Historic Pickwick
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Well what can I say? The Historic Pickwick Mill day was great! The weather cooperated by providing sunny skies, a light breeze, and a little bit of heat - it was absolutely beautiful! For those who worked, the day started very early! There was the breakfast to cook, road race registrations to take, and the general setup that had to happen around town. But it didn't take long for the crowds to come. By 7:30 the fire-hall was standing room only as people lined up for those light and fluffy pancakes with that great blackberry syrup! People were already looking at the beautiful handmade quilts that were being sold just outside the firehouse and the softball games were already beginning. At 9:00 the road races began. It was already getting pretty hot for a run, but the contestants gave it their all and ran the 5 mile, 2 mile, and the kid's ran their 1/2 mile races. At 10:00 there was a formal flag raising. Approximately 50 people came to watch the stars and stripes be raised against the beautiful backdrop of the Mill Pond. The color guard stood tall and straight and conducted the ceremony. After the flag reached the top, it was lowered to half-mast and taps was played. A short prayer was said and a moment of silence to remember those that had fallen just a few years ago. The music began shortly after 10, and the entertainers were wonderful. There was a wide variety of music, dancing, and entertainment; something for everyone! Besides being a lot of entertainment, there was lots of food to eat, knickknacks to buy, flea markets to browse, and of course the mill. The mill was started three times over the course of the day and many came to tour it during those times. What an amazing sight, sound, and feeling it is to be in the mill when the water wheel is spinning, gears are turning, belts are humming, and 5 floors of machinery come to life. It feels as though you are brought back into time and are being given the opportunity to experience how things used to be done. As you left the mill, you might take a few minutes to listen to and watch the spinner as she worked her wool into yarn, or see the sweat run down the brow of the blacksmith as he used his old world skills to transform raw pieces of steel into different artifacts. A custom around the mill each year has been McMaster's musical saw. He would sit in his chair, bend the saw over his knee while holding it with his hand and other knee, and pull that bow across it and make it sing. As he says, he's 75 years young, so he's up on all the new tunes! If you were into the new songs as he was, you could make a request and he would draw the bow across the saw, close his eyes, and you heard a song played like never before. When times were a little slower around the mill, you could sit and chat with him. If you were lucky, you may even have gotten the opportunity to have a quick lesson and try your hand at playing that saw - somehow though it never seemed to sound as nice as when McMaster played. Other items that were looked in on from time to time were the kids games, bingo, and the silent auction. After a great day, things were wrapped up with the traditional live auction. There were bags of flour, hot air balloon rides, hunting gear, and other items. But as always, the main event was the raffle drawings. It started with the $1.00 raffle, followed by the gun raffle, and then the main event - the truck drawing. They draw the winner of the truck first, but then make you wait as they announce the second, third, fourth, and fifth place winners first. When it came time for the announcement to be made .... the Parpart's were the lucky couple of the day! Congratulations on winning a brand new Chevy truck! Once the winners were drawn the day began to close. The food had been eaten, the bands were packed up, and people made their way to their cars. Some locals stuck around to chat and catch up, but for the most part the day was done. At least for those who came to visit. For those that were working, there was still some light cleaning up to do around town. It didn't take long though, and a sigh of relief was let out as everyone realized that it had been a great day! If you couldn't be with us this year, we missed you! It was a great time as always! We hope to see you again next year; same time and same place! Pickwick Mill Incorporated would like to thank everyone that performed, came to visit and showed support for the mill, or volunteered their time, energy, and talent! Thanks! |
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