Everyone dressed in period clothing and participated in tasks performed at the fort in 1846, the year of the Bear Flag Revolt.
Children were able to dip candles, learn how to spin yarn and weave it into a project, make rope, weave baskets, hammer together a wooden bench, help prepare and eat bread, tortillas and cookies baked in the outdoor beehive oven, and churn butter. They also participated in demonstrations related to wagon trains, the life of a Mexican vaquero (cowboy), the fur trapping trade, the blacksmith trade, and the printing of a newspaper.
Homebuilders got to make purchases of home-baked cookies, old-fashioned candy, pickles, hand-stitched items and old-fashioned toys during their trip to the Fort's trading post.
The Sutter's Fort docent, and a few of the children, explained to the crowd a little about the Bear Flag Revolt of 1846 and then fired the cannon.
When the fort closed to the public, everyone enjoyed a meal of roast chicken, cooked outdoors on a giant spit over an open fire, along with the bread and butter that they made earlier, plus sausage, cornbread, salad and apple cobbler.
There was music, line dancing, stories and games around the fire at night.
The kids took turns manning the fort during "night watch," where they went out in teams to make sure the fort was secure, and if need be, chase down any pesky robbers that might be causing trouble.
Families spent the night sleeping outdoors under the stars and woke to a breakfast of freshly-baked cinnamon rolls.
Homebuilders is an affiliate of Christian Home Educators Association of California (www.cheaofca.org). For more about Homebuilders, send an e-mail to kbunton@sbcglobal.net.
- Contributed by Bonnie Zakas
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