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Fair Grove Heritage Reunion History:
The first Autumn Arts and Crafts Festival, held in 1978, consisted of twelve crafters who braved the chilly October weather to set up their displays of handmade items. Instead of having seven distinct locations, like there are now, a vacant building owned by Jerry Thomas was utilized, with the overflow booths being set up on the Fair Grove Square. Granny Poke, in a bedraggled cookshack, fired up her wood stove to cook a batch of brown beans, poke greens, homemade fruit cobbler and cornbread. A short parade began the two-day event, with a small crowd attending. A few men of the town gathered at the mill to learn log splitting and shingle riving, and Sassafras tea, paw paws and hickory nuts were available, just for the asking.
To improve the number and quality of booths, Thomas and the Mannings traveled to area festivals handing out invitations. Apparently their efforts paid off. 157 crafters were present four years later, with a crowd estimate of 15,000.
Since those early years, the organizers of that first festival have seen many changes and improvements. Today, the crowd estimate during the Fair Grove Heritage Reunion is 40,000 to 50,000 on Saturday and around 30,000 on Sunday. The number of booths have increased to almost 300, with many featuring interesting demonstrations, such as weaving, bobbin lace and soap making.
The two day event includes a parade at 10, Saturday morning, and a church service in front of the mill, beginning at 8:45 a.m., on Sunday. The sun peaking over the rooftop of the Wommack Mill during the services is a sight to behold.
Activities abound throughout the show area. Some of the favorites include corn grinding in the Wommack Mill, working draft teams, an antique tractor rodeo, horse and mule obstacle course and wheat threshing. A must see is the huffing and puffing gasoline and steam-powered engines, furnished through the Early Day Gas Engines and Tractor Association, Branch 16 and The Ozark Steam Engine Association. They will be doing all sorts of unusual things, including operating a corn shredder and a corn sheller.
Especially for the children will be games, balloons, puzzles, toys, temporary tattoos and face painting, spiders on sticks and halos, plus much much more will be available for those wide-eyed youngsters. Also, the newly threshed straw will be flying with dozens of children searching for the shiny new quarters tossed hither and yon.
Music and dancing will be in abundance both days, with gospel, bluegrass and country bands taking the stage of the Wommack Mill and the Fire Station. Clog, folk and square dancers will also be showing their stuff at the Gazebo and Fire Station.
Interspersed throughout the show area are wonderful things to eat, such as breakfast items, barbecued chicken or ham dinners, pork tenderloin sandwiches and tornado potatoes, Kettle Korn, roasted peanuts, funnel cakes, corn on the cob, turkey legs and fish, beans and cornbread, homemade desserts, pizza ... plenty to satisfy any craving.
Information written by Marilyn Smith
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