44th Territorial Fair to offer fun and glimpses of history

The collection of buildings at the Historic Arkansas Museum is a historic enclave year-round, but every year in May, the block becomes a living time warp.

This year marks the 44th annual Territorial Fair on Saturday, when museum employees and Early Arkansaw Re-enactors go the extra mile to make history come alive.

Living history performers in period costumes tell visitors all about life in pre-statehood Arkansas through performances, music and demonstrations of blacksmithing and dancing.

In addition to the dances and pioneer games, there will be multiple opportunities for children to have a hand in the fun, promises Ellen Korenblat, the museum's director of community engagement.

"They'll make Mother's Day cards, make little flower bouquets. They're going to do some nature rubbings and plant a little lima bean seed to take home," she says.

The lima beans fit in with this year's fair theme: food. With a historical twist, of course. Throughout the museum grounds, re-enactors will demonstrate territorial-era cooking styles and skills that will also show visitors how different cuisine helped shape Arkansas tastes.

In the Hinderliter Grog Shop (the oldest building in Little Rock), re-enactors will bake a German apple tart to honor the original owner's German background and explore the impact German food had on Arkansas cuisine.

The 1840s Brownlee Kitchen will reflect Scottish and African slave influences, while the Brownlee Smokehouse will smoke cheese and nuts.

In the 1850s Log House Farmstead, they'll cook hardtack, which was carried by Civil War soldiers, and teacakes from an 1833 edition of the Arkansas Advocate.

Korenblat says there will not be samples, but people can collect recipes along the way.

If guests' taste buds are tingling, Le Pops will be on site selling their ice lollies.

This year's fair will feature a scavenger hunt throughout the museum and grounds that will encourage visitors to explore more in-depth.

Free parking is offered across Third Street and all the activities throughout the fair are free, so people are welcome to come and go as they like.

"Just drop by," Korenblat says. "It's a fun, hands-on way to learn about Arkansas history and learn a little bit more about how our food is influenced by the different cultures who have come to Arkansas."

Weekend on 05/11/2017