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On Saturday, September 25 The Terre Haute Brewery Museum and the Vigo County Historical Society presented Bleemel Days 1999. At 9th and Poplar the street was blocked off and a large tent was set up in the CVS parking lot across from the Bleemel building in Terre Haute’s Brewery District. Under the tent, Ambrosini’s Restaurant provided food and beer while there were other vendors in the street including arts and crafts and The Historical Society's 1940’s Coca-Cola Wagon. There were also several bands playing on the stage throughout the day and evening. While I was there, Slikwilly played some very good versions of classic rock staples from Steely Dan, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young and others. Other bands that played were Williams Brothers, Wisbey-Rowe, Don Morris, “The 3R’s”, the headline act The Tools.
This is apparently a fairly new event in Terre Haute and I was told that the crowd grows every year. This is definitely a good time whether you're interested in Terre Haute history, turn-of-the-century life, or just good music, good food and good beer. Check the Calendar of Events next fall and check out this festival for yourself!
After dinner we plunged right into the heart of the midway. The fair encompassed most of the downtown area with lots of rides, games, food vendors and booths. The lines were long for the rides and the streets were crowded with people, but it was still exciting to wander around for a couple of hours - but we had to get up early for the parade on Saturday so we didn't stay out too late. On Saturday morning the parade started at 10:00 a.m., but you had to leave plenty early to fight through the traffic and find a good spot on the parade route. We left at about 8:30 or 8:45 and the drive that would have normally taken 10 minutes took us at least 30. But we still had plenty of time to get established on Second Street just half a block past the grandstand. |
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Erth Gatherings Herb Festival
Throughout the day, booths were operated by Bittersweet Baskets, Penhook Pottery, Herbal Endeavors, and Pisces Rising Aromatherapy. There were antiques, The Berry Patch’s willow furniture and garden accessories, paper making demonstrations, Gourds & Soaps, Wildwood Honey Farm, and even a Children's Workshop where children could learn about Herbs through Arts and Crafts. Jolee Chartrand, from Monrovia, Indiana, was on-hand to demonstrate pottery-making, and is seen in the photo showing children how to “throw” pottery.
November 10th she will be at the Thornton Library doing a Stocking Stuffer Workshop, and on November 13th Holiday Gifts at the Avon Library.
Presented by The Terre Haute Brewery Museum and the Vigo County Historical Society.
Just outside the tent there was a stage and picnic tables for the spectators. I arrived during the production of River, Road and Rails, an interactive play on Terre Haute’s early history sponsored by StageWorksShops Inc. and Vigo County Historical Society. This production was one of the many Family Learning Day activities that were taking place throughout the city. Family Learning Day was sponsored by the Vigo County Public Library and included a free movie, books, tours, crafts, music, stories and more.
This year's annual Apple Butter Festival in Spencer was a day of fun, and provided a good opportunity for folks to get out and enjoy a weekend of entertainment, good food, a parade, and the annual "Bake Anything Apple" contest. The festival was held September 17-19th. We visited the festival on September 18th, and enjoyed the festive spirit around the courthouse lawn and town square. There were craft booths and vendors of all sorts, offering everything from life-sized hand-painted "characters", to hand-carved wood products, to a wide variety of jams, jellies, canned goods, and of course, some of the best apple butter Southern Indiana has to offer. Besides the booths and parade, carriage rides were also available. One of the highlights of the parade was the Friends of Owen County's huge puppet float. If you missed it this year, the Apple Butter Festival has a lot to offer Southern Indiana fair-goers. 
In the September issue we did a feature article on the 91st annual Aurora Farmer's Fair. We went to Aurora for this "oldest street fair in Indiana" so we can report on how it was. This is always an extravaganza and this year was no different. We arrived Friday Evening and immediately headed downtown to have dinner and then explore the fair. Parking is definitely an issue during the fair. We were lucky enough to have connections and managed to park within a couple of blocks of the activities. Many people won't be as fortunate so be prepared for a long walk from the car. We ate at the Applewood Restaurant right on the bank of the Ohio River. It was warm enough that we sat on the patio where we watched the boats drift by as we ate.
This is an impressive parade. There were at least 6 high school marching bands as well as several middle school and even a fair-sized marching band representing Caldwell Banker. There were also quite a few floats, the usual politicians and local businesses as well as scout troops and an uncanny number of Shriners. The Shriners alone would have made a larger parade than many towns have. The parade lasted a good two hours and then the rides and games started up again and lasted to midnight. Amazingly, the rides are all taken down and are packed up by the time people come back downtown for church on Sunday morning.