High Cotton is old-time fun

Every now and then, it's good for one's emotional, mental and physical well-being to turn off the gadgets and to trade the iPad for a rousing round of sack races.

The High Cotton on the Bayou Festival at the Scott Plantation Settlement offers an opportunity to do just that.

"It's a wonderful way to have a relaxing family outing," says event chairman Sara Gipson.

The Scott Plantation Settlement is a collection of restored buildings from the 1830s into the early 20th century: tenant homes, schoolhouses, a blacksmith shop, a train depot and other structures, all on the site of the Ashley's Mills Civil War skirmish. Scott Connections is a nonprofit organization dedicated to renovating, maintaining and displaying the buildings to preserve and share that history with the public.

The annual High Cotton event is designed to get people out to the settlement and to let them see some of the history it has to offer.

The buildings are open for tours March through November, but the whole settlement takes on new life during High Cotton.

Hosts will be available at each structure to tell its story, and out on the grounds, they hope to have an antique school bus for exploring. They'll also demonstrate old-world skills including butter churning and blacksmithing, and visitors can participate in a start-to-finish process as sorghum is cut, milled, cooked and sold, all on the premises.

Several local groups will perform music from folk to rockabilly and there also will be games for all ages, a hay ride and crafts sales and demonstrations by Arkansans.

This year the event will expand the history scope a bit, going all the way to the 1950s with two special post-World War II exhibits. One, which will feature uniforms and other items donated by Arkansas veterans, will explain the changes that came to Scott and communities like it after the war. The other will focus on the experiences of Japanese Americans who stayed in Scott after being released from internment camps. Some of those families have also donated items for the exhibit.

Seaton's Scott Place will sell barbecue and hamburgers and the local Boy Scouts will sell beverages, while a sweet shop selling homemade desserts will satisfy anyone with a sweet tooth. If people would prefer going elsewhere for lunch, they're free to come and go without having to pay twice, thanks to admission wristbands.

Parking will be across the street and a golf cart will be available for those with mobility issues.

Organizers hope it's a day that gives visitors a chance to learn a bit about the history of rural life and farming in central Arkansas.

Gipson says, "It's a wonderful experience whether they've been there before or not, just to get outside and see something you can't see in the city."

Weekend on 10/01/2015