Happening
at the Crossroads
July 27,
2009
by Coggin
Heeringa
Life will be a “bowl of cherries” this Sunday at Crossroads at Big Creek.
And, the bowl will be an actual sundae bowl as the Door County
Historical Society holds its Cherry Ice Cream Social at The Historical
Village at the Crossroads.
Along with offering free tours of The Village, the historical
society will recreate a “social” which was a typical way to raise money
a hundred years ago. The schools needs a bell? Hold a social. The
church needs an organ? A social.
Often, box socials were held. Women decorated box lunches which were
auctioned off the the highest bidder. Supposedly, the boxes were sold
anonymously, but in truth, most young women let their sweethearts know
exactly which box on which to bid. Ice cream socials also were
popular… presumably when cherries were ripe - which would have been
about say… end of July and beginning of August.
White Mountain Freezer, ice cream maker, United States, 1923-1930
In the days before electricity, ice cream was churned in a
hand-cranked ice cream freezer. The freezer was a wooden
bucket with a smaller metal can inside. The first step of making ice
cream was to fill the bucket with salt and crushed ice.
In Door County, ice was not that difficult to come by. Huge blocks
of ice were harvested from the Sturgeon Bay each winter. Residents of
most villages also harvested ice from bays or inland lakes. Packed in
sawdust (a by-product of the lumber industry) and stored in “‘ice
houses”, the blocks of ice lasted into the summer.
Why the salt? If you spend the winter in Door County, you are aware
that putting salt in water lowers the freezing point. That is why
the highway department spreads a salt brine on roads to prevent
freezing. The brine solution caused a heat transfer and lowered the
temperature of the metal can’s contents.
And the can’s contents? Inside the metal can was the ice cream
mixture, made from various recipes, but usually containing cream,
sugar and egg yolks. A wooden paddle called a dasher was then lowered
into the metal can. A crank was attached to the dasher. When the
crank was turned, the dasher scraped the cold mixture from the sides
of the freezer can so that the ice cream became uniformly frozen. The
moving paddles also incorporated air into the ice cream mixture.
This will be much easier to understand if, Sunday afternoon, you
(and your kids and grandkids) get a chance to turn the crank of a
freezer until the mixture is stiff… or until you get impatient to taste
this timeless treat. Cherry ice cream sundaes will cost $3 for two
dips, $1.50 for a single dip and root beer floats will be $3 - all
will be sold from the Blacksmith Shop in the Historical Village from
1:30-4:00.
After a dry spell, most of us realize that “water is precious.” On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, WaterFest
returns to Crossroads. These family programs with activities best
suited for children 4-9 years of age will begin at 2:00 each day and
free tee-shirts (available is sizes Youth-M, Youth-L) will be given to
each child participating. All should wear clothes that can get
wet. WaterFest programs are free and open to the public.
The public is also invited to the August meeting of the Door
Peninsula Astronomical Society at 7 pm on Tuesday for a short program
on the Perseid Meteor Shower by John J. Beck and a lecture - “Rocks and
Ice in the Solar System,” presented by Coggin Herringa. This meeting
is at the Stonecipher Astronomiy Center (please use the Utah Street
Entrance.”
Crossroads is a donor-supported preserve where learners of all
ages experience science, history and the environment. The Collins
Learning Center, open daily 2:00-4:00, is located at 2041 Michigan in
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
Sunday, August 2, 1:30-4:00
“Tours of the Historical Village”
Costumed interpreters share history during free tours of the Historical Village at the Crossroads.
1:30-4:00
“Cherry Ice Cream Social” The Door
County Historical Society is selling ice cream sundae for two dips
$3.00, single dip -$2.00, root beer floats- $3.00. Ice Cream making
demonstrations. Historical Village at the Crossroads.
Monday, August 3, 2:00
Family Program: WaterFest
Kids 4-9 and their families are invited to explore some of the unusual
properties of water through hands-on experiments. Free-tee shirts
(Youth-M, Youth-L only) for participants. Free. Collins Leaning Center
6:30
Friends of Crossroads
Visitors are encouraged to attend the Friends of Crossroads meeting at
the Stonecipher Center. The group will be planning an environmental
project and also the Astronomy Weekend to be held in September. The
special program will be a planetarium show. Please use the Utah Street
Entrance.
Tuesday, August 4, 2:00
Family Program: WaterFest
Kids 4-9 and their families are invited to explore the tiny creatures
in Big Creek. Nets wil be provided. Wear shoes that can get wet.
Free-tee shirts (Youth-M, Youth-L only) for participants. Free.
Collins Leaning Center
7:00
Door Peninsula Astronomical Society Meeting
Visitors are encouraged to attend the monthly meetings of the
astronomical society. Programs this month will be ‘The Perseid Meteor
Shower” by John J. Beck and a lecture, “Rocks and Ice in the Solar
System” by Coggin Herringa. Meet at the Stonecipher Astronomy Center.
Free. Please use Utah Street Entrance.
Wednesday, August 5, 2:00
Family Program: WaterFest
Kids 4-9 and their families are invited to explore the Big Creek and
its shoreline. Free-tee shirts (Youth-M, Youth-L only) for
participants. Free. Collins Leaning Center
Many of
the Past News articles may be retrieved from this directory,
indexed and named in the following manner: 080101-news.htm
where
the first two numbers are the year, the second two the month and the
last two the date.
