Dan Buchanan
Contributor
The 31st Annual Founder’s Day Celebration is just around the corner and will be held on Saturday, Oct. 15. For 31 years, the church has always looked for new and innovative things to display at the event. Perhaps the funniest event was a “cow-milking” contest held about 10 or 15 years ago. Mr. Lee Bishop had a milk cow, and he loaned his cow to the church for this event. This contest was extremely funny and everyone enjoyed seeing the “milkers” try to fill up a Coca-Cola bottle.
This year, we will add a new booth, “Pine Straw Baskets.” Melinda Luce, a gifted craft person, makes some really beautiful baskets from pine straw needles which she and her husband have gathered from their own pine tree farm. Her husband, Jean Luce, her biggest supporter, helps gather all the needles, hickory nut slices, pine bark, deer antlers, etc. needed for making these “one of a kind” baskets.
There is a certain knack for gathering the needles, bundling them and then drying the needles. To make the baskets colorful, they dye the needles and the end product is absolutely beautiful. In some of the baskets, they use deer antlers, hickory nuts and other locally gathered items.
Melinda will have a booth across the road, next to the Collard Green booth and the Old School House. Also across the road is the Prayer Garden and Tiny Church, dedicated to the late Charles Wooten. She will be making the baskets and you will certainly want to come visit with her and Jean and see just how this basket-making craft is done.
Also on display will be numerous baskets they have made. You really need to come see her handiwork. This craft was probably done by Indians many years ago, as well as the early Hickory Grove pioneers. Jean and Melinda are really good at carrying on this craft and are good crafts folks.