Keith Blankenship and his wife, Shirley, have long been fascinated by the lifestyle of those who pioneered America. They thought they could have been happy and content with log cabin living. Now, they have that chance.

When the Blankenships had the opportunity to lease Pioneer Village, Keith jumped at the chance to return the village to the historical “trade” site Ralph Johnson envisioned.

“Ralph started Pioneer Village in 1974 as a place where people could come and trade or sell their goods,” Blankenship said. “That’s the same way I envision the village.”

Today and Saturday, Blankenship invites everyone who shares his interest in “the good ol’ days” to venture just off the beaten path for Log Cabin Days at Pioneer Village.

The two-day event will be from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Admission is free and visitors will be invited to explore the 10 log cabins in the village. Several of the shops will be open, including Oak Tree Mercantile, Treasured Linens, Absolutely Country, The Eagle Feather and Charlotte’s Web.

Stan Russell, the chicken man, will have all his chicken paraphernalia for sale along with other vendors with a variety of items including antiques, books and whatnots.

There will be special events today and Saturday for the enjoyment of village shoppers.

Today, The Vault Variety Shop, which features vintage clothing from the pioneer days and other periods, will have clothing available for dress up and to have photographs taken with the cabins.

“These pioneer and old-time photographs will be great for gifts or as keepsakes,” Blankenship said.

On Saturday, Davy Crockett will be at Pioneer Village and will share the story of how he killed a bear when he was only three and stories of the Battle of the Alamo.

Both days, there will be cakewalks and old time games for all ages. The porches of the log cabins will afford shade on the hot summer days and the Blankeships will offer cool lemonade to quench the thirst. Lunch will be available for those who want something more filling.

Each of the vendors with have a game or some type of give-away to add to the fun of Log Cabin Days and several will have gift certificates from their shops to be used “now or later.”

Log Cabin Days is designed to reacquaint the public with the Pioneer Village and as an opportunity to step back in time when life was slow-paced and a good time was a simple time.

The Pioneer Village is managed by Keith Blankenship and his brother-in-law David Shirah as Two Brothers Management and presently features 13 businesses with other business opportunities available.

For more information, call 334-403-2790 or 334-344-0395.