Museum hosts spring planting festival

Published 10:50 pm Friday, April 27, 2012

Butter Churnin’ and Syrup Soppin’ Saturday has given way to bigger and better days at the Pioneer Museum of Alabama.

For several “seasons,” the museum has hosted an event designed to bring back the good ol’ days when grandma was in the kitchen baking biscuits stout enough to stand up to a good syrup soppin’ and the young’uns were in the chimney corner churnin’ butter for the biscuits that weren’t.

Butter Churnin’ and Syrup Soppin’ Saturday was a great event and everyone enjoyed it and Kari Barley, museum director, said there will still be plenty of biscuits baked and butter churned but there’s more to do around the farm in the springtime than crowd around the kitchen table.

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This year, the Pioneer Museum of Alabama will combine all of the goodness of biscuits and syrup with the pleasures that come with Spring Plantin’ on Saturday and Sunday, May 5 and 6.

“We are renaming and revamping our spring event to make it even bigger and better,” Barley said. “Spring Plantin’ will feature demonstrations of several different ways of planting on the farms of yesterday.”

The demonstrations will include planting with a hoe and a strong back and a mule and a dull plow.

“Children will have a chance to be a part of Spring Plantin’ by walking behind the mule and dropping seeds in the ground,” Barley said. “We’ll have a rain barrel demonstration and the Forestry Commission will be on hand to identify the different trees on the museum grounds.”

As in the past spring events, the ladies will be in the Reunion Cabin kitchen demonstrating the art of making biscuits for scratch and in the Demonstration Cabin demonstrating the chore of churning and making butter.

“The Dutch Oven cookers will be here cooking stews and desserts for sampling,” Barley said. “Milky Moos will be the onsite vendor and they will have sandwiches, chips and ice cream for sale. Spring Plantin’ will be a busy and fun day for people of all ages.”

Saturday activities are planned for the general public from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday Plantin’ is also open to the public but is designed to accommodate nearly 150 Girl Scouts.

Sunday hours are from 1 until 5 p.m.

For more information, call 334-566-3597.