CONWAY — The Faulkner County Museum will host its 11th annual Holiday Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Located on the Courthouse Square, 801 Locust St. in Conway, the museum and the dogtrot cabin will be decorated for the season in a harvest theme. Assisting again this year with the decorations will be members of the Conway Country Club and the Town and Country Garden Club.
Lynita Langley-Ware, museum director, said traditional skills demonstrations at the event will include spinning and weaving, quilting, string-doll-making and pickling and preserving foods.
“We’ll have crafts for the kids and music for the season,” she said.
“We will also have our traditional treats of hot apple cider, coffee and gingersnaps on the cabin porch,” she said. “We are almost world famous for our gingersnaps. We’ll serve you as many as you can eat.”
The event will also feature a Christmas gift shop selling handmade crafts and homemade baked goods. Representatives from the Faulkner County Historical Society will be on hand with publications for sale.
The main museum building will be open to the public, including the railroad exhibit on the second floor.
Langley-Ware said the museum has partnered with the University of Central Arkansas in Conway this year and has two groups of students who are presenting service-learning activities at the museum.
“We have a group of students from the occupational-therapy department who will be working in the crafts area during the open house,” Langley-Ware said. “They will be assisting those who want to make string dolls and cornhusk dolls. [The students] have been learning historical skills and will have the chance to put those skills into practice.
“The second group of students is from the history department’s senior seminar class. They will be assisting in all aspects of the open house, from publicity to food to setup and tear-down and music. They will be assisting with demonstrations, including Dutch-oven cooking.
“All of these students will get class credit for their contributions to our open house. This is a new outreach for UCA, partnering with different organizations in the community. We are really lucky to be a part of that.”
Refreshments will be provided by Stoby’s Restaurant.
There is no admission charge for the open house.
“Donations are always welcome,” Langley-Ware said.
For more information about the event, call the museum at (501) 329-5918 or email fcm@conwaycorp.net.