My family and I have taken advantage of two amazing events recently: Frontier Days at FD Roosevelt State Park and Living History at Andersonville National Historic Site. Each one had so much to offer and we all had a blast!
Frontier Days at FDR is offered twice a year, the second weekend in March and the third weekend in November. The event is free, but the parking is $5 per car. There are several artisans who arrive and camp for the weekend in era style tents. Each tent had their campfire, many were in the process of cooking, as they displayed and taught about the items they crafted. There was a wealth of information given on a number of things from cooking beef jerky to making time-specific jewelry, from spinning yarn to the finished projects. Each person was dressed in their best pioneer garb and it was easy to tell how passionate they are about reenacting the original days of our country. The kids loved being able to learn to throw a tomahawk and watching the precision of firing a swivel rifle. The beef jerky was slowly roasted over the fire and definitely the best I have ever tasted, and I love jerky! Most of the groups have items for sale and I was very surprised at how affordable the items were compared to what they could have charged. (It's so hard to find handmade, quality items now.) All in all it was a beautiful, fun-filled and educational day that the kids loved, making this event priceless!
Now, how to describe the Living History event at Andersonville? Andersonville is a national cemetery and historic site. The staff and volunteers did fabulous teaching about some of the events that transpired in the civil war prison as well as a few of the people that helped during and after the war. It is hard to describe how interesting it is to see history come alive while at the same time knowing how many lost their lives and the conditions they endured. I am a firm believer in knowing our past so that we do not repeat it in our future though. There were several displays timed throughout the day that included demonstrations of what the soldiers uniform and gear would entail, what the ration distribution would look like for the prisoners and the weaponry that was used. The kids were able to use the "sponge and ram" while learning how the cannon works and watch how the rations were cooked. The older 2 were able to complete the Junior Ranger workbook and receive their pins to join the program. This is an eye opening event to be sure, but we will have to go back soon to be able to catch up with the day to day information.
Both of these events give a glimpse at two of our Chattahoochee Valley parks and some of the opportunities for our children to have fun and be enriched in a hand's on fashion. Be on the look out for other events in the near future!
