The 2015 Little Levels Heritage Fair June 26th through the 28th
Got those summertime boredom, kids out of school blues? One great cure is to come on out to the Little Levels Heritage Fair at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace near Hillsboro. Since moving out of the Town of Hillsboro proper to the grounds of the Birthplace 2 years ago the Fair has taken on the feel of a country fair being held on real fairgrounds says Ruth Taylor, organizer for the event.
The Heritage Fair will offer the usual activities:
These include parades on both Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, Arts and Crafts displays, and a Quilting Bee.
There will of course be great food including a Friday barbecue pig roast from 4:30 PM to 7 PM. Tickets for the barbecue will cost $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for pre-school children.
Other food will include Saturday morning ham, biscuits and coffee at the Food Court until 10 AM; a chicken Barbecue sale at the food court on Saturday starting at 11 AM.
For a nominal fee, Birthplace house tours will be available on Friday and Saturday some of which will include an antique quilt display in the house.
Live entertainment on Saturday will be by offered by the Viney Mountain Boys from 10 to 11 AM; Juanita Fireball & the Continental Drifters from 11 AM until noon; Richard Hefner & the Black Mountain Boys from 12 PM to 1 PM and Bill Hefner and Family from 3 to 4 PM.
There will be some new events this year as Ruth Taylor explains.
“We’ve changed our Friday entertainment” Ruth says. “Instead of having just group entertainment, we’re having a Talent contest, and people need to pre-register for that. They will be doing 20 minute sets – 15 to 20 minutes, and it will be peoples’ choice. And we’re doing three ranges of prizes from $175 down. So they need to bring lots of family and friends to cheer for them to win.”
There will be something new (or perhaps old?) for children too.
“Friday afternoon at 2 we’re going to have a marble tournament” Ruth says. “We had talked about doing it the official way with the 10 foot ring and all of that, but we don’t have the right piece of property surface there. We’re going to play old fashioned marbles so any of the children 15 and under who would like to come and play marbles, we’re inviting you to come to the Pearl Buck place to have the marble tournament.”
Ruth talks about another new event.
“And then the other thing that’s new – and that focuses on our theme which is ‘honoring our past, sharing our stories- and on Saturday afternoon at the log house, the Sidenstricker House at Pearl Buck, we’re going to have story tellers” Ruth says. “And we’re asking them to preregister, Maybe a five or ten minute story which relates to the heritage or history – and knowing some of the people around here, it doesn’t have to be the whole truth. It can be a story that’s been passed down.”
Ruth mentions that Richard Heffner has agreed to tell a story and she doesn’t quite know what to expect from him. She talks about another person with ties to the Birthplace who will be telling a story.
“I believe Martha Edgar Ness is going to be here to tell a story” Ruth says. “And she lived in the Pearl S Buck Birthplace and so she is going to tell some of the stories about when she lived there – when it wasn’t Pearl Buck’s Birthplace per se. “
Ruth talks about the Reconnection Ceremony and pot luck dinner scheduled for 6PM Saturday at the Pleasant Green Church on Seebert Road.
“That church is on the National Historic Register” Ruth says. “Two years ago we had people from all over who were part of that church come back for a reunion ceremony. So we’re going to have a ceremony there that the people who are descendants or people who attended that church are planning. And then we are going to have a big covered dish dinner following that. So everybody is welcome to come and bring a dish or come hungry, whichever. And it’s going to be a lot of music that they select. It was a really nice ceremony last time and it should be even better this time.”
Other events occurring at this year’s Little Levels Heritage Fair include slab cutting by a portable saw mill, living histories, and antique car and truck show and much more.
So overcome those dreary summer days and come out to the Little Levels Heritage Fair June 26 through the 28th at the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace near Hillsboro.
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