Henderson Heritage Days!

It was Heritage Days in Henderson this weekend. It's an annual festival that celebrates the heritage of this little town that I am fortunate to call home! Speaking of homes, this lovely one was once the home of the Poehler family, a fairly well-to-do merchant in the late 1800's. It's now the home of the Sibley County Historical Society.

This fountain is in front of the City Hall building which was once the County Courthouse. In 1915, the county seat was moved west to the community of Gaylord. If you enjoy history, you might enjoy reading the history behind the move......just go here.

On the lawn of the City Hall building there were vendors selling food, quilts, handmade items, kettle corn (yep, I bought some) and demonstrations like this one....a gentleman showing kids how to make cornhusk crafts...........

So I told you that I bought some kettle corn but I didn't open the bag because I decided I needed an ice cream cone. Parked outside Toody's Sweets and Treats was this inviting scene............

I got a two scoop chocolate chip cone that is considered a "Kiddie cone" at Toody's and it was just $2!! I enjoyed it while I wandered back up Main Street where some vintage autos were parked.......

and inside the building with the arched windows, the local Veterans had set up displays of photos and other memorabilia from area servicemen.

Most of the items were from WWII and strangely I did not get a picture of any of the Vets that were hosting the display. There were at least a dozen in the hall when I took these pictures but they were at the back in the hospitality area.

Then it was time to wander my way back to the library because that was my volunteer spot. The Henderson Library is a lovely place that was the former Episcopal Church built in 1872/1873. The original church was the front portion that you see in the photo below. When the church closed, the building was given to the city of Henderson in 1965 and it became the home of the Henderson Library. The rear addition was added in the 1970's (hope I have my dates right). It is a beautiful library and it's my grandson, Jacob's favorite place to visit in Henderson. :-)

My little job was to tell folks about the stained glass windows. The church may have been small but congregants saw to it that it was a beautiful place of worship. Family names are on each pane..........

 Each one is unique.........

and yet one that is similar to this one with the lamb is located in the cathedral in Faribault, MN to the east of Henderson.

This window was placed in memory of a Civil War vet who left behind a widow and several children.........

This window was placed in honor of former Sibley County Judge Kirby by the Masonic Order. You can see the Masonic symbol in the center of the pane.

This last window is the prettiest and has the saddest story in my opinion. It's in memory of Lilly Laufman, a young girl who died of diptheria in the late 1880's. Her parents must have loved her dearly because there is also a window in her memory in the church that is across the street from this building, St. Paul's United Church of Christ.

One of the aspects of Heritage Days is costumed historical guides. This is local talent, Art Straub, who became Bishop Henry Whipple for the day. Bishop Whipple was the first Bishop for the Episcopal Church in Minnesota.

 And this is a photo of the real Bishop Whipple.........

and Art did a wonderful job of engaging the audience in the telling of Bishop Whipple's life and travels. He was known as "Straight Talk" to the areas Native American's because he was a man of his word. You can read more about the very interesting life of Bishop Whipple here.

And when the afternoon events had ended, I drove up to my favorite spot for a peek at what the fall colors are doing. It's still looking pretty green, but little bits of change can be seen in the trees in the east horizon.

I suspect that next week, there will be significant change and by the second week in October, this scene will no longer be so green!!
Today, there is worship in Bender Park with my friend, Gloria Jesperson at the keyboard. She'll have the crowd singing old hymns and it will be wonderful. Then there's a pancake breakfast hosted by the Henderson Baseball Association. It just doesn't get any better than a small town festival!
If you wish you were here, think about coming next year!! :-)
Have a beautiful Sunday!
Sandi