Historic interpreters will teach you blacksmithing, how to bake a pie on the hearth, make lye soap and much more! Pre-registration and payment are required to attend a workshop. Registrations are taken on a first-come, first-served basis until class size is met. Unless otherwise noted, all materials are included in the cost of the workshop and will be provided by the instructor. Workshops not meeting the minimum reservation requirements will be canceled.

To register for a workshop, call (816) 503-4864 or register online.

2016 Workshops

Saturday, May 7: Sheep Ornament
Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $15 (includes cost of kit).
Make a sheep pennyrug ornament from wool felt.

Saturday, May 14: Carving a Spirit Face on a Walking Stick
Times: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $15 + supplies (there is a $5.00 fee for the walking stick blank, payable to the instructor).
Learn how to carve a spirit face on a walking stick. You will also learn how to select and prepare a stick as well as finishing.
Additional walking stick blanks will be available for purchase from the instructor.

Saturday, May 21: Hearth Cooking - It’s All in the Pudding
Times: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $20
Steaming, baking, and boiling, it’s all in the making of puddings. You will be making a meat, a vegetable, and a fruit pudding.

Wednesday, May 25: Toothbrush Rug
Times: 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $10 + Supplies (cost of supplies is $28, payable to instructor).
Turn rags into rugs using a technique that is easy to learn but hard to put down. Learn to make oval rugs and discuss how to make rectangular rugs with a slight change in technique. This is a great way to make custom color rugs from cheerful bright colors to muted cozy colors. Colors of the rugs may vary.

Saturday, June 11: Doll Quilt
Times: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $10 + Supplies
A small four square quilt that is the ideal size for a doll. Basic sewing skills required.

Wednesday, June 15: Kid’s Embroidery
Times: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $10 + Supplies (cost of supplies is $5, payable to instructor).
Learn basic embroidery stitches just like young ladies would have done in 1855. Make a small sampler to take home.

Saturday, Jun. 18: Fire Pit Cooking
Times: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $20
If it’s too hot in the kitchen, then let’s cook outside! Meat, vegetables, bread and dessert are on the menu.

Saturday, June 18: Baskets - Salt & Pepper and Napkin Baskets
Times: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $50 (incl. basket cost)
Get ready for grilling season! Weave two baskets to organize your table: one for salt and pepper and the other to hold napkins. These easy, useful baskets are perfect for beginning weavers.

Saturday, August 6: Basket - Casserole Carrier
Times: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Cost: $45 (incl. basket cost)
Students will bring their favorite casserole dish (approx 10×12) to weave a custom basket carrier with shaker tape handles to fit it perfectly. A variety of accent colors will be available. This class is suitable to all ability levels.

Saturday, October 15: Hearth Cooking - Here Piggie, Piggie
Times: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Cost: $20
You will be using a reflector oven to roast a pork tenderloin. Vegetables, bread and a desert will be prepared on the hearth.

Saturday, October 29: Hearth Cooking
Times: 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $20
You will be cooking a meal from the new Friends of Missouri Town cookbook.

Saturday, November 5: Soap Making
Times: 9:30 AM - 11:30 PM
Cost: $15
Make soap with lye and lard using the cold water method. You will be taking home a bar of soap that you have made in class.

Saturday, November 5: Crocheted Rag Rug
Times: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Cost: $10 + Supplies
Participants will tear their fabric into strips and learn the basics of crocheting a rag rug.

Missouri Town 1855 will be having their annual Fall Festival of Arts, Crafts and Music on October 3rd and 4th. You can enjoy 1850’s music and dance, horse-drawn buggy rides, hot-spiced cider, children’s games, period arts and crafts and fun-filled hay rides at the Fall Festival.

Missouri Town 1855 was never a real village in which real people lived and worked. Instead, it is a reconstruction of what a person may have found at a Missouri crossroads during the mid-19th Century. The buildings in the village were moved to Missouri Town 1855 from other locations in seven different western Missouri counties. These are actual buildings from the mid-19th Century. The year 1855 was chosen to interpret because it was the last year before the Kansas-Missouri border fighting began to disrupt the area. By 1856, shootings, lynchings and other violence had polarized pro-slavery and anti-slavery adherents into open conflict.

The festival will be open on Saturday, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Admission for the festival is $10.00 per car/van or $20.00 per school/commercial bus. Please, no pets.
For more information on Missouri Town 1855 please visit their website at www.jacksongov.org/missouritown or you can call them at (816) 524-8770.