Edith Marie Ferguson Carter, owns and operates Whippoorwill and organizes Daniel Boone Day each year with the help of other volunteers. There were many vendors and demonstrators including flint knappers, knife makers, and quilt makers among others. Other activities included Civil War reenactment, musicians, period theater actors and more. It was nice to hear live music throughout the day.

In my area I demonstrated primitive and survival skills. Because Whippoorwill Village has a bamboo grove, I collected bamboo stalks and emerging shoots then boiled the shoots in a bamboo pot that I made over my campfire. I also used a pair of clam-shelled tin cans that produced a perfectly baked potato. My cooking demos provide me with my day-time meals. I also had the opportunity to try on a bear hide that came from a neighboring county. It made me ponder the fauna of the early days of Daniel Boone.

A number of folks expressed to me that they look for the teepee and follow the campfire smoke to the Survivaltek booth. It’s always fun to connect with friends, both old and new. At the same time I get to learn new things when people share their experiences. This is a great annual event that I highly recommend.

After setting up my display I was approached by a 71 year old woman who with great enthusiasm announced that she was a Prepper and was actively making provisions for potential natural disasters or other catastrophic events. I listened as she shared the variety of activities she did in this pursuit. I asked her if she had ever made a fire using a ferro rod and she replied “no”, so I asked her if she would like to learn how, to which she enthusiastically replied “yes!”.

I pulled out one of my ferro/mag bars and showed her the construction and purpose of the design and then demonstrated the technique of pulling the rod out from under the striker to keep the sparks centered on the tinder and thus not disturbing the tinder pile by using the opposite approach of striking down the rod with the striker. I handed the device to the woman and had her take a few practice sparks. We learned that this larger ferro/mag bar was an asset because of her arthritic condition and enabled her to hold it well enough for the task.

She had success on the first strike! It’s moments like this that make these events so rewarding. She was able to walk away with a new skill that now helps her to be better prepared. It’s also refreshing to see the festival craftsmen demonstrate their skills so that we can become better prepared too.

Heritage crafts of that time were demonstrated throughout the day that included cooking, spinning, blacksmithing, flint knapping, Indian skills, and Civil War drill re-enactments. My part in this event was to display my era-associated items such as my Cheyenne style teepee and stretched deer hide. I brought a 5 foot “fish pillow” replica to add to the atmosphere by hanging it on a tripod as if ready for cleaning. Although I was prepared to demonstrate era cooking skills, my interest in firecraft and flint napping took precedence for the day and I enjoyed meeting many friendly people.

If you find yourself in this area next May, it would be well worth your effort to experience this celebration. I expect you’ll see me there having fun.