The Jay County Historical Museum and the museum grounds will be buzzing with activity on September 26 and 27. The 22nd Annual Heritage Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on those days. We will be “Celebrating 250 Years of the U.S.A.”.

A variety of craft vendors will be selling their goods. Scottie Teegarden will have his tipi set up at the north end of the grounds. Cindi Lambert and her horse-drawn wagon will be offering free rides around the neighborhood.

Miss Abigail (retired teacher Jodi McKee) will be in the one-room school in the middle of the museum. Be sure your young ones stop by to visit Miss Abigail and experience what class was like in early schools. Bonnie Coffel will have games and activities for kids in the tent toward the back of the festival grounds.

Historical displays will be available, as well as the usual displays throughout the museum. Musical groups will be performing on the outdoor stage. 

Parking will be available near the museum and also in the parking area at East Elementary School. Golf carts will shuttle visitors to and from the school.

Ham and beans are being cooked in the big iron kettle over an open fire on Saturday, and chili on Sunday. Hope Nixon is the head cook again this year.

Of course, we must serve foot long hotdogs because it was Mrs. Nellie Smith of Redkey who came up with this idea and was the first to serve them at the Indiana State Fair. They are served either with or without Spanish sauce.

At the back corner of the museum, soft ice cream may be purchased. There will once again be Dutch apple pie, made by a local Amish lady, to go along with the ice cream.

Our festival would not be complete without the well-known caramel corn that our volunteers make each year. Three groups of ladies spend half a day in the kitchen at Asbury United Methodist Church making 42 batches of caramel corn. That’s over 350 bags! Judan Judo Club also helps satisfy your sweet tooth by providing cotton candy. Both the caramel corn
and cotton candy will be for sale under a tent along the east side of the museum.