Still another week of trying to catch up - does that sound like your life?
I realized while using my word processor program that there was an update I had in the computer which needs to be found and put in again - until it is, envelopes are not easy to do as there was a fix to them in the update. I also still need to import the data for the address books for same back into the program. I noticed the problem with the envelopes as yesterday I wrote letters and sent out emails whose information had been sitting on my desk waiting to be done.
Today I went to run the new backup program in my computers. I first had to put it into my laptop. I finally got it loaded into my laptop. I plugged in the external hard drive - it could not be found. After several tries I decided that this was not to be the day to do backups.
The board of my embroidery group chapter is trying to put together the schedule for the coming year. I needed to send out an email telling members about a choice of projects that they need to make a decision on by the first meeting. Today all was resolved with which items we will be offering and I sent out the email. I also finished putting together our program for the year as we finally had plans for all the meetings lined up. I will have to go tomorrow and get it printed for the members, then assemble, address label, and stamp the copies, so I can get them out in the mail. Much of it is copied year to year which makes it somewhat easier to write.
We normally go away in August on vacation. The weather has been extremely hot with chances of major rain storms every day so we have not made plans. Husband announced today at lunch that the weather is suppose to be okay starting next week, so we will be going on Monday.
Well, the stack on my desk is almost gone thanks to the work I got done on Tuesday, so of course it will now grow again. I have to stop the newspaper, put holds on the mail here and at our Post Office box - and we like to do all of this for at least a day before we leave so we see it stop - means I have to call the newspaper tomorrow and go to both post offices to stop the mail.
We put the stuff we took out of the RV when we had the generator work done, back in today - while we ran the generator for the month - that way it was air conditioned in the RV while we worked. I still have to make up the beds. I am doing my regular laundry tonight and will laundry again before Monday so all the clothes are clean and can be packed. I have to call the pharmacy and renew 2 prescriptions so we have enough of them for the trip. We also will have to transfer some money so we can prepay all the bills due while away before we go. Oh, and I have to put out the newsletter for the embroidery chapter while we are away so I copied the email addresses to take and need to copy the last couple of newsletters to put together the new one.
Something more pleasant - We did manage to go away for a day last Saturday. There is a very nice, small festival northwest of Philadelphia called Goshenhoppen. It is different from most folk and craft festivals in that the purpose of it is to make sure that the traditional crafts, trades, cooking, etc. are not forgotten. The people who are involved with the festival go back to the colonial period and came from German countries. (Germany itself was not a country until the 1800s.) The association which runs the event owns a house from the 1700s which is partially restored and the event is held on the grounds around the house.
On the side of the road (the road is closed for the event) that the house is on, everything is related to the 1700s - and the people are dressed as their ancestors would be then. In addition to the house, rebuilt external bake oven, there is a kitchen garden. On this side of the road one can see a Revolutionary war encampment, wood working, water pump making, gun making, coopering (barrel making), windsor chairs being made, cooking in a hearth and over an open fire, rope making, two different types of foot powered wood lathes, bookbinding, marbleizing (on paper), roof thatching, weaving, a “school room” where children learn to write in the period style of writing with ink pens, spinning of linen as well as spinning of wool, straw hat making, wood carving, tape weaving (thin long strips of cloth to be used as ties for the clothing - very necessary in period), an assortment of types of needlework, bee keeping and other things I have forgotten. There are things for children to try such as sewing, the previously mentioned tape weaving, and corn husk dolls.
Now on the other side of the road is the 1800s and people are dressed in this period. There are demonstrations of stone cutting, leather work, tin work, fence making, wheel making, cigar making, blacksmithing, farm animals (and a bit of how they work machinery), how to make a jointed building - no nails or screws, quilting, cooking on period stoves, laundry, Christmas customs, sewing on an early sewing machine and more.
One sees children working at most of the demonstrations. As part of the idea that the knowledge of the past should not be lost, children work as apprentices learning how to do traditional things. Apparently the children can either do the same thing year to year or different things each year. Some of them also study what they are demonstrating during the year with the expert they are working with.
On this side of the road there is also butchering demonstrations - those, such as me, who do not want to see this can easily avoid it. There are food, drink, and books for sale booths. An unusual food here is Funny Cake. It is a pie shell with a chocolate pudding like layer and a cake like layer over it. We found it in one other place in the area and it was not the same and not as good. We asked at the booth and it is made for them to their recipe. There is also a building with cooked food for sale for lunch or early dinner. And there is a stage.
During the day there are different presentations on the stage. The group normally has a theme for the year and the presentations are based on same. While some are musical, others are lectures or discussions on the theme for the year. This year’s theme was the fact that it was the 50th festival and there were photos from prior festivals on display.
There is a band and there is a grand parade in the afternoon around the grounds.
Now, understand, this is not a huge festival. When we have spoken with volunteers there they are surprised that anyone outside of their area knows about it, let alone comes from 2 states away to visit it - year after year. The man demonstrating leatherwork was talking with my husband, who also does leatherwork. He explained that his tools were his father’s tools and that they date to the 1800s. This is the type of continuity they are looking to keep in this association and this festival.
Okay, so what does this festival have to do with organizing? Two things.
First, it shows the sort of life that existed in the past. One’s life had to be organized. As a woman in the 1700s kitchen garden was explaining - if one did not grow enough vegetables and preserve them - pickling or drying being common methods - (canning did not come into existence until the 1800s) as well as preserving meats - drying, salting, smoking being common methods - one did not have food in the winter. That is organizing. Imagine needing to know how much food you will need until spring and how to keep the food you have until then. Too little or if it is improperly preserved and the family will go hungry.
Even the stoves in their houses (unique to several non English groups) are well planned. They consist of 5 sheet panels of iron. One is laid on the floor on brick floor (only in this area of the floor), one on each of the 3 sides away from the wall and one on top. It is located in the main room of the house. The stove backs to the kitchen wall so that the stove pipe goes out the back, through the wall and into the kitchen fireplace so that they can share the chimney.
The walls (again this is unique to those of their background) are double thick and there are cabinets set into the wall between the inner and outer layer. There is one in the main room and one in the (master) bedroom.
Second - think of the organization to have this event each year. The festival is run by volunteers. The local German descendants are not like the Amish you may be thinking of and picturing in your mind when you hear Pennsylvania German. They are of a variety of religious groups who came here for religious freedom. They consist of Lutherans, Mennonites, Dunkards, Brethren, Moravians and others. They live modern lives and wear modern clothes unlike the Amish and more traditional Mennonites.
Every year the members of the association have to come up with a theme. Figure out which special programs they will run on the stage and elsewhere. They have to make sure that the volunteers from past years are coming and look for new volunteers - especially ones who can demonstrate different things. Period clothing has to be repaired if needed. New clothing made for new volunteers. Clothing has to be matched to the various children who, of course, change size year to year. Advertising is put out. Since the road through the property is closed off I am sure that each year they have to apply for permission to do this from the local municipality. The local fire company takes care of directing parking of cars. The festival planners has to make sure the fire company will be there and will have enough volunteers from their end.
Then there is the physical setup and take down. I understand that the festival takes 2 weeks to set up and probably as long to take down for a festival which runs 2 days! Booths for sales are set up. On the 1800s side a good number of period stoves are setup as are tables for those cooking to work on. They have on each side of the road, in addition to the house from the 1700s, an open air house. This is a floor with interior walls of a house diving the floor into the various room. (Sort of a house with no outside walls.) Before they had the actual house to show, this was how they showed the house of each period and how they differed. The houses have to be assembled. After the event all of this has to be taken down and stored away.
I have run small reenactment events and been involved on a minor level with a large local event. The amount of people needed and the amount of work done is more than one would would figure. Everyone has to know what they are doing (hopefully the people who did each job before are still there) and how to do it. Things are always missing or broken. (We went to a reenactment with another unit and our unit brought a privates tent and a fly - a tent that is only a top - at my suggestion. When we went to set up we were missing one of the fly poles. I was told I had a choice of which tent they could set up - which did I choose? - I had them set the tent at a corner of the fly and the same pole held up both, although the fly corner had to come down to the height of the tent - but this is the sort of stuff that happens, and hopefully the group is organized enough to minimize same.)
Next time you go to a fair or festival - even that local church or school fair - look around and think about the organizing which goes into it.
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