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Harvest time is party time
Harvest Festival is Saturday, Oct. 11 at Reiman-Simmons
File photo
The apple cider press is always a big hit during the annual Reiman-Simmons House Harvest Festival.
This Saturday, Oct. 11, the seventh annual Harvest Festival at the Reiman-Simmons House promised to offer free fun the whole family can enjoy.
“Kids, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, can all come together and enjoy the event. It is a great way to bring multiple generations together,” said coordinator Harriet Weber.
The event kicks off at 11 a.m. and runs through 3 p.m. This year there will be a special exhibit from the Pacific Science Center titled “Harvesting Science.” Weber said the exhibit includes a working model of an old fashioned windmill, that really pumps water.
“Th exhibit tells the story of agriculture, and the story behind it: what the settlers had to do to make a living,” she said.
The exhibit is sponsored by Weber Farms, the family of Sam and Pearl Weber and by proceeds from the Wine Festival.
Some of the hands-on activities include washtub laundry, treadle sewing, spinning and carding wool, dipping beeswax candles, butter churning, pressing apple juice and crossing a rope bridge. There will be old-fashioned hay rides, barnyard animals, and tours of the summer kitchen. “Talkin Crow,” a mountain man reenactor will be present, as will Rod Dennis, a coal fired blacksmith. The Reiman-Simmons House will be open for tours. In the exhibit hall, the “Making the Quincy Valley Home” movies will be playing. The interactive kiosk with two different pioneer games will also be available. The Sagebrush Mercantile will be open, selling a variety of merchandise. A few vendors will also be on site.
A prairie doll class will be offered three times throughout the day for a cost of $5. The class is designed for those ages 7 and up and is limited to 12 students, four each session. Bev Mayer of Ephrata is teaching the class and said while they don’t have faces, the dolls each have their own personalities, indicated in part by the position of their sunbonnets over their faces. The 15-inch cloth dolls actually have their clothes sewn on layer by layer, an old-fashioned technique. The sunbonnet doll pattern was first developed in 1900. Mayer said she is excited to share the craft with others at the event.
Bob Ottmar’s chuckwagon will be back with its Dutch oven cooking. He will offer lunch for $5.
“All Strings Considered” a group based out of the upper Wenatchee Valley that plays folk and Americana music, will take the stage with two 45-minute sets, one at 11:30 a.m., the second starting at 1 p.m. The group is offering a music clinic in between to talk about the various instruments they play and discuss folk music and its historical importance.
At 2 p.m., Weber will give a talk about pioneer foods, discussing what typical meals were like, discussing the various vegetables and herbs grown in the garden, and how food was prepared. Ann Phelps will demonstrate how pioneers made crocks of sauerkraut.
The event will conclude with the Senior Center raffle drawing. Weber said over 50 volunteers will be helping with the event. She said the event wouldn’t be possible without all the volunteers.
Even in bad weather, the festival will go on, said Weber.
“The forecast is on the chilly side, so dress appropriately,” she said.
