2,000-plus attend Old Tyme Day at church in East Shelby

Photos by Tom Rivers

EAST SHELBY – Cups of lemonade are served for a penny during Old Tyme Day at the East Shelby Community Bible Church.

The event typically draws about 2,000 people, and Sunday may have been the biggest crowd in the 34 years the church has put on the celebration. The church prepared 2,700 hot dogs and 315 pies (2,520 slices) – all available for a penny.

There were six different wagon rides, with the Collins Draft Horse OX & Pony Club bringing several teams of horses.

David Jaczynski has a tray of hot dogs ready for the crowd on Sunday afternoon. Jaczynski attends the church, coming in from North Pembroke.

Erik Olsen, the church pastor, said about 200 people put on the event. He said about 85 percent of the church’s members first came to East Shelby Community Bible Church through Old Tyme Day.

“We try to communicate that Christians are kind and generous and we don’t care about money,” Olsen said.

He said putting on the event has been a great way for the church members to get to know each other and work together.

Aaron Mayne of Medina does a blacksmith demonstration at West Jackson Corners, a village the church has created  for the historical displays. Besides the blacksmith shop there is a wood worker’s shop, a barn, a sewing shop and a mill with a water wheel fed by a sluiceway, as well as several other structures.

Jeremiah Hudson introduces a girl to a Nigerian dwarf goat. Hudson owns the Muggle Magic Nigerian Dwarf Goat Farm in the Town of Alabama.

These kids dance as part of the old-fashioned day celebration.

Rose Allen does laundry the old-fashioned way – in a wash basin. She said laundry was hard work back in the 1800s. It was typically done on Mondays with the dirtiest clothes done last. Water needed to be gathered and warmed up. When the task was done, the water was poured in flower beds. People used onions and lemons to help clean the clothes, she said.

Becca Nigro of Oakfield, left, and JoAnne Johnson of Medina make corn husk dolls that were given away for a penny. There were also homemade ice cream and butter making displays.

Becky Cruz prepares a bouquet of flowers. Church members bought in buckets full of flowers to create the bouquets, which were available for one cent and drew a long line of people.

The horse-drawn wagons were popular with rides offered throughout the afternoon.