PINNACLE — Visitors to Horne Creek Living Historical Farm got to step back in time Saturday afternoon with the return of the annual Cornshucking Frolic. Last year’s 18th annual event was canceled due to work on the building of a permanent visitor center at the farm.

With the return of the event this year, visitors enjoyed hay rides, live music and demonstrations such as sorghum syrup making, blacksmithing and cornshucking. Visitors were also exposed to live exhibits including beekeeping, quilting, tobacco curing, woodworking, chair caning, basket making, natural dyeing, crocheting, sewing and cooking. Other volunteers also showcased talent while making apple butter and cider along with fried pies and hand-churned butter.

Sharon Robinson said she got quite the workout yesterday as she spent the day making butter in a churn. She said kids of all ages had fun taking a turn at old-fashioned butter churning.

“You can’t mess it up,” she said to a group of children. One of which pounded down so hard she ended up with butter splattered on her face. She said it took her about an hour to make a half gallon of butter from cream.

Historian Dot Moore, dressed in period clothing, greeted visitors inside the two-story homeplace that still stands on the farm. With the weather getting chillier as the day grew closer to dust, more visitors retreated inside to warm themselves by the fires going in the front rooms of the home.

Moore said John Hauser, whose picture was hanging on the wall in the living room, was born in 1803 in Hausertown, which is now known by the name Bethabara.

“You won’t hear any Moravians admit to it ever being called that,” Moore said.

She said Hauser built a cabin down by the creek on the property in 1830.

“He and his bride had five boys and four girls. One son died when he was just an infant. Three of the sons went off to fight in the Civil War. Two of them eventually came home, but died of typhus. Their son, Robert, who came home and became a doctor, left the family farm. Thomas, the only son remaining at the homeplace, lived here with his bride, Charlotte,” Moore said.

She explained that the homeplace was built in 1875. She said Robert and Charlotte had 11 boys and one girl.

“The only girl, Martha, was born in 1893. Their last son, Roy, was born in 1900.”

She said John Hauser passed away in 1892 when he caught pneumonia.

“The doctor told him the only way to cure it was by drinking whiskey and he refused because he was a tee-totaler. So he died,” Moore said.

Moore was pleased with the large turnout on Saturday and said it would only have been better if the weather had been a little warmer.

Kyle and Shyama Hager brought their bulls, Rama and Krishna, to the farm for logging demonstrations.

Twins Jonathan and Jared Hawks said they got to shuck corn at the event and learned how to grind it up into cornmeal.

Doug Perkins has been coming to the event for the past few years. He enjoyed helping children learn about how early settlers make sorghum syrup.

“The stalks get 12- to 14-feet high before they cut it and run it through the grinder. You’ve got to press the juice out. Then you boil the juice for six to eight hours, making sure to get all of the plant matter out, then you strain it and put it in jars. You’ve got to strain it, strain it and then strain it some more,” Perkins said.

Ricky Meadows and Sgt. Gary Hall were dressed in Civil War attire at the frolic. Hall said they are a part of the 38th North Carolina Regiment and were at the festival to do some drill demonstrations and to show off the period clothing.

Wayne and Perma Brown of Mooresville enjoyed watching their grandchildren, Jordan and Cameron Davies of Troutman, shuck corn. They said they had visited Mount Airy last weekend for the Autumn Leaves Festival and had come to the Cornshucking Frolic for the first time this weekend.

“This is really a nice place. We enjoy it and the kids have learned a lot,” Wayne Brown said.

Contact Mondee Tilley at mtilley@mtairynews.com or at 719-1930.