Gates open at 8 a.m. CT

Goat Day and Pioneer Day this

Saturday, Oct. 19, Blountstown

by Teresa Eubanks, CLJNews.com

BLOUNTSTOWN, FL – Around 100 vendors – including 30 first-timers –  will be showcasing their wares at Sam Atkins Park this Saturday, Oct. 19, at Goat Day.

The annual event, sponsored by the Blountstown Rotary Club, raises funds to award scholarships to deserving Calhoun County students.  In all, the Rotary Club has awarded over 150 scholarships since the start of Goat Day.  Last year’s event raised over $13,000 to help students further their educational goals. The recipients often volunteer their time at Goat Day, taking tickets and helping out wherever needed.

Admission is $5 per person.  There is no charge for kids age three and under.

The Rotary Club has made more space for parking this year.  Handicapped parking will also be available.  Vans from the Calhoun County Senior Citizens Association will bring those parking in the outer areas to the entrance.

EVENTS

•8 a.m. –  Gates open.

•There will be train rides, pony rides, a petting zoo and bounce houses for kids to enjoy.  The Rotary Club will have an old-fashioned coin dig where youngsters can scramble through the sand to gather a little (or a lot!) of pocket change.  Two digs will be held; one for ages 4 – 7 and the second for kids age 8 – 13.

•9 a.m. – The Goat Show begins.

•10 a.m. – The band Flabbergasted will start the music.Paris  Southerland will also perform.

•High school students dressed as cartoon and movie characters will roam the grounds and will be happy to stop and have their photos taken with children.

VENDORS

Vendors will have everything from children’s toys, home decor items, clothing, jewelry, holiday decorations and craft items.

There will be a wide variety of food and drinks to enjoy, including snow cones, funnel cakes, seafood, conch fritters, barbecue, Mexican and hot dogs.

The Rotary Club will be selling new Goat Day shirts, which will help with their fundraising efforts as well as provide you with a special souvenir of a memorable day.

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PIONEER DAY

The Panhandle Pioneer Settlement will host the annual Pioneer Day just down the road (or a quick walk across the water) from the track area at Sam Atkins Park on Oct. 19, where local history is brought to life with restored cabins, homes and a church, all featuring authentic historic furnishings donated from families throughout this area.  The settlement has 18 historic buildings, each one rich with its own stories and connections to area families.  Visitors not only see history, but can walk through it, touch it and get a real feel for how those who came before us once lived.

Those who enter the settlement for the first time will feel like they are walking into another era as costumed volunteers give tours, share freshly cooked biscuits and and answer questions about pioneer life. 

The gates open at 8 a.m. CT and there is no charge to enter.

Many crafts and activities will be demonstrated, including the following:

•Spinning

•Basket Weaving

•Quilting

•Butter Making

•Wooden Bowl Carving

•Blacksmithing

•Cooking and serving Mrs. Frances’  homemade biscuits, sausauge and Lawanna’s cracklin’s.

There will also be displays of antique equipment, and don’t miss the chance to tour the blacksmith shop – you may find someone in there at work who would be happy to show you what they know. 

The general store will be open for those who’d like to purchase some unique holiday gifts, many handmade.  Duck Knives, designed by Settlement founder Willard Smith, will be on sale. The blade of the knife features a profile of a duck.  Sales of the knives benefit the upkeep of the settlement.

Some of the attractions at the settlement include:

•Altha Calaboose – Built in 1927 by Haywood Baggett and Miles Richards. They were the first to be put in the Calaboose later that year for trading horses without a license. 

•Bailey Log Home – Built in approximately 1860 of round log structure with deep porches in front and back and roof over side steps.

•Blacksmith Shop – A replicated building built by the FABA of Cypress board-n-batten donated by local folks.

•Chason Cabin – Built in the 1820s of flat face hewn logs and double dovetail joinery.

•Club House – Built early 1930s.

•Cobbler Shop – Recreated building with collections, artifacts and old items on display

•Doctor Dowling’s Office -The local doctor’s office throughout the early-to-mid 1900s.

•Firehouse – Reproduction of a classic building from the area.

•Frink Gym – Built in approximately 1942.

•Grist Mill – Replica. Site built with rough cut cypress and batten siding housing the operating Grist Mill.

•Honey House -The oldest honey house in the State of Florida originally stood in Lola, Florida near Wewahitchka.

•McClellan House – Built just before the turn of the century.  It is the private residence of our caretakers and is not open for tours.

•Post Office & General Store – Built in 1941, served as both the Post Office and General Store.

•Red Oak Methodist Church – Built around 1940-1941.  A T-shaped wood framed structure with exposed inner beams and natural finish beaded board walls.

•Sexton Cabin – Built circa 1872,  round log saddle joint cabin of pine timbers with open ceiling and front and rear covered porches.

•Shiloh School -Two room structure built in the late 1800s.

•Wells Cabin – Built in 1846

•Wells Smoke House – Built around 1876, the 150-square-foot, chinked round-log structure with a cedar shake roof and original meat hanging poles is an example of the type of structure that farm families used for the curing of meat and would be second only to the family dwelling in order of importance to pioneer farmsteads. 

•Yon House – Built in 1897, wood frame, double pen dog trot house with a walk-way, attached kitchen and dining area. 

While the settlement is not charging admission Saturday, they do welcome donations.  Those who would like to support their efforts to keep local history available to public can drop a donation at the General Store.