Tavern Day takes visitors to Glen Ellyn's past
These days, things are pretty simple. If something breaks, repairs are just a phone call away. If you need a broom or a candle, you just swing by the store and pick one up.
In a simpler time, children and adults took on tasks like making a broom or fixing the house out of necessity. And now that such chores are a novelty, it turns out they're fun to try.
At Tavern Day — Glen Ellyn Historical Society's annual throwback to a simpler time — the fun lies in making a broom, dipping candles, shelling corn and generally experiencing a day from the past.
“It seems so simple, but it's so much fun,” said Jan Shupert-Arick, executive director of the Stacy's Tavern Museum, 800 N. Main St., in Glen Ellyn.
Between 1 and 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30, history exists in real time with countless opportunities to experience the 19th century — from helping do the laundry to making brooms and tending to the animals.
New this year is a local beekeeper who will discuss the equipment used to make honey and show off some honeycombs.
Visitors are encouraged to roll up their sleeves and experience the old days, organizers say.
“See some of the chores some people might have to do if they lived in Glen Ellyn a long time ago,” said Suzanne Carty of Glen Ellyn, the historical society's program chair. “There's lots of hands-on things and things they can take home.”
Make your own rope or hand-dip small candles. Shell some corn. Grab a friend and use the two-man saw to cut through a log. Do some chores by tending to the farm animals on-site. Tour the museum, where crafts will be displayed.
Children can join an 1840s schoolroom set up in the yard of Stacy's Tavern taught by a costumed schoolteacher. They'll experience a school day from decades past.
“It's a very family-friendly event where children can actually do things,” Carty said. “They're not just watching it and watching things happen. They're actually trying things.”
Pioneer games take place throughout the day and include a ring toss, hoop rolling and beanbag toss.
A bake sale focused on apple desserts runs throughout the event, and the historical society is selling two-gallon mums.
General admission is $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 3 to 17. Rates for Glen Ellyn Historical Society members are $6 for adults and $3 for children.
For information, call (630) 469-1867 or visit glenellynhistory.org.
If you go
What: Glen Ellyn's Tavern Day
When: 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 30
Where: Stacy's Tavern Museum, 800 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn
Cost: $8 adults, $4 children ages 3 to 17
Info: (630) 469-1867 or glenellynhistory.org