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Spoon River Drive begins this weekend

Posted October 03, 2007 11:00 pm

BRENDA ROTHERT

BY BRENDA ROTHERT

LONDON MILLS - It's turning 40 this year, but Spoon River Drive never gets old.

The annual Fulton County festival is expected to draw about 100,000 to 15 communities over four days, beginning Saturday and Sunday and continuing Oct. 13 and 14. Red oval signs will direct visitors to stops in Astoria, Ipava, Duncan Mills, Lewistown, Bernadotte, Smithfield, Cuba, Fairview, Ellisville, Mount Pisgah, Avon, London Mills, Farmington, Canton, and Dickson Mounds Museum.

Bill Swango, chairman of the festival, and his wife Shirley have been cracking eggs for homemade chicken and noodles and shaping apple dumplings with other volunteers who set up at the Red Brick School in Lewistown.

The group used 120 eggs to make noodles and has 2,000 apple dumplings ready. They hope that will last both weekends, Shirley Swango said, but they'll make more if they need to.

Bill Swango said before last year's Spoon River Drive that it could be the last one if more volunteers didn't step in and help. Many did.

"It's really looking up," Shirley Swango said of volunteer support.

Justine Rogers of Peoria said she's glad the drive is here to stay, because it's a tradition in her family.

"I look forward to it all year," she said. "I remember my parents taking me there as a child. Now that I'm older I take my children there."

Rogers and her family are vendors in London Mills, a popular stop on the drive. They sell wood crafts and decorations.

The homemade apple butter stirred in large copper kettles is a favorite in Rogers' family.

"We'll buy a dozen containers and put them in the refrigerator and eat from them all year," she said.

In addition to arts and crafts, antiques and old-fashioned eats, there are also other unique activities to see on the drive.

A Rendezvous Encampment will be recreated at Dickson Mounds Museum near Lewistown. Historical re-enactors will camp in lodges on the museum grounds to illustrate early Colonial life.

At the Art Jones farm in the northeast corner of Lewistown, Belgian horses will pull old farming equipment. Fruit pies will be baked in the wood stove in a log cabin. During the evenings of the drive, there will be bluegrass and country music around the campfire there.

In Ellisville, Roger Lorance will demonstrate his skills as a blacksmith by making wrought iron decorative items. The small town also has a sawmill and steam engine vehicles. The Ellisville Opera House will host a children's play upstairs. The tiny Ellisville Library will be open and will have foods and crafts

London Mills and Mount Pisgah will host Civil War re-enactors, camps, and demonstrations of weapons, maneuvers, uniforms and cooking.

In Farmington, Reed Park will have dancers, singers, musicians and other entertainment on stage.

Shirley Swango said the festivities will begin with a concert by a professional fiddler at 5:30 p.m. on Friday at Buckeye Church, three miles north of Smithfield. The concert runs until dark.

AT A GLANCE

Here's a quick rundown of the activities at various villages and sites in Fulton County. For more information, visit www.spoonriverdrive.org.

u London Mills

Old mill wheels and a restored hotel are among the historic sites in London Mills, where the vendor and food booths are vast and apple butter is cooked outside in large kettles. At Pheasants Forever Farm, four miles south of town, take wagon-ride tours through the prairie grass and shop for glassware and souvenirs.

u Farmington

Attractions include tents and booths featuring crafts, antiques, foods and demonstrations.

u Ellisville

Home to Illinois' smallest library and a number of other charming buildings, Ellisville has a community center with food and crafts, a working blacksmith and twice-daily theatrical productions in the restored opera house. "Little House on the Banks of the Spoon River" will be performed at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. both weekends.

u Mount Pisgah Park

For one of the most scenic views on the drive, head to Mount Pisgah Park, overlooking Spoon River. Native American dancers, a teepee village and food, craft and produce vendors are among the attractions. A few miles northeast, Hilltop Farms features vendors, sawmill demonstrations, taxidermy and wood crafts.

u Fairview

Chow on walleye and visit Fairview Cemetery, where a costumed guide will offer tours of the historic spot.

u Avon

Visit the restored depot and railroad memorabilia and antique shops in Avon.

u Canton

A restored depot and Dinky Engine are among the sites to see in Canton. There will be demonstrations, arts, crafts, food and other vendors at Jones Park.

u Cuba

Cuba Park will have crafts, food, entertainment and demonstrations of border collies herding livestock. Pleasant Row Orchard, with apples, pumpkins and gourds, is at the north edge of town. Organizers warn drivers to be alert between Cuba and Smithfield, as Amish buggies may be on the road.

u Smithfield

The Smithfield Red Brick School is known for its homemade chicken and noodles. Other attractions include antiques, collectibles, a display of Spoon River Scenic Drive memorabilia and live music. While you're in town, check out the Harold Kee Welch Art Studio. Welch, a Smithfield native, painted murals for banks and post offices throughout the Midwest. His works, including clay sculptures of Edgar Lee Masters, are on display.

u Bernadotte

Bernadotte Park has the only dam on the Spoon River, plus an old iron waling bridge and a playground for children. Crafts, collectibles, fresh produce, soup and pork chops will be for sale.

u Ipava

Ipava is home to Easley's Pioneer Museum and the restored Freeman School. The action downtown, including food and craft vendors, will center around the old bandstand. Local churches will offer food and quilt shows.

u Astoria

Astoria's Nazarene Church will host an arts and quilts show. Horse and buggy rides and live music will be offered downtown, along with crafts, fresh produce and food booths.

u Duncan Mills

Crafters and artists will set up shop in Helms Park, along with a dulcimer player and various booths. The town also is home to a replica of a wood-covered bridge and a bakery.

u Lewistown

The Fulton County seat boasts Rasmussen Blacksmith Shop Museum, Narrow Gauge Railroad Depot, Marigold Meadows Horse Farm and the fairgrounds flea market. Two of author Edgar Lee Masters' homes can be viewed in town and a reading of his poems will be performed at 3 p.m. both Sundays.

u Dickson Mounds Museum

South of Lewistown, the museum has numerous artifacts, a rooftop observatory, a restored 1830s school and other attractions. Orchard Hill Farm will offer apples, cider and other treats.

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