Little Nashville (Encounter 2)

Over the weekend my family and I set out for Nashville, Little Nashville that is. The drive was nice but we did not get to fill our eyes with the famous view of the changing colors of the fall foliage that would normally be taking place during this time of year. Little did we know that the month of October is the busiest month of the year for this small, quaint town. The streets were filled with people carrying their bags of treasures bought from the charming stores perched on either side of the road and tucked beyond. We followed the signs leading us to the Fall Fare, which happened to be the 35th annual Fall Fare. We expected something would be going on in this small town, but had no idea we came on the perfect day, aside from the abnormally blazing heat for the month of October.

Along our walk we passed many shops, galleries and presumably homes that were highly decorated with fall colors, Halloween decorations, handmade crafts, and scents of brown sugar and pumpkin spice which surely welcomed everyone who passed by. We made our way to the Fall Fare and were welcomed by tables filled with home baked and handmade goods. There were so many table and stands overflowing with treasures big and small. We were able to grab some nice sized pumpkins, homemade doggie treats, and also a loaf of cinnamon bread. As we were leaving the Fall Fare we stumbled into a refreshing ice cream parlor that was packed to the door. We waited patiently in line for the homemade, stated the sign, ice cream. It was well worth the wait. As we were walking back to our car we saw a sign advertising a puppet show, The Slightly Haunted Puppet Theatre was the show of the day. The theatre itself was situated between two buildings and tucked behind a rather small entryway. The Melchior Marionette Theatre seated 60 and served free popcorn. We were able to get seats up front and close to the action. The show featured “A ghoulish cast of traditional Halloween characters. ..a Juggling Scarecrow, Dancing Skeleton & Ghost, Alien, The Flying Purple People Eater, a Kitchen Witch, Concert Pianist & Dracula” (noted from the pamphlet). I truly enjoyed the show and my daughter expressed her delight throughout the performance, and the whole way home.

I did not intend to write an encounter assignment based on my visit to Little Nashville, but after thinking about it I realized this was a perfect celebratory event that was new to me. Yes, I have been to many festivals and celebrations but this was different in a charming kind of way with many out-of-towners visiting this town for the same reason as I and feeling consumed in the atmosphere it presented. The people of Little Nashville were kind and warm; they bring their town to life with ongoing presentations of their crafts. I found it nice to be able to peek in on their day-to-day lives that they know as nothing but simply how they live and earn a living. The town of Nashville, IN gave way for a nice days escape filled with too many stores to see and too much fudge to eat, although I had my fair share.

This post is in response to the Ritual, Festival and Celebration encounter assignment.