Still recovering from the weekend event at the Benjamin Banneker Museum. It was still pretty hot outside (but not as hot and humid as it was on Saturday). Anyway, on Sunday I had the whole tent to myself, and with my Aunt and Grandparent's help, I got to turn the second table into my workstation.
Despite the heat, a lot of people stopped by my table and were enamored with all of the items, and asked questions pertaining to how long I've been sewing, if I was a historical Interpreter or vendor, if I taught sewing classes, and if I took commissions but there were a few who were interested in historical fashion from the 18th century and early 19th century, as well as learning about the trade and what type of tools were used to sew (since the sewing machine wasn't invented until the late 19th century).
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| My Historical Sewing Monthly project up on display |
Throughout the entire day there was music, singing, demonstrations, and of course Benjamin Banneker himself (played by Robert Smith) engaging his guests with stories about his life here in the colonies as well as his accomplishments such as laying out the blue prints for what is now Washington D.C, discoveries with Astrology which lead to him making his own Almanac. (Did you know that President Thomas Jefferson acknowledged Banneker for his works?) Later at high noon, the committee did a cake cutting ceremony and libation pour to commemorate the actual Banneker's birthday as well as to honor our ancestors who are no longer with us. I managed to grab a few pictures there before it got too crowded.
When I had time, I got to walk around and snap some pictures of the festivities and talk with some friends I hadn't seen in a while. That's when I came across some pretty hot fowl. The duck and chickens were panting and trying to stay cool by staying in the shade. Then… the Thanksgiving Turkey. I have never seen one up close and alive before so it was very interesting to experience. He too was trying got stay cool and was given water to drink and a cool bath to cool off in...Poor guy. The Rooster though, I heard had escaped at least 4 times and ended up at a neighbor's house overnight.
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| He was so tall that he came up to my thigh |
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The escape artist tried to run off again by kicking his cage over
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| A recreation of Benjamin Banneker's cabin. The original one mysteriously burned down . |
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| A washer woman carrying buckets of water on her shoulders with a yoke |
After making my rounds of the fairgrounds and buying something at one of the vendors (I bought a new pair of cotton stockings), I went back to my work space and worked on some more box pleats so I could finish my chintz jacket. I was visited by a very nice lady by the name of "Gwen" who happened to be the 5th generation of Banneker's (that would make her his 5th great-niece). I was very honored to meet her. Anyway, we kept talking with one another about each other's family histories as well as some upcoming projects (that I won't mention until much later), until it was time to pack everything up and close for the weekend.
At the end of the weekend, I think that my face says it all. Tired, but very happy with how everything went. I think next year I'll have stuff up for sale since a lot of people were asking. But for now, it's just making sure I get enough rest and prep before the next event this upcoming weekend.
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