Mary and I missed it last year, but we made a point of visiting this year, even getting there early on the first day. We ran into our neighbor Bobby in the parking lot, who started out the conversation with the remark, “Yep, I’ve got to get me a candy apple and an elephant ear,” before moving into some other hot topics about the community and our neighborhood.
I have a few photographs to share about the tractor and steam engine portion of the show in a separate post, but today I wanted to pass along some photos of basket weaver Clyde Jenkins and his Stanley-based team doing demonstrations of white oak basket weaving. This was the first time we’d wandered around to where this group was working. Mr. Jenkins’ card advertises these as an “heirloom of quality hand crafted in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia,” while noting that his group is a basket supplier for Colonial Williamsburg.
I have heard, but didn’t verify, while we were at the basket weaving display, that Mr. Jenkins is an expert on heritage apple varieties. There were more than 20 local types on display in the same area where they were making baskets. It’s on my to do list to talk with him about our tree – both to find out what kind of apples we have and for tips on pruning it to save it.
In any case, it is easy to find out more about Mr. Jenkins and his basket weaving with a Google search – I’ve included a link to a Washington Post article below, as a matter of fact.
Other crafts on display at the festival included quilt making, wood working, wool spinning, soap making, apple butter making, and metal working – including black smithing. There’s plenty to learn here about how things were done, and the groups that work to keep the heritage alive.
The official web site for the festival can be found at http://luraypage.com/heritage . Tomorrow I’ll post some photos of the tractors and steam engines.
The Post article about Charles Jenkins is here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/19/AR2007071900639.html
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