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DECEMBER 5 & 6
CANDLELIGHT AT GARFIELD FARM MUSEUM
On Saturday and Sunday December 5 and 6 from 3 - 7 pm, Garfield Farm Museum will hold its annual Candlelight at the Inn. On Saturday author Ann Brack Johnson will offer readings from her book "Angie of Garfield Farm" in the 1846 inn's second floor ballroom. On Sunday the Scantlin' Reunion will be playing period music on hammer and lap dulcimers. A bake sale with hearthside cooking demonstrations will be held both days in the Burr House and on Sunday from 3:30 - 5:30 pm Dr. Steve Smunt and Tania Nezrick will perform in the Burr House parlor. Today with the astounding number of decorative lights associated with the holiday season, it is easy to take light in the darkness for granted. Candlelight at Garfield Farm Museum recalls when a simple flame from a candle was all most people had to bring some shape and form to silhouetted outlines on dark winter nights. Candles were expensive and gave minimal light that might only be augmented from the flicker of fire light from a fireplace. The inn's light in the dark promised shelter and comfort to weary wagon and stagecoach travelers. With the glow of candlelight, it is easier to imagine life on the first Illinois prairie farms. The candle lanterns lining the pathway past the historic barns at the farm offer an experience rare in today's non-stop busy world. Typical entertainment was limited to family tales and conversations around a table or readings by a member of the family from literature of the day. If one was lucky, a member of the family might play the fiddle or melodeon adding song to a winter?s evening. In that spirit, both Saturday's readings and Sunday's music offer a chance to pause and listen, taking in the historic setting of a December evening. Donations are accepted for this event to defray the cost of candles and refreshments offered in the inn's dining room. Interpreters in period clothing welcome the guests to each room. It is also a chance to learn more about the museum and become a supporter or volunteer. Garfield Farm Museum is located in Campton Hills, IL off ILL Rt. 38 on Garfield Road. For further information call 630 584-8485 or e-mail info@garfieldfarm.org. Garfield Farm Museum is the only historically intact 375 acre former Illinois prairie farmstead and country inn being restored as an 1840s working farm and inn museum by donors and volunteers. |