Back in the day
Spend an afternoon Sunday traveling back in time when the Elk Grove Historical Society hosts its annual Pioneer Day.
Activities for the whole family range from rides in a Conestoga wagon to watching a vintage baseball game played by 1858 rules.
There will also be entertainment by a band specializing in Civil War-era music, tours of the society's 1856 farmhouse and a magic show, as well as an art show, historic toy-making and scarecrow-making activities, and a petting zoo.
"This is our biggest event of the year," said Sandy Denninger, museum coordinator for Elk Grove's Schuette-Bierman Farmhouse. "This is our opportunity to give back to the community by celebrating the history of this area in a free event. More than 1,000 people attend each year."
For the first time this year, the Battlefield Balladeers, dressed in Civil War garb, will perform songs written for the war and from minstrel shows of the 1860s using harmonica, tambourine, banjo, guitar and other period instruments.
Elk Grove's vintage baseball team, the Elk Grove Bucks, will take on the Chicago Salmon team at 1 p.m. on a field behind the Pirates' Cove parking lot. Players in this 19th century version of the game wear reproduction uniforms and play with bare hands. The rules are slightly different from today's game.
Meanwhile, Emmett Miller of Chicago, a.k.a. "The Windy City Wizard," will perform Civil War-era tricks and magic on the museum grounds while the Elk Grove Garden Club hosts a scarecrow-making event (for a small fee) and both children and adults have the opportunity to make a yarn doll and a cup and ball game, both of which were popular toys during the 19th century, Denninger said.
Other events will include visits with live farm animals, provided by Friendly Farms, an art show in the museum's barn by the Art Association of Elk Grove, a bake sale and sales of hotdogs, hamburgers, brats and more by the society.
The event will be held rain or shine, officials said. For more , call (847) 439-3994 or visit www.elkgroveparks.org.