Final Arts Center Day of Culture is Saturday

This summer’s final Arts Center Days of Culture event — Bountiful Harvest — is Saturday, and the theme is one that’s prevailed all summer long.

“The whole series has kind of been about harvestin and the harvesting traditions,” said Sally Jeppson, gallery manager. “We thought by August the ‘harvest’ would be more literal about what we encounter in the garden and the fields and what people do with the fruits of their labor.”

Some traditions that have been kept alive by a select few will be showcased Saturday in the downtown Arts Park.

Linae Bieber, Bismarck, will show showcase a selection of natural dyes that can be found in the North Dakota prairie, backyard garden or grocery stores.

She said she will save a lot of her secrets for Saturday. But would she did say black petunias are wonderful for dying any natural fibers.

“You can use natural dye on any of the natural fibers,” Bieber said. Some of those fibers include cotton, linen, hemp, silk wool or even human hair.

She also hopes to provide a bit of history on natural dyes and why certain colors were used during certain time periods.

Everything from what colors people wear to what they eat will be at the Bountiful Harvest.

Kristi Wirrenga, a cheese maker from 20 miles south of Jamestown, will be making goat cheese mozzarella.

“It takes more time than effort,” Wirrenga said.

The process is heating and cooling and adding certain ingredients at the right time.

With goats’ milk, she has made cream, butter, ice cream, buttermilk cream, sour cream, feta, yogurt and even once made fudge.

“As far as old traditions — we milk goats by hand and make cheese and other dairy products from goats,” she said.

There will also be demonstrations on flower arranging, open-air pottery firing and canning.

“Not everybody knows about canning,” Jeppson said. “The older generation may have knowledge about that just because of the times they grew up in.”

Also this year starting at noon the musical stylings of Molly McLain and her sister Mira McLain will be preformed for the event starting at noon.

“I have a lot of themes about nature and also just being from North Dakota I incorporate a lot of the prairie,” Molly said. “So it’s a reflection of nature in the prairie where I grew up.”

Molly will play her contemporary folk music for half an hour and Mira will play the other half an hour.

Moose Creek Bluegrass band will play closer to the end of the event to close the day out.

Aside from learning about traditions of the past while listening to music, attendants are welcome to share information.

Master gardeners will be there answering garden-related questions and there will also be a perennial exchange.

“Anybody can bring a plant and get a plant,” Jeppson said.

Food will also be for sale from the Germans from Russia as well as a local vendor.

Finally, there will be a book sale featuring travel and art books for the adults and children’s activities like making corn husk dolls for the kids.

Bountiful Harvest is from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the Arts Park. There is no admission cost. Jeppson recommends bringing a lawn chair for the entertainment portions.

Sun reporter Ben Rodgers can be reached at 701-952-8455 or by email at brodgers@jamestownsun.com

Tags: diversions, arts, culture