Our Mission: to relate the history and traditions of Lee County, Alabama (and the surrounding areas) through: preservation, restoration, education, presentation, publication, and acquisition.
Second Saturday at Pioneer Park - April 14, 2012
Rug Braiding Lessons, Herbs, Gardening
In keeping with its focus on life in the 1850s in east central Alabama, Pioneer Park offers a new rug braiding workshop at Second Saturday this week. Francine Tucker of Opelika teaches free lessons on the early Alabama folk art which not only provided a creative outlet, but kept chilly winds from coming through drafty floorboards. Like her great-grandmother, she utilizes long strips of fabric to fashion handmade rugs, using only a needle and thread. Braided Rug classes are in the log cabin and those wishing to participate need bring only a needle, thread and a supply of 15” long strips of cloth, one to two inches wide. The free class begins at 10 a.m. CST and lasts till noon.
Horticulturist Tia Gonzalez returns to Pioneer Park’s Herb Garden this spring to conduct a garden "Walk 'n' Talk," from 9 a.m.to 10:30 a.m. CST. Her talk includes what to be doing at this time of the year in the garden, what herbs thrive in this zone, which herbs are best planted in spring, and tips for successful herb growing. The fee is $10, payable Saturday morning. Pre-registration is requested. Contact Tia Gonzalez at 444-2857 or greentia@LIVE.com .
Pioneer Park’s traditional Second Saturday activities—dulcimer playing, open hearth cooking, spinning and weaving, blacksmithing--will be conducted as always. The Whistle Stop Pickers begin playing and practicing at 1 p.m. Beginners are welcome to sit in with the group, and there are extra dulcimers available.
Larry Williamson, Author of Tallapoosa to Speak at LCHS Meeting, Sunday, April 15
In keeping with its 2012 theme, “The Year of the Creek,” the Lee County Historical Society presents Larry Williamson, author of Tallapoosa as the speaker for the spring meeting, Sunday April 15, at 2:30 p.m. CST, at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka, Alabama. Williamson will discuss both the War and his novel, set in that context. The bicentennial of the Creek War will occur in 2013.
Tallapoosa is the story of two brothers who try to build their lives on the border of the Creek Nation, one marrying an Indian and one a settler’s daughter. It is a historical novel involving the Creek Wars and the ramifications of our country’s aggression into Native American lands.
Williamson grew up in Tallassee and returned there following retirement. An engineering graduate of Auburn University, he is a retired high school math teacher, football and track coach. He is an instructor in Auburn Outreach Programs, teaching two workshops: Writing your Novel and Writing Humor. He has also published a collection of stories about growing up in Tallassee in the 1940s and 1950s, Over the River, Long Ago.
Rain Barrel Project & Rain Garden Workshop
Saturday, April 21, 2012 (Registration Required)
Coming April 26-29, 2012
Fourth Annual Lee County Gathering, Old-time Music Festival
Jessie Summers Honored with LCHS's First Volunteer of the Year Award.
Read the complete story in the March 14, 2012 issue of OA News.
At right: Jessie Etheridge Summers is presented the first-ever Volunteer of the Year award by Deborah McCord, secretary of the Lee County Historical Society. The award is a handcrafted pine straw basket, a creation of Jean Kerr, who teaches basketry at the society's Pioneer Park Trade Center Museum in Loachapoka.