Special to the
Opelika Observer
The groundhog may have seen its shadow on Feb. 2 but the jonquils are blooming at Pioneer Park, a sure sign that spring is not far away. Come out early on the ‘Second Saturday’ Feb 9, and join Dr. Charles Mitchell on a midwinter garden walk ‘n talk at 9 a.m. weather permitting. Subjects may range from camellias blooming in the Heirloom Camellia Garden to getting the kitchen garden ready for early potatoes and peas to pruning those plum trees and muscadine vines. The park’s wild, naturalized daffodils will be blooming like they do each February. The Textile Room has been given sets of pillow cases which will be available to those who attend the embroidery workshop also at 9 a.m. These cases are stamped with embroidery designs, and each participant will learn the basic embroidery stitches as they begin work on their cases. What an opportunity to create a family heirloom. Please bring an embroidery hoop, an embroidery needle and scissors. All other supplies will be provided. This class will be taught by Mary Dulaney, and will be held in the Textile Room, upstairs in the Trade Center Museum. All participants must be 13 years of age or older.
Those who began pine straw baskets last month will continue to work on their creations and will welcome visitors to their group. They call themselves “the basket cases.”
At 1 p.m., the ‘Whistle Stop Pickers’ gather in the Trade Center Museum to practice their old time music. They welcome visitors. One may be inspired to try a dulcimer, mandolin, or fiddle. Even if one has never played a musical instrument before, they will find the mountain dulcimer both fun and satisfying.
The Trade Center Museum and all buildings at Pioneer Park are open to the public on the Second Saturday of each month. Blacksmith’s are working at the forge, the textile center is alive with artisans spinning and weaving home-made fabrics, the gardens are open, and special activities are planned monthly.
Lunch is provided at noon, and someone is always cooking up a traditional Southern lunch in the Cook House based on traditional recipes from years past.
Pioneer Park is a project of the Lee County Historical Society, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history of Lee County and East Alabama.
For more information, visit www.leecountyhistoricalsociety.org or like and follow their Facebook page.