EAIA's 2016 Annual Meeting at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village on May 18th thru may 21st, 2016 promises to be a meeting filled with Shaker culture, architecture, crafts, and history. If you haven't signed up yet, there's still time to join us at this beautiful venue just a short distance from Lexington, Kentucky in the heart of Kentucky's bluegrass, Bourbon and Daniel Boone country. The weather in May in this part of Kentucky should be pleasant with temperatures ranging between 50-74 degrees F. daily. The flowers should be in bloom, the trees leafed out and we'll hope for sunny skies ans balmy days as we enjoy this beautiful historic site. The staff at Pleasant Hill have gone all out to help make this a great meeting for EAIA members.
Shaker Chairs at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village
They've assembled new exhibits in a dozen rooms of the Center Family Dwelling featuring Shaker furniture, artifacts, and vignettes of Daily Shaker life. The "Shaker Life Exhibit" in the Est Family Dwelling is also new. It describes the lives of the Pennebecker Siblings. These three orphaned children were taken in by the Shakers at Pleasant Hill and all three of them stayed as members of the Pleasant Hill community. There were some of the last inhabitants of Pleasant Hill before the community was dissolved in 1910.
Double Staircase, in the Center Family dwelling at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village
The 39 restored buildings will be open for our members to view. These buildings house a wonderful collection of Shaker furniture and artifacts. We'll get a chance to go "behind the scenes" in Pleasant Hill's Collection Area which houses thousands of Shaker artifacts. We'll take a narrated trip on the riverboat, The Dixie Belle, through the palisades of the Kentucky River and hear about its geologic history as well as how the Shakers used the river. Mike Urness and Sara Holmes of The Great Planes Trading Company have a wonderful antique tool auction planned for Friday night May 20th in the Meadow View Barn at Pleasant Hill. EAIA member Ross Gibson will teach us all about slate roofing with a "hands on" demonstration and presentation on Saturday afternoon, May 21st. You won't want to miss Laurent and Betty Torno's display of original Shaker made hand tools. Laurent and Betty have been collecting these rare tools for decades and have the largest privately held collection of these tools in the country! We guarantee that you'll be educated, entertained, and intrigued by the EAIA 2016 Annual Meeting at Pleasant hill Shaker Village. Send in your registration form or sign up on-line today, it's not too late. We'll look forward to seeing you there.
Small Dining Room at Pleasant Hill Shaker Village
Things to See and Do Near Pleasant Hill shaker Village
Pleasant Hill Shaker Village is situated near the middle of the state of Kentucky and there's a lot to see and do just a short distance from Pleasant Hill. Here's a short list of some of the things you may want to see and do either before or after attending the EAIA 2016 Annual Meeting.
Lexington is 30 minutes from Pleasant Hill and is the second largest city in the state It's known as the "Horse Capital of the World". It's home to the Kentucky Horse Park (www.kyhorsepark.com) and the American Saddlebred Museum (www.asbmuseum.org). The Henry Clay estate, "Ashland" stands in one of Lexington's most beautiful neighborhoods and is open to the public (www.henryclay.org).
Danville, Kentucky is just 12.7 miles from Pleasant Hill and is home to the Perryville Historic Battlefield Site (www.parks.ky.gov). This is the site of the 1862 battle of Perryville with a museum and self-guided walking tour of the battlefield. Danville is also the home of the Great American Dollhouse Museum (www.thedollhousemuseum.com) which showcases 200 dollhouses, miniature buildings and room boxes. You could also stop in and see the McDowell House & Apothecary Shop (www.mcdowellhouse.com) which is a doctor's home and apothecary as it would have appeared from 1790 to the 1830s.
Kentucky's capital is Frankfort which is 36 miles from Pleasant Hill. In addition to the capitol building (www.historicproperties.ky.gov) you can visit the Kentucky Military Museum (www.kistory.ky.gov) which is housed in fortress like buildings from the 1850's that overlook downtown Frankfort. Frankfort is also the home to the Buffalo Trace Distillery (www.buffalotracedistillery.com), the oldest continually operating Bourbon distillery in America (they stayed open during Prohibition by making Bourbon for "medicinal purposes") and is a National Historic Landmark.
Harrodsburg, Kentucky is just 7 miles from Pleasant HIll Shaker Village and is the home of Old Fort Harrod State Park (www.parks.ky.gov). It is a full-scale replica of the fort build by Daniel Harrod in 1775. Dedman's Drugstore (www.kentuckyfudgecompany.com) is the place to get some great fudge in at an old-fashioned drug store with a soda fountain. They also serve lunch.
Berea Kentucky is 44 miles from Pleasant Hill and is the home of Berea College, Boone Tavern and the Kentucky Artisan Center (www.kentuckyartisancenter.ky.gov). This center celebrates Kentucky's artisans through exhibits and displays of their work, events, demonstrations, and information about open studios in Berea and other Kentucky communities. The Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea is a great place to experience Kentucky and enjoy its artisan products.
So, you can see there's a lot to do in this part of Kentucky. If you want even more information go to www.kentuckytourism.com or check with the Lexington Visitors Center at 10800-845-3959, or www.visitlex.com. The special room rate of $95/night at Pleasant Hill is good for three nights before and three nights after the EAIA meeting, so you might want to come a little early or stay for a few days and explore a bit more of this part of Kentucky.
by Paul Van Pernis
Farm Deacon's Shop, Pleasant Hill Shaker Village
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