Features Editor

Sept. 4, 2000 11 PM

When the slightest hint of fall is in the air and the leaves began to show the faint colors of Indian Summer, Pike Pioneer Museum gears up to celebrate the season with Bridge Day.

The lazy, late summer day will get underway at 10 a.m. Saturday and nobody will have to be in a rush to leave, so the gates will be open until 4 p.m.

"Bridge Day is planned as an old-fashioned family day," said Charlotte Gibson, museum director. "We invite families to spend a fun and educational day together at Pike Pioneer Museum and enjoy all of the activities that we have planned for them."

Miller Billy Henderson will be working the grist mill from 9 until 11 a.m with the help of the Scouts from Boy Scout Troop 41. Together they will grind grits and cornmeal. Visitors can purchase a bag of their freshly ground favorite in the museum’s gift shop and enjoy a meal like grandma used to cook when they get home.

When the Boy Scouts complete their chores at the grist mill, they will give tours of their 1800s pioneer reenactment camp and lead the way across their monkey bridge for all who are brave enough to follow.

Just around the corner, blacksmith Art McKnatt will be hammering out horseshoes, hooks and nails and kids young and older will enjoy his demonstration of this old-time skill. On the cabin porch, Charlotte Wood will be spinning on the wheel and on the drop spool. She will allow visitors to try their hand at the almost-lost art.

Grove Poole will have the horses hitched to the wagon and rides will be available throughout the day. The train will also be chugging around the grounds as visitors take advantage of the "cool" way to enjoy the nature trail.

All of the outdoor activities will be enhanced by the background country sounds of Calvin Bodiford and his Strolling Musicians and the delicious aroma curling from the stack of the smokehouse.

Inside the museum, things will be spinning with Alice Thornton at the wheel and buzzing with the quilters around the frame. Tours through the museum will take visitors back to a time when things were slow and simple.

The Herb Society will be at their museum "home," the demonstration cabin, and they will have their usual bags of sweets and treats for sale, including a fall favorite, boiled peanuts.

"There will be snack items for sale but we invite families to bring a picnic to spread and stay the whole day with us," Gibson said. "There’s enough to keep a family entertained from the time we open until the time we close. This is a great opportunity for a family outing that will be the memory of a lifetime."

Admission to Bridge Day is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and $1 for students. Admission includes the museum tour and is good for the entire day. As always, members are admitted at no charge.