PREVIOUS STORY:
“The popularity of Pioneer Life speaks to people’s appreciation of local history and their interest in finding out more about what life was like for early Butler County settlers,” said Katie Ely-Wood, communications manager, at MetroParks of Butler County.
Record crowds have attended the event in the years since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, there were 800 participants who came out for a one-day event.
Pioneer Village at Governor Bebb MetroPark is set up as a small village with historic cabins, and it simulates what guests would have experienced in the 1700s and 1800s in a pioneer village. So, visitors get to experience what that time would have been like.
A centerpiece of Pioneer Village is the Bebb Cabin, which a lot of people refer to as “The Mansion.” It was built in 1799, and it’s the birthplace of William Bebb, who was the 19th Governor of Ohio.
Pioneer Life will be noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 28-29. The cost is $5 per person. Children ages 2 and younger are free.
As an immersive experience, the event allows guests to talk with interpreters in historic dress, sample pioneer cooking, make candles and learn lessons in the village schoolhouse.
There will be a number of demonstrations, such as woodworking, weaving and spinning. A chandler will be making candles and guests can experience candle-dipping. Demonstrations and activities will be staggered at different times throughout the event.
The summer kitchen will be active. There will be cooking inside, and guests will have the opportunity to taste the cooking and sample a recipe.
At the schoolhouse, the schoolmarm, or schoolmaster, will be there, and if guests are in time for a lesson that day, they will get to find out what it would have been like to be a student at that time.
Pioneer Life will also feature historic weapons demonstrations, farm animals and more. The family-friendly event will offer a variety of interactive activities for children and adults. There will be a food truck at the park serving up delicious food items, which will be available for purchase.
Governor Bebb MetroPark takes its name from Bebb, who was born in Okeana in 1802. His childhood home was preserved and moved to the park in the late 1950s. The Bebb log cabin was built in 1799 and it is one of seven historic buildings at the park.
A replica forge at Pioneer Village, a tavern, schoolhouse, covered bridge, and other family dwellings were all relocated to the park between 1959-1992.
How to go
What: Pioneer Life
When: Noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 28-29
Where: Governor Bebb MetroPark, 1979 Bebb Park Lane, Okeana
Cost: $5 per person (children 2 and younger are free)
More info: YourMetroParks.net
About the Author
