Fall Festivities aka Learning All the Time

A beautiful Autumn day and a small town heritage festival make for a perfect day.

I love the feel of small towns, especially those that attempt to preserve and celebrate their history.

For God and Country

Black Walnut season

An Autumn rose

Ash Grove's Back Roads to Main Street festival had old motors...

...hillbillies making music...

...fun for the kids...

...tractors...

... kettle corn...

...old time charm...

... cars...

...craftsmen...

...and more charm!!!

Those things are common at most small town festivals but what is less common is that the festival would be visited by Ma Barker and her son, Herman, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd and Eddie and that there would be a gun fight on Main Street.
This festival hired actors to reenact pieces of the town's history.
Here the actors, including Maceo, are being briefed by a festival organizer, being given their assignments.

Two of our actors got to engage in a gun fight.

In the late 1800's a lawyer and a farmer had a gun fight on Main Street after a dispute over a horse.

The lawyer lost.

This rough and tumble crowd was cheering on that gun fight while awaiting their own opportunities to cause a little trouble.

Ma Barker and son Herman (which was Maceo's assignment) are heading off to see what trouble they can get in to.

Don't they look like they're up to no good?

And, sure enough they were or at least that is what was alleged.  This vendor accused Herman of some thievin'.

The sheriff was called in.

Of course, Ma defended her son and Herman vehemently denied the allegations.

And, just maybe Herman got away with something - does it look like he is gloating?

Then we had a little fun taking a family portrait

and some individual shots.

Then Pretty Boy Floyd jumped in for a few shots.  I sure hope he didn't have any thoughts of making a move on Ma Barker as she was known to be cantankerous and even killed her second husband.

Even Bonnie and Clyde decided to get in to the photog action.

It was so cool to see them interact with people.  This young man was particularly engaging.  He seemed to know quite some bit about these folks.

He said he had googled them but they had no clue what he was talking about.  I mean, hey, there was no google in the '30's.

Right to the very end Ma and Herman had to defend themselves against allegations of thievin'.

What a wonderful day.  We got to enjoy a crisp but sunny Autumn day while enjoying festival fun and making some new friends.  Additionally, this is a great example of the lifestyle of learning.  There was so much to soak up.  We took in some information that we don't exactly have anything to connect it to ...YET (i.e. the Maytag motors and the motor rigged to saw a log).  We also received information that allowed us to make connections.  Of course, we had heard of the infamous characters of the 1930's but we didn't know that they were connected to Missouri.  We learned that Ma Barker was born in Ash Grove Missouri and that a bank was robbed in Ash Grove in 1933 that some say was done by Bonnie and Clyde and others say was done by Pretty Boy Floyd and Eddie.  Historians have confirmed the both pairs were in the area at the time of the robbery so it legitimately could be either one.  Maceo had to learn some of this history in order to play his character then it was reinforced throughout the day as he interacted with the other actors and the crowd.  And, of course, he logged more acting hours and managed to do some professional networking.

It was a truly successful day!!!!