Sesquicentennial Showcases Something New

Here is the Blacksmith Shop, newly unveiled for the Sesqui- centennial Cele- bration this weekend! Cowboy even made the fire look real! There were 10,000 visitors today to the Museum. The Schmidlings were busy in the back room. At noon, we hosted a luncheon for 55 direct descendants of Pony Express riders and station keepers. They came from Ohio, Idaho, Utah, Kansas and Nebraska. And they brought grandchildren and scrapbooks and family trees. It was quite interesting to listen to their stories. We made copies of their ancestors' letters and read about memories of the Pony Express. Then we made our own memory. The Museum sold First Day Covers with a homemade stamp depicting a famous painting of the Pony Express. So I purchased four and enclosed a special letter to each of my children, and I sealed it with the words "Do not open until April 3, 2060." We'll see...

American Girls Tea Party

Our final event during the Sesquicentennial was an afternoon tea party for American Girls. It was so much better than I anticipated! Lots of girls and dolls and moms showed up--including my Pastor's Wife friend, her daughter, and granddaughter. Our tea table was spread with a pink tulip cloth and laden with four kinds of cookies, mini quiche, truffles, and sweet potato biscuits (can you guess where those came from?). The local doll club members brought calico shawls for everyone's doll. Best of all, our special speaker was Cheryl Harness, author of several children's history books including "They're Off" about the Pony Express. She told how she researched the guns and horses in her watercolor illustrations for the book. And she talked about becoming a writer and what she does every day. Then she had everyone join in the song she wrote for this important day, sung to the tune of "I Ride an Old Paint." Lastly, she played the refrain on her pioneer harmonica. It gave me goosebumps! Cheryl is a former Hallmark Cards artist who lives in nearby Independence, Missouri, and we have seen her at various book fairs before. But today she was glorious in her stories and funny remarks. History should always be this fun!

Chuckwagon Dinner

The boys' violin teacher (left) took the stage during the Chuckwagon Dinner. We love listening to "Fresh Cut Grass" every chance we get. And the barbecue was delicious! Several bottles of Sarsaparilla have been purchased this weekend to go with the warm weather, which is good for attendance at the PX Sesquicentennial. The boys also enjoyed watching the gun fights and train robberies all afternoon!

Summer Storms

At first we thought her windshield was struck by lightning. The glass blew out of (not into) the car. And flew on top of the roof. But her hatch-back was still latched?! It could have been a wind shear or low pressure area during the storm, according to the glass company. We're just glad it happened while she was in class and not in the vehicle!

Good Friday

Our Eagle-bound Scout took his first step in an important project: organizing a Color Guard for the Groundbreaking Ceremony of the new One-Room Schoolhouse at the Pony Express National Museum. He will install a flagpole with an 1860s flag, bearing 33 stars like it did 150 years ago. Dorito is shown here with the rendering.
And shown here with a golden shovel. He was a member of the Teen Advisory group who helped set-up the Penny Drive for the Pony School (last month) and hosted the first ceremony of the Sesquicentennial. Although it's Easter weekend, we have already seen lots of visitors. I'm proud of Dorito's involvement and planning for the past 8 months.
The rainstorms held off just long enough for awards to be announced, and some 4th grade girls performed their jingle about the Pennies Fundraiser. (pioneer rhyme!) Then our crowd released more than 100 golden helium balloons to spread the news about the new Schoolhouse that will be finished this fall. Dorito and his group started filling the balloons at 7 a.m.! One farmer has sent back an email that he found a balloon string and note in his fields in Casey, Iowa. That's 156 miles from here! I guess the storms gave the balloons an extra push for that distance.

Passover Meal for Holy Thursday

Barbi and Dave invited us to their Passover Seder Meal. Dave was raised Jewish, so he knows all the Hebrew passages and prayers!

Holy Thursday was more meaningful to our whole family this way. The kosher wine and Matzo ball soup were the best! The bitter herbs and horseradish were strong--Dorito and Alexander said it blew their yamakas off!

April Fooling

Today there were plastic bugs in the lemonade. Yikes!