Visitors learn about history at Campbell County Heritage Festival

High humidity and overcast skies didn’t keep crowds from turning out to Campbell County’s second annual Heritage Festival.

Live gospel, country and bluegrass music set the atmosphere for sheep-herding and mule and tractor shows, and vendors welcomed visitors to tobacco displays, cornhusk doll demonstrations and even a tent-shaded blacksmith shop, all on and near the grounds of William Campbell High School in Naruna.

Steve Foster’s mule, Amazing Grace, impressed crowds by painting on a canvas, dunking a ball in low and high basketball hoops, retrieving a bill from the mail and promptly depositing it in the trash and helping twist a jump rope for Foster’s assistant Kevin Patterson.

“At a year old, I had her where I could just talk to her, and she’d do different things,” Foster said. “I’d tell her to get my gloves … or I’d get the nail, and she’d come with the hammer.”

Grace has been featured in national media after winning “America’s Ultimate Horse Idol” in 2008, and subsequently landing a film role in “Get Low,” starring Robert Duvall.

Foster, who gave his testimony to the crowd gathered before the show, said he uses Grace’s talent as his platform to share what turned him from a life of drugs, alcohol and a broken family.

Foster said his mission is “to help the young kids that’s out here today that’s hung up on drugs. They’re crying for help but they don’t know where to get it.”

“I liked the mule show,” said 9-year-old Hunter Powell, of Scottsburg.

His 6-year-old brother Mason agreed.

Both held lengths of rope they had woven, and their mother, Tanya Powell, said they also had made biscuits at the

festival.

“They love stuff like this,” said Powell, who homeschools both her sons, praising the educational value of the trip.

“They’ve enjoyed getting to see how people did things in the old days.”

Charles Hanks, of Lynch Station, set up his blacksmith shop and said he drew a good bit of interest, much of it from people attracted by the large bellows set up on the lawn.

Hanks’ table displayed his handiwork, candleholders, flowers, fireplace tools and other art pieces, a few of which he sold Saturday.

He made smaller pieces such as swans and snails to give away, mostly to curious kids.

“They’ve never actually seen people doing blacksmith-type work before,” Hanks said, adding he’s only been into it as a hobby for about 12 years.

“I rarely ever saw it before I started doing it myself,” Hanks said.

Caroline Thomas, 9, of Lynchburg, said she took a particular interest in some of the crafts, particularly the cornhusk dolls.

“We’re trying to watch because my granny wants to make one with me,” she said, though her favorite part was the sheep.

Caroline and her sister Christen, 7, were amazed when they learned how much work was involved in things such as cleaning rugs and washing and drying clothes in days long gone, their grandmother, Lois Thomas, said.

“They’d never heard of it,” she said.

She amended her husband Ed’s remarks, when he joked the best part of the day was going to sit back down.

“He enjoys watching them get excited.”