Every year for the past thousand or so years, my home town has hosted the Indian Festival (feather not a dot) in celebration of the original inhabitants of the area. Anyone who has ever driven through NW PA has seen the names of rivers and creeks and, no doubt, pondered how on Earth to pronounce them. I know this isn’t exclusive to PA, but it is definitely a part of the area’s Native American history.
In the past few years, sadly, it has become less about Native Americans and more about…ummm…something else. Still, it is the town event from my childhood that brings me home every year. This year, we watched the parade and the fire trucks and cars and twirling teams. I ate the awesome hot sausage that they sell at the Methodist church and I had a great chance to visit with some folks with whom I went to high school (I’ll probably say more about that another day).
It’s weird I guess how things stick with me, but I love to go back and see the town. There are so many faces that I am sure I knew 20 years ago. People who were my age then are now retiring and life is generally moving on..but I see glimmers of my growing up there and it makes me smile a bit on the inside.
So, Indian Festival isn’t what it once was, but then, I am not sure anything ever is. Still, with a little work and imagination, there are some awesome memories of times long gone…and even better, there are lots of new adventures for my kids!
What a wonderful weekend. Loved watching the grandkids at the parade and on the rides.
I’m just glad that you only ate one hot sausage this year instead of your usual three!!!
Traditions are great to have…although the green guy is a little scary! Hope your heartburn goes away!!! Kim
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Warren, what were you doing in the back of that yellow car?
Looks like fun!
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Love the picture of your two sweeties sliding down the slide!
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Sounds like fun. I enjoyed reading about your honey harvest. What do you do with it all? Do you substitute honey i/o sugar in many recipes?
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Only one sausage instead of three? That right there shows your age!
How fun to take your kids to something that you loved so well!
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It means a lot to many people I guess. It’s the only reason I can see why they continue since it has little to do with Native Americans. I suppose it will always be called that…
Kim – We eat a bunch of the honey but mostly, we sell it to folks. We sub it in some recipes but it’s hard in others…so it depends.
Looks like a good day, even if it’s not the same as it once was.
We have those impossible to pronounce Native Indian place names around here to, I think it’s fun to roll them around in my head : )
Warren I love the picture of your honey in the header. Where do you get the containers? We just sell ours in applesauce jars…I feel like such a hick! Kim
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Sausage looks good! This reminds me. The wilson co fair is starting up this friday. I would like to take Lily. I think she would enjoy it.
Looks like fun-especially the sausage and the slides!
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powedergirl – it’s funny that as a kid, I learned the name sand didn’t think a thing about it. When ever I go somewhere new, I wonder how the heck people say the local names…funny perspective I think!
Loretta – Oh how I miss the Wilson County Fair! It’s the best fair in the universe! Have fun for me!
tipper – I could live on that sausage…at least until it killed me!
That looks like fun – scary green guy and all! The kids look like it was a blast going down that slide
Kris
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Thanks for the picture of my next firetruck…
That would be a sweet ride, brother!