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Home PageSPRING ON THE FARM IS APRIL 19 AT WATKINS WOOLEN MILL STATE PARK AND STATE HISTORIC SITE
JEFFERSON CITY, MO., APRIL 7, 2008 -- Celebrate the arrival of spring at the "Spring on the Farm" event to be held Saturday, April 19, at Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site near Lawson. Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is free and open to the public.
Spring has arrived at the Watkins farm, and a day of fun and learning is planned to celebrate its arrival. Guests will witness 1870s-style sheep sheering and can enjoy the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy's display of endangered livestock. Also, visitors can stroll through the heirloom garden while 1870s-attired interpreters prepare the raised beds and plant vegetable seeds saved from the heirloom plants the year before. Other activities include toy making, blacksmithing and demonstrations. The house and mill grounds will be free to explore throughout the event. The Mt. Vernon Church and Franklin Academy school building will be free to explore from noon to 2 p.m.
Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site is 1,442 acres dedicated to interpreting Bethany Plantation, the 19th century landholdings of Waltus Locket Watkins. The site features Watkins Woolen Mill, the Watkins home and outbuildings, a visitor center, a 100-acre lake, camping, picnicking and a paved bicycle trail. The historic site is located off Interstate 35, seven miles east on Highway 92 and one mile north on Highway RA.
For more information, contact the historic site at 816-580-3387 or the Department of Natural Resources toll free at 800-334-6946 (voice) or 800-379-2419 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). For more information about Missouri state parks and historic sites, visit the Web at www.mostateparks.com.
