With period dress, cultural crafts, pioneer games, hands-on demonstrations and historic reenactments, several upcoming events aim to honor the past while educating people about Florida’s rich history.
Experience the 1800s in Florida at the Silver River Museum in Ocala: Transported to a time when things seemed a tad simpler than they are today, guests took a tour of the Pioneer Village at the Silver River Museum, 1445 NE 58th Ave., Ocala, on Oct. 19.
Pioneer Village is a collection of authentic replica buildings crafted to resemble structures found in the 1800’s — complete with cabins, a one-room schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, a sugar cane mill, a syrup kettle, a pottery kiln, and a replica Seminole Indian camp.
Guests saw sugar cane being squeezed at the mill and metals being molded and formed at the blacksmith shop, reflecting the essential functions of a
working village.“The event went really well. We had 40 to 50 people come in for the ongoing tours. It really can be an eye-opener for people who are unfamiliar with Florida’s history,” said Scott Mitchell, coordinator for the museum. “Especially for children who only grew up around technology, all this is very foreign to them. They can’t fathom the world without the internet.”
Tours of the village are usually held on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Tours of the Pioneer Village are free, though guests must pay the park’s admission fees.
The museum is open on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 per person while children six years old and younger enter for free.
The tour of the village predates the museum’s 2024 Ocali Country Days Festival. The festival gives guests a chance to dive deeper into the taste of life in the past on Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Along with the usual pioneer village tours, there will also be live demonstrations of the skills that were essential for survival — including a preview of a running blacksmith shop, an active wood fire pottery kiln, and a demonstration of sugar cane syrup being made.
“We are used to going to the store and getting sugar from the shelf,” Mitchell said. “But, not that long ago, people had to make their own sugar. It was essential.”
Visitors are also treated to performances by folk musicians playing live music on stage and vendors selling food and crafts.
“The pioneer village tours are a smaller version of the festival. The property comes alive during the festival. It is important to be informed about our own history. It’s important to see and recognize how much Florida has changed and grown,” Mitchell said.
There is an opportunity to take a tour of the Silver River Museum during the festival, making this a unique two-for-one weekend.
Tickets for the festival is $10 per person and children under five enter for free.
For more information about events held at the Silver River Musuem, visit silverrivermuseum.com.
Don’t Miss Florida Heritage Day at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park: Learn how life was lived centuries ago on the land we walk today, during the Florida Heritage Day Festival on Nov. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, 7200 Battlefield Parkway, Bushnell.
The event that will honor Florida’s history by celebrating several key periods in Florida history.
“Florida’s history goes back to the conquistadors. The program will go back to then to modern times. We do a lot around the Seminole War because that is part of this land’s history, but this (land) was also an army base during World War II,” said Richard Anderson, vice president of the Dade Battlefield Society. “We’ll talk about both wars but also the revolutionary war and the civil war.”
Guests can engage with the hands-on activities and gain first-hand experience of essential skills from the “old days”, including pressing apples to make apple cider, candle dipping, cast iron skillet cooking and more.
There’s also a bevy of food vendors and live music performances to enjoy while immersing yourself in the pioneer games and folk crafts.
Participation in the festival is free, but guests must pay the $5 per vehicle entry free.
For more information about events at the state park, visit dadebattlefield.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
