sutler, Mrs. Pyatt travels to historical events in western North Carolina and South Carolina.
The Harmon Field Civil War Museum and Harmon Field Museum will be open each day in the Harmon Field Community Building, next to Tryon Arts and Crafts. Displays made by area students showing life in the 1800s will be in the Civil War Museum.
A Victorian Ladies Tea will be held Saturday at the Harmon Field Community Building, next to Tryon Arts & Crafts, sponsored by Cindy Austin and Starsky Jones. Proper etiquette will be demonstrated by ladies in period dress.
Supper with the Soldiers, Saturday evening at 5 p.m., will be a special occasion for you to sit down and visit with the soldiers while you enjoy an evening meal. The meal will be offered to everyone not in period dress for a small recommended donation. To accompany the meal, Dana Bergman will offer acoustical love songs, melodies and patriotic ballads.
Saturday will end with a candlelight walk-through of the Civil War encampment beginning at 7 p.m. Listen as the soldiers sit by their campfires and share stories about the day or plans for things to come.
Return on Sunday as life in the 1800s continues around Harmon Field throughout the day.
Harmon Field Heritage Days is offered free to students and the public thanks to a general grant from the Harmon Foundation and donation from American Legion Memorial Post 250.
For more information, call 828-894-3370 or 828-817-1544, e-mail serendipitykids@gmail.com or visit http://serendipitykidsranch.com/heritagedays.htm.
– article submitted