We have been sleeping in the basement since the air conditioning is still not working. As a result I only noticed some lightening when I awoke a bit and it seemed to be far away and not accompanied by any thunder. I heard no rain. So I rolled back over to try and sleep some more.
The lightening woke me up again. I decided I should go up and be sure if rain was coming in the open windows. I was amazed at the intensity of the lightening. Not bolts mind you but the air full of lightening accompanied by lots of rain. I should have come up the first time I awoke. I shut the windows along the front of the house as it was really coming in them. Then I almost shut the windows along the back of the house. Then I took an antihistamine to try and conquer the allergies.
When we awoke in the morning to get showered and ready to head to Sadieville, the rain was still coming down in buckets. The forecast was for it to stop in the morning. We were hoping that was an accurate forecast. Calls came to see if we were canceling. We assured everyone we might have to start a bit late but things were definitely a go. We set up tents for our booths in the rain. So much for the time I took to curl my hair.
As the rain finally slowed down and the clouds in the sky began to break, I turned on one of my walks up Main Street to take this picture of the skies clearing. Some of our vendors found taking a picture of the sky a bit amusing. I was just full of gratitude for what would soon be clear skies.
I popped into the caboose to take some pictures of the inside which was cleaned and spiffied up for the festival. I took this fun picture of the bus unloading the Nicodemus, Kansas re-enactors in front of City Hall.
This year is the 135th anniversary of the migration from Scott County in Kentucky to Kansas. The freed blacks were headed to Kansas to create a new city, Nicodemus, that would be completely populated by black citizens. At that time, Sadieville was a place the train stopped and our depot, which is now City Hall, was the depot their ancestors would have left from. For many of these re-enactors this was the first and probably the only time they would be able to come to Sadieville and experience their families history.
They arrived in Sadieville wearing their period costumes for their re-enactment. I positioned myself to take pictures as they left the bus and entered the Sadieville Depot (City Hall) for the first time. Some shed tears. Lots were taking pictures of this little building that is such a part of their personal family history. The best way to describe this moment in times was the air was full of energy, lots of good energy.
Below are some close-up shots of some of these re-enactors. They are just beautiful people enjoying their history which is our history in Sadieville. Enjoy...I love looking at these beautiful people.
While they prepared for the re-enactment, I headed back up Main Street to check on the booths for the City of Sadieville and the Countryside Homemakers. Two bits of the character of the day were evident to me.
The first was the kid on the bike. His family was having a bake sale on one of the neighborhood streets away from the festival. To promote their sale the family took a piece of poster board, cut a hole in the center and made a board with advertisement for their bake sale on the front and back of this young man. He pedaled around all day encouraging people to come to his families bake sale. 
The second was the horse that got loose from some one's corral in the area. We heard it neigh while we were at the Rosenwald School. Sure enough, this horse was not supposed to be loose. A young man, who was the son of one of the vendors, caught the horse and held it in a resident's yard until the owner was contacted and could get there to take their horse home. I told Claude later it was a horse in Sadieville, however, had we been in Alaska that would have been a moose roaming the streets.
We started gathering at the newly renovated Rosenwald School in preparation for the dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony for our little historic gem.
The Exodus to Nicodemus Re-enactment was the next biggy for the day. It was to be held on Main Street. The re-enactors started in front of the lodge and walked to City Hall (next door) where chairs were set up to symbolize the train they would board to Nicodemus, Kansas. There was dialogue and music. It was very touching. There was even a video crew on hand to capture the event in the hopes of making a documentary from their film.
At one point, as happens frequently when using Main Street in Sadieville for an event, the train came through. This time though there was a tender re-enactment of a big train ride for many of these people's ancestors. Spontaneously they all waved at the train. Very moving.
In the afternoon we headed to the park on Pike Street for a ribbon cutting ceremony in front of our new police station. This brick building was actually the former waste water treatment plant control building. The plant was removed with the sewer project. This control building was left and interior was remodeled and turned into the new police station.
The rest of the day was spent operating vendor booths, eating vendor food, listening to the Jimtown Men's Chorus and then Sidewinders. Some people danced in the streets. A lady rode her horse down Main Street to get a soda from a vendor. Children played. Old friends caught up on their lives before heading home until they come back next year for the next festival.
It is not the biggest event one will ever attend. But it is a good sense of small town America at its best.
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