When I was a little girl, we had Pioneer Day at my school.

This is when we learned about the days of the pioneers in Indiana in the 1800s. Basically we learned how great we had it as kids compared to our “Little House on the Prairie” predecessors. It was the 1980s.

We had beanbag chairs and Atari.

---

---

I remember wearing a dress and bonnet my mom made me and learning how to make funnel cakes. And there was sassafras tea.

How could I forget the sassafras tea?

---

---

What I also remember is how tough all of the pioneers were who settled and lived off the land. They weren’t messing around, especially the women. By that I mean they cooked meals, baked desserts, birthed children, reared children, chopped wood, gave baths, rode horses, loved husbands, grew gardens, tilled gardens, raised families, went to church, planted flowers, fried funnel cakes and brewed sassafras tea.

And that’s not even the whole to-do list.

Friday

Visit with Jerusha Sipprelle at 7 p.m. at Silt Historical Park. Don’t know Jerusha Sipprelle? Well, we all will after time traveling with her granddaughter, Judith Hayward. She plays Mrs. Sipprelle, a crowd favorite with the Western Slope homesteaders who was well-known for giving her Grand Valley neighbors a hand in the late 1880s until the 1930s. The family-friendly event includes book signings with history buffs Carol Crawford McManus and Kathleen Arthur. Bring the kids and some lawn chairs and enjoy an historical evening under the Colorado sky in Silt.

Saturday

I like food. And I’m willing to bet there are many people out there in the Roaring Fork Valley who share my sentiments. Food makes us smile. And laugh. It is the reason we live and is often best experienced outside, with community members, in a festive atmosphere as the seasons begin to change. Starting at noon at Sayre Park, celebrate food and people with the St. Stephen’s Festival of Diversity. Learn about Greek, Polish, Mexican and Italian cultures and cuisine, and take in live music, a beer garden and family activities.

Saturday

Austin, meet Carbondale. Carbondale, meet Austin. If the likes of Waylon and Willie, as in Jennings and Nelson, cause a craving for honky-tonk music of our parents’ generation, don’t miss Jesse Dayton. This singer-songwriter and guitarist from Texas tips his hat to the generation of country stars such as Johnny Cash, Waylon and Willie. He plays at 9 p.m. at PAC3 Carbondale. Tickets are $15 today at http://www.pac3carbondale.com, Deja Coffee & Brew, Thunder River Market, and Dos Gringos, and 925-1663 or $22 at the door.