Floyd County Museum celebrates Heritage Fest

By Travis Fischer, tkfischer@charlescitypress.com

History came alive this past weekend as the Floyd County Museum hosted its annual Heritage Fest celebration on Saturday, July 29.

“We’ve had a good turnout,” said museum Director Mckenna Lloyd. “The weather has been ideal and people are having a good time.”

With the museum open for free to the public and a score of vendors and activities in Andres Memorial Park, there was plenty to enjoy as the community came out to appreciate Charles City’s history.

Kids were invited to try their hand at making old-fashioned apple cider out of freshly pressed apples, twisting string into rope, racing in burlap sack races, and learning how to prepare hand-made ice cream from a variety of historical activity booths. The famous Charles City Popcorn Wagon was also on hand, where kids could pick up a free popcorn after visiting a certain number of activities.

Celebrating the community’s Scandinavian heritage, the museum invited Vidar Skrede to stop by in the morning to play traditional Nordic folk music in the park. Skrede is a Norwegian musician now living in Wisconsin who tours the country to teach about and perform classic Nordic music. His tour schedule lined up well with the museum’s event, allowing him to come in for a visit.

“It was kind of close by, so it worked out nicely,” said Skrede.

Another special attraction this year was the cricket demonstration from historical reenactor Tom Melville, who came from Wisconsin to teach visitors how to play the once popular sport from early days of Iowa’s settlement.

“It was once a popular sport, even here in Iowa,” said Melville. “Up until the time baseball caught on, it probably was the most popular team sport in the U.S.”

Blessed with ideal weather for the day, the event was a big success for the museum, with solid turn-out prompting positive response from the vendors and demonstrators.