The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site begins its 2015 summer programs this week with live performances and demonstrations of the poet and historian’s work, home life, and guided tours of his estate, “Connemara”.
The summer session, which began on Wednesday, June 24, offers plays, demonstrations, and historic walks around the 264 acre park through August 8, according to a press release by the Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.
Visitors who come out to the park Wednesday through Saturday can enjoy live renditions of Sandburg’s words and music by actors from Flat Rock Playhouse. Featured performances on Wednesdays and Fridays begin with The People’s Poet, described as “a journey through the American experience of love, children, nature and social activism” by the National Park Service. The presentation included bits of comedy and more serious acts, based on Sandburg’s writings, and is suitable for all ages.
Thursdays and Saturdays feature renditions of Rootabaga!, based on Sandburg’s collection of children’s stories of the same title. Presentations of The People’s Poet and Rootabaga! begin at 10:15 a.m. on the days noted above. Each performance is about 30 minutes long and will be held rain or shine.
The Sandburg Home will also host daily demonstrations on farm-life, Wednesday through Sunday afternoons, beginning at 2:15 p.m. Attendees can learn Mrs. Sandburg’s recipes for making goat chesse, butter, yogurt and more, as well as try samples made by demonstrators.
Beginning on July 6, rangers will hold historical walks around the grounds of Connemara Monday and Tuesday mornings, beginning at 10:15 a.m., sharing the history of the estate and offering glimpses into normally restricted buildings on the grounds.
Performances and entrance to the park are free of charge. Fees may apply for guided home tours and other events. For directions to the Carl Sandburg Home Historic Site, hours of operation, and associated fees, see the official press release below or visit nps.gov/carl.
Official Press Release:
Summer Plays and Programs Begin at Sandburg Home
(FLAT ROCK, NC)— Carl Sandburg Home National Historic has launched into a fun summer season of theater, farm life demonstrations and historic walks. From June 24 until August 8 there is something new to see or do at Connemara.Wednesday through Saturday mornings at 10:15 am, the amphitheater adjacent to the Sandburg Home hosts live performances of Sandburg’s words and music. Wednesday and Friday morning features The People’s Poet, a journey through the American experience of love, children, nature and social activism. Based on Sandburg’s collection of poetry and prose, the presentation is both silly and serious and enjoyable for audiences of all ages. On Thursday and Saturday morning, Rootabaga!, fills the stage with taxi cab drivers, a gold buckskin whincher, the potato face blind man and more. This zany presentation is based on Sandburg’s collection of stories for children, The Rootabaga Stories. These 30-minute performances are held rain or shine.
Wednesday through Sunday afternoons at 2:15 pm, visitors can learn how Mrs. Sandburg turned sweet fresh goat’s milk into cheese, butter, yogurt and more. These farm-life demonstrations focus on cheese-making with recipes and samples for the audience.
Monday and Tuesday mornings, beginning July 6, at 10:15 am, rangers will stroll the grounds uncovering the history of Connemara from the first residents in 1838 to the Sandburg family. This is a great opportunity to see inside buildings normally closed to the public and discover how life at Connemara changed over time.
Thanks to generous support from Eastern National (the park’s bookstore) and the Flat Rock Playhouse, Rootabaga! and the People’s Poet are offered to the public free of charge. Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site is a unit of the National Park Service. The park is located three miles south of Hendersonville off U.S. 225 on Little River Road, and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., daily. For more information, please telephone 828-693-4178, or visit our website at:
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