Homestead hosts sweet blueberry social

by Sylene Argent

The John R. Park Homstead celebrated the past, locally grown goods, and lost arts at the historic site on Sunday as it hosted its annual Blueberry Social event.

Live music emitted from the Homestead porch as local musicians entertained the hundreds of guests that visited the historical site. The attendees took advantage of the Blueberry Social event to enjoy beautiful summer weather while tasting blueberry filled treats, such as pie, or having lunch at the Kingsville Lions Club food booth. Youth were able to play pioneer games, such as stilt walking or a hoop game, learning what having fun was like before the invention of electricity.

Inside the homestead, volunteers stoked a fire to make blueberry gingerbread loafs inside a Dutch oven. Guests were also able to tour the home and the barns to get a sense of the life the Parks would have led in the 1850s.

During the Blueberry Social, many local vendors were welcomed onsite to sell their unique items, from honey to homemade crafts.

The Homestead also hosted a Lost Arts Festival. Around 20 demonstrators – some selling some of the items they made – displayed the lost art forms of glass blowing, candle making, tin working and blacksmithing, smoke curing meat, woodcarving, paddle making, and broom making.

John R. Park Homestead Assistant Curator Kris Ives noted that this year was the second year the historic site offered the Lost Arts Festival. The museum tried to fit the craft themes into the historical pioneer period.

Ives noted that the beautiful weather on Sunday and the social event’s blueberry theme was a great way to talk about the importance of pollinators. Museum guests were able to watch some of the pollinating insects in action as they buzzed from flower to flower in the Homestead’s garden.