Glen Ellyn's past on tap at Tavern Day

It's not that 9-year-old Clara Haeffner dislikes technology - she loves to play computer games at her Glen Ellyn home.

But the game Mancala, which involves moving stones around a wooden game board, gives her a different challenge, she says.

"I like doing the strategy part," Haeffner says. "I like playing new games and I like being unique."

On Sunday, Haeffner got her fill of the old-fashioned game during Glen Ellyn's Tavern Day at Stacy's Tavern.

The event serves as a way to promote the town's history. Haeffner's mom, Cathy Goodman, says it also brings people together.

"It gets people outside and it's a community thing," said Goodman, who volunteers in the museum's archives department. "It reminds people of the history and it builds a sense of community, which can be missing these days."

As a writer, Goodman said her volunteer archive work illustrates her appreciation for the history.

"I love hearing how people really came to this country," she said.

Jean Jeske, one of the event's organizers, said she was a bit disappointed that the weather seemed to keep attendance down. However, Jeske was still proud of the crowd that did show. Those who did watched a blacksmith in action, sawed logs, and even took part in a scene out of an old-school classroom where teachers dressed in period clothes instructed the children outdoors.

Jeske said she has been interested in Glen Ellyn's history since she arrived in town in 1965.

"I find it fascinating how this area was settled," she said. "I love how this event is full of country stuff. I love it around me."