Having fun with Elgin's history

Anyone who says history is boring sure didn't attend Sunday's Elgin Youth History Fair.

In one corner of the Lords Park Pavilion, children learned lessons in a one-room schoolhouse scenario and experienced a flea circus, dubbed the "smallest show on earth."

In another section, Ernie Broadnax, whose father Daniel owned Broadnax Shoe Repair, one of Elgin's first black businesses, displayed and explained some of the old-fashioned tools his dad used to keep shoes looking chic.

Outside the house, visitors could sample fresh cornbread and butter made by students from Elgin High School's culinary class.

In the basement, visitors sat down with local historians and preservation specialists while they presented a picture show about Elgin's history.

Finally, if visitors kept their ears open, they heard Elgin Academy Headmaster John Cooper jamming on the guitar and mandolin with his bluegrass band on the pavilion porch.

It was an Elgin history extravaganza that made the most of the town's local talent, pooling together local high school students as well, said Lucy Elliott, the event's coordinator.

The idea was to make history fun and interactive for children so they gain a better understanding of how generations before them lived, she said.

Sometimes when adults talk about how people lived back in the day, they scare children off to learning more about the olden days, Elliott said.

"I think we send the message it's work, it's no fun," Elliott said.

That was a message children certainly didn't get during Sunday's event.

As they grinded corn, wove fabric, made dolls and washed clothes with an old-school washing machine, many were smiling and excited to show their parents what they'd done.

The local Tiger Cub Den, a division of the Boy Scouts of America, gave the activities their endorsement.

Four boys from Pack 62 and their parents showed up at the history fair so the boys could earn merit badges for learning about life long ago.

It turned out that the history fair was the perfect place for them to do that and the group ended up staying for nearly three hours, although they'd planned to leave sooner.

"This was a wonderful, wonderful experience for the boys and adults alike," said Sandy Welch, an assistant Wolf Den leader who served as a Tiger chaperone.