Once again, Prairie Days will feature many historical demonstrations. Volunteers will be demonstrating how pioneers would have made homemade bread in the outdoor bake oven, also known as the cob oven. This style oven is operated by building a fire inside in order to preheat the earthen structure, afterwards the coals are removed and the baking surface prepped with cornmeal to prevent sticking.  The bread dough, cookies, or any other baked goods can then be baked before the oven cools down again. Full loaves of white bread, wheat bread, rye bread, white herb bread or ginger sorghum molasses cookies will be available for a donation during Prairie Days in the General Store.

Also back this year are the sorghum pressing and boiling demonstrations. Journey to the top of the hill to witness stalks of sorghum, grown in Darke County, pressed to release their sweet juice.  After capturing the sweet liquid from pressing the stalks, volunteers will boil it down similar to making maple syrup. The processed sorghum, also known as sorghum molasses, will be available for a donation while supplies last.

In addition to these demonstrations, visitors will also see blacksmiths working in the shop, a broom maker making corn brooms, soap making, apple butter boiling over an open fire, and many more historical demonstrations.

Come check out all of these trades and all the other fun, educational, and family friendly activities at the 2018 Prairie Days festival, September 29th from 10am to 5pm and September 30th from 12pm to 5pm. The event will be held at the Shawnee Prairie Preserve and has plenty of free parking and free admission. For questions or more information, call the Nature Center at (937) 548-0165 or email info@darkecountyparks.org.

Prairie Days, Darke County Parks’ largest event of the year, can’t happen without the generous support of the community. Hundreds of volunteers give their time and resources throughout the year, and Prairie Days is no exception. On the weekend of September 29th and 30th the Darke County Park District will host its annual Prairie Days festival at Shawnee Prairie Preserve at 4267 St. Rt. 502 West near Greenville.

The park staff is still in need of help to make this festival run smoothly. As in the past, the festival will include children’s crafts, horse and wagon rides, apple butter cooking demonstration, food and craft vendors, historical interpreters, a farm animal petting zoo and many other free, fun, and family friendly activities. We are looking for individuals or groups who would like to help with parking festival attendees. The children’s craft tent has many opportunities including dipping candles, making rag dolls, and more. The horse and wagon ride needs an attendant to help festival goers on and off the wagon, and the sorghum press needs volunteers to help squeeze out the sweet juice. These are just a few of the volunteer opportunities available during this exciting festival event!

If you are interested in any of these jobs or need to log some community service hours before graduation, please give Karan Hoschouer a call at (937) 548-0165 or email her at khoschouer@darkecountyparks.org. For more information about Prairie Days in general, call the Nature Center at (937) 548-0165 or visit the website at www.darkecountyparks.org