Starr to host community day
Starr Homeplace in Oak Ridge is open to the public during the second Saturday of every month.
The coffee is on by 8:30 a.m. Sept. 9 and the doors are open until the last person leaves in the late afternoon.
Joe Rolfe is the curator for the Starr that sprawls over several acres and has over 19 separate mini museums on the property. Oak Ridge is about 20 minutes out of Monroe and makes a great day trip for the family.
Each month a blacksmith shows the old fashioned craft of making horseshoes and other items on a forge.
A blacksmith is a person who practices the art of shaping heated medals(forging) using tongs, hammers and other tools of the trade. This usually takes place on an Anvil. Starr Homeplace is a teaching cultural center for arts along with having the museums.
“Starr Homeplace is home to several collections including a wood shop with tools from many centuries, a working print shop, and a gris mill,” Rolfe said. “Spread out, it has something in every corner. I especially like to listen to the grandparents tell stories to their grandkids about the ways they grew up with when they were that age.”
An old fashioned dairy barn, outhouse, quilting frame, print shop and the unusual wooden puzzles all have the charm of the olden ways that are nice to touch by these young students. There are always pictures outside the outhouse door every community opening.
If rain happens, a person can always enjoy the barn and the many agricultural items shown including vintage tractors and farm equipment. Hanging out in the barn is easy with porch swings and benches. Artists and craftsmen are also welcome to come and bring their goods to set up in the barn.
Starr Homeplace, Heritage, and Creatively Center is located at 5317 Old Mer Rouge Road in Oak Ridge.
Entry cost is $5 admission for adults, free for kids up to age 12, plus a contribution for lunch if you want a home cooked meal on the grounds. Families are welcome to pack a lunch and spread out a picnic. Picnic tables are on the grounds.
Call 758-1758 for more information.