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There will be people dressed in period clothing doing things like cast iron cooking, blacksmithing, making brooms and braided rugs, Kloppelei lace, weaving, spinning . . . you get the picture.
The event, Hermann Farm Country Fair, will be held Saturday, Sept. 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. as a living history venue with tours, exhibits and demonstrations of the day-to-day life of German settlers in Hermann between 1840 to 1900.
The one-day fair is being sponsored by the Hermann Farm and Museum, which is operated by the Dierberg Foundation Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) charitable foundation, "dedicated to preserving and presenting the history and heritage of rural Missouri for the enjoyment and education of future generations."
Several years ago, The Missourian published a feature story outlining the projects Jim Dierberg, owner of Hermannhof Winery in Hermann, was undertaking throughout the town - developing an arts and entertainment district along Gutenberg Street, installing a series of historic "haus wineries" on the hill behind Hermannhof and a Living History Farm on 160-plus acres just east of his winery, to name a few.
Some of Dierberg's visions have become a reality while some are still being developed.
The Hermann Farm Country Fair going on this Saturday, Sept. 12, will showcase several of the construction/restoration projects Dierberg has overseen along Gutenberg Street. All of these are part of his plans for the Living History Farm.
"The Hermann Farm is a vision of Jim Dierberg's and this event on many levels represents much of what will be happening at the farm in the future, bringing back the traditions of this rural community," said Joan Treis, Hermann Farm and Museum program director.
For instance, the Hofgarten at the corner of First and Gutenberg streets "is an exhibition center designed to accommodate ethnic music and arts, craft demonstrations and other educational programs celebrating the unique spirit and German heritage of historic Hermann."
Two German stable-inspired pavilions flank the courtyard, much like a European public square, and feature brick and cobblestone paving and a limestone fountain, said Joan Treis, program director for Hermann Farm.
"Ceremonial iron gates with brick piers and topped with decorative deer enclose the Hofgarten and enhance the park-like setting. The pavilions feature Old World brick, stone and timber detailing, copper roofs, and hand-crafted wrought iron lighting. The Hofgarten also features an 18-foot-tall half-timbered centerpiece cupola."
This Saturday, an exhibit by the Department of Natural Resources on the life of George Husmann and the early wine industry in Hermann will be on display at the Hofgarten.
It's a compilation of research by author Linda Walker Stevens, one of the most authoritative experts on the early wine industry in Missouri.
Other activities that have been held here include a 4-H convention, rhythm and blues concert and a quilt show, said Treis.
A block or so south on Gutenberg is an old power and light company building that Dierberg is tranforming into the Old Forge and Wagon Werks building. Inside is a forge where blacksmiths will be demonstrating their craft this Saturday. There also will be a display of old buggies.
Next door at the Hermann Stable, which Dierberg has built up from an old auto repair shop, there will be more Old World demonstrators sharing their crafts. People like Phyllis Craig, Hermann, who will share her German painting techniques, Rebecca Ruediger, Hermann, who will be making corn husk and rag dolls, and Rita Martens, Hermann, will show how she sews handmade christening gowns out of antique linens to resemble those from the 1800s.
In Sesquicentennial Park along Gutenberg, there will be steam engine and old threshing machine demonstrations and cast iron cooking with a variety of dishes prepared as if for an old-time threshing crew. A sampler plate of hearty foods prepared over (and under) hot coals will be available for $2.50.
Other demonstrations and exhibitions will feature apple butter making, springerle painting, home life skills of jams and jellies, soap making, Kloppelei lace making, crewel stitchery and bauernmaleri, which translates as "peasant painting" and literally means farmer painting of Bavarian origins. There also will be early engines and farm equipment, broom-making, basketry, braided rugs, beekeeping and a petting zoo with farm animals.
Mike and Diane Praull's draft horses will be hitched to their carriage and the couple will speak to visitors about how the team is hitched and cared for. And the Kallmeyers' mules, Jane and Pat, also will be on hand for photo ops.
Visitors are encouraged to come in costumes from the 1800s-1900s with prizes for first-, second- and third-places in adult and children's categories.
Charles Manwaring
Looking ahead, Dierberg plans to make this Hermann Farm Country Fair an annual event, said Treis.
"It will always be held the second Saturday in September," she noted.
Other historical events are in the works, too.
"We're working with the 5th Cavalry Regiment to have a rededication of the Charles Manwaring tombstone in May 2010," said Treis.
Manwaring, a local Civil War hero, came to Hermann in 1858 to join George Husmann in his wine-making endeavors. When the Civil War broke out, both signed up with the Union Army.
In June 1863, Capt. Manwaring was appointed Provost-marshal for the Second District and was stationed in St. Louis, said Treis. In May 1864, during a trip home to Hermann to visit his wife and son, Manwaring was killed by Confederates, while attempting to capture Rebel bushwhackers on the Hermann wharf.
Manwaring was buried on the cliff overlooking the Missouri River on the east side of town. The property, once the Teubner plantation for growing grapes and fruit trees and later the Husmann nursery, was more recently the Kallmeyer dairy farm.
Today it is part of the Hermann Farm and Museum, and the property looks so pristine and untouched, it's easy to imagine you're seeing what it might have looked like in the 1800s.
"In the future, we would like to hold Civil War re-enactments here, like for the sesquicentennial of the Civil War," said Treis. "Can't you just see the North and the South facing off here?"
For the rededication of Manwaring's tombstone, members of the 5th Cavalry Regiment will bring in a riderless horse with boots placed backward in the stirrups.
"It's a way to honor him," said Treis.
For more on Dierberg's plans for the Hermann Farm, people can visit www.hermannfarm.org.
