Kids of All Ages Enjoy FSU's Appalachian Festival

On Saturday, September 16, Frostburg State University (FSU) held a portion of its annual Appalachian Festival event. The three-day event, which began on Thursday evening, concluded with a large exhibition of vendors, performers, and interactive exhibits for adults and children to enjoy and learn about Appalachian Culture. One such exhibit was the Capering Kids 4-H Goat Club. This club had several live goats on-site for children to interact with, but also offered “goat painting”, where children could grab an apron and paint a wooden silhouette of a goat for free, though donations were being accepted.

Children paint a goat silhouette as part of the Capering Kids 4-H Goat Club.

Another performing group was Slim Harrison and the Sunnyland Band – an interactive jugband for “kids of all ages”, where participants could choose one of 20 instruments and join in as members of the Sunnyland Band. Among these instruments were washboards, tambourines, washtub basses, and even a bicycle horn.

Children choose their instruments and accompany Slim as his back-up Sunnyland Band.

The children that joined the Sunnyland Band were as young as two and were obviously having a great time, based on the smiles and laughter they displayed throughout. Although no adults jumped in to participate, it was clear that they, too, were enjoying watching the children perform with Slim. They also seemed to enjoy Slim’s several jokes and puns that he made throughout the performance; in one, he asked a young girl if she could “play that [bicycle horn] in C.” In another, he told a simple knock-knock joke:

- “Knock-knock.”

- “Who’s there?”

- “Shelby.”

- “Shelby who?”

To which he began singing “Shelby comin’ around the mountain when she comes…”

He also played such audience favorites as, “I’ve Been Workin’ on the Railroad,” and, “Ain’t Gonna Rain No More,” which had children and parents alike tapping their feet and singing along.

In addition to the jugband, there were several other performers, vendors, and food trucks scattered throughout the grounds. One of these vendors was the Heishman HoneyB Hut, owned and operated by Angie Heishman. Mrs. Heishman uses wildflower honey, which she either sells in jars, or uses in other products along with beeswax, such as homemade lotions, lip balms, soaps, and soy tarts, among others. Although some of her honey is processed, to add certain flavors like orange blossom, most of the honey she was selling was unprocessed, which she said means it’s, “straight from the hive.” In addition to her honey and beeswax products, Mrs. Heishman was also selling several knitted items, like messy bun hats, regular hats, and scarves. She says she knits in the winter when the bees aren’t producing.

Angie Heishman, owner and operator of Heishman's HoneyB Hut.

Elizabeth Owens, who was there with her son and his best friend, said, “It’s such a beautiful day for this. The weather is just perfect.” With a forecasted high of 77 degrees and sunshine all day, she couldn’t have been more correct. Everywhere, there were families relaxing in the shade of trees eating lunch from one of the many food trucks, or taking the opportunity to explore some of the shaded vendor tents that held a glimpse of Appalachian culture.

The Appalachian Festival is an annual event hosted by Frostburg State University and facilitated by Dr. Kara Rogers Thomas.