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Candlelight
Dinners on the Prairie A Success
Once again, Darke County Parks hosted the Candlelit Dinners on the
Prairie on Saturday, October 22nd and Saturday, November 5th. Both
nights were unseasonably warm, so there was hardly a need to stick
close to the fire in the log house. Visitors were welcomed and split
into two groups, the Wilcox and Harlett families. The logs of these two
families’ homes were used in the construction of the current log house
at Shawnee Prairie.
The dinner guests enjoyed demonstrations of the park district’s
blacksmith shop by Galen Delk and the life and accoutrements of a long
hunter by Andrew Kenworthy, both park volunteers. Then the guests
enjoyed their meal. The October dinner featured both rabbit and venison
as the main course, and the second dinner featured Schnitz un Knepp, a
German style smoked ham and apple dish. This year’s full menu included
vegetable soup, mashed herb potatoes, glazed carrots, roasted cabbage
with bacon, and artisan bread. Bread pudding starred in the dessert
course. The park district would like to extend a huge thank you to
Roger Van Frank for his portrayal of Matthew Huston and Tom Franklin
for his portrayal of David Conner as the evenings’ entertainment.
This was the 6th year of hosting the Candlelit Dinners at the Prairie.
Hannah Wiest, the November 5 evening’s organizer, said, “I’m amazed how
many people have made our dinners an annual tradition.” She
expressed thanks to all who attended and especially to all the
volunteers who make the evening a success by cleaning before, managing
cooking fires, preparing food, serving, or cleaning up after. The
Candlelit Dinners on the Prairie are an annual fundraising event for
the log house historical area maintenance fund, and the food,
entertainment, and labor is provided mainly by donors and
volunteers. Everyone is invited out next year to help support the
park district’s cultural programming and enjoy an evening lost in
history.
Photo-Guests enjoyed a sparkling cider toast to history upon their
welcome to the Wilcox/Harlett log home.
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