Unlock the Mystery of History:Schoenbrunn Village's Fall Lantern Tour to be held Sept. 21
Summary: What will you see when your hand is wrapped tightly around the handle of a candle lit lantern as it sprinkles its warm golden light onto the trees and logs of a place the Christian Delaware Indians called home?Might you see the coattails of Moravian Missionary David Zeisberger disappearing around the corner of the church and into his office? Anything is possible by candlelight as Schoenbrunn Village hosts their Fall Lantern Tour this Sat. Sept. 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
“The air is crisper in the autumn and the village has a different feel,” said Jacob Masters, a member of the Schoenbrunn Leadership team. “I think the Lantern Tours are when Schoenbrunn is its most beautiful. The luminaries, candles and lanterns make the village gorgeous. Also people get to see a whole array of activities that they normally don't get to see.”
More than fifty volunteer villagers are expected to provide demonstrations such as woodworking, spinning, sewing, butter making, candle making to name a few. “Come and compare some things you see now vs. what they used then. What games might the kids have been playing,” said Michele Hallman, a volunteer herself who coordinates the volunteer activities at the village. “Also see how some people in the 18th Century travelled and used tents for shelter or how they set up in the woods without even the benefit of a tent. Come learn the history of why apple butter was made while smelling the wonderful scent of it cooking.”
There will also be a "Now and Then Apple Cider Bar" where guests can try adding different things to their hot apple cider and ginger cookies to sample that were made by the volunteers.
New this year is the chance to meet author JoAnn Hague who be signing copies of her book “Dancing Through Fire.” The book features fictional main characters but is based on a carefully researched account of the events from 1775 to 1782 which ended with the Gnadenhutten Massacre.
Zeisberger would be pleased that gardens featuring items the original villagers would have planted yielded crops again this year. Despite the less than ideal weather conditions this year, the gardens turned out well. Children are encouraged to return to the village to see the pumpkins that they planted on Children’s Day in June at the village.
Other crops planted were potatoes, patience dock, strawberries, several types of squash, and the Charles Huebner Rutabaga, a type that has been traced back to Moravian Charles Huebner.
“Some of our crops from last season were wintered over and allowed to grow a second season so that seeds could be harvested. When the seeds are dried, they not only will be used for future crops but also packaged for seed (for sale at the Schoenbrunn Gift Shop,”) said Hallman. “Other produce will be harvested and used in the village when the volunteers demonstrate cooking practices.”
Volunteers are always welcome and keep most everything in operation at Schoenbrunn including mowing and maintenance and the garden. Though there were a couple of special groups that came in during the season for work days, there were five or six volunteers that came in on a regular basis to help in the garden. “The gardens are always evolving and growing and we are appreciative of all their hard work,” said Hallman.
Upcoming activities at Schoenbrunn Village include The Colonial Trade Fair which will be held on Oct. 19 and 20. Go back in time at the village with an outdoor play “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” which will have performances on Oct. 24, 25, and 26.