By Kaitlyn Kuehl-Berns
Clayton County’s Osborne Park & Nature Center will bring to life historic demonstrations, contests and activities at the 50th annual Osborne Heritage Days event on Oct. 11 and 12. This year will be the end of an era, as it marks the final year of the event.
Osborne is located five miles south of Elkader on Highway 13 in the rolling hills of northeast Iowa. The occasion has brought people together to remember crafts, events and skills from the past each October for the last 50 years.
The pioneer village where the event is held was built in the early 1970s as a way to highlight the historical aspects of rural life in Clayton County. The village includes a caboose, depot, general store, hotel, blacksmith shop, log cabin and school.
Structures original to the once booming Osborne town include the Osborne store, Osborne depot and original town pump still on display.
The Osborne Heritage Days was held for the first time in 1974 when Don Menkin, Clayton County’s first conservation director, with the help of his staff and board members, brought the idea to life.
During Menkin’s tenure, he helped develop the center to include plants and animals native to the region. One of his achievements included the addition of bison to the center and, in 1976, a bison calf was born—the first born in Iowa in decades.
Menkin’s other notable accomplishments in the role included starting the Fall Heritage Days, bringing the Iowa Welcome Center to Osborne and including the Motor Mill project in the county park system.
Menkin maintained support of the park systems in the state throughout his life as an active member in the Iowa Association of County Conservation Boards. He continued to attend Osborne’s Heritage Days even years after he retired and moved from the area. He passed away this past February.
Current staff are looking forward to remembering Menkin, honoring the traditions of the event and bringing back notable highlights of the event this year.
When asked about how it feels to hit the milestone of 50 years, Osborne naturalist and event organizer Abbey Harkrader said, “It’s bittersweet for sure. Just the challenges of trying to make sure there are enough vendors and finding replacements for ones we’ve lost. It is going to be interesting to see how the event will morph into something new.”
Harkrader, who has been part of the event since 2009, shared the struggle to find people for demonstrations, displays, vendors and the volunteer roles are not new or unique to their event. People with those types of skills are few and far between and the number of volunteers involved with civic organizations has continued to decline.
When many of their demonstrators began to retire and finding replacements became increasingly difficult, the team made a goal to reach the 50th year, then discontinue and explore replacing it with a different fall event.
Harkrader shared what the event will look like going forward hasn’t been decided yet. Her and her team’s focus is on making the last year memorable and bringing back as many original demonstrators and displays as possible for a final time.
Guests can look forward to tasty treats like buffalo stew, buffalo jerky, homemade root beer, kettle corn, caramel apples, apple cider, baked goods and more. Demonstrations include wood carving, tattling, spinning, candle making, a blacksmith and others.
There will be pioneer games for kids throughout the weekend. KCTN will sponsor a Great Pumpkin and Decorated Pumpkin Contest. Pioneer church service will take place Sunday at 11 a.m. Music from Gary Froilan’s One-Man-Band will entertain crowds on Saturday and the Andregg Family Band will play on Sunday. The event will conclude with a fundraising auction and the Iowa championship buffalo chip throwing contest on Sunday.
Throughout the weekend, the welcome center and walking trails will be open. The week is typically the park’s busiest and most beautiful all year as the event occurs along with the area’s peak leaf color change.
Find a more detailed event itinerary by visiting the Clayton County Conservation page on Facebook or visit www.claytoncountyconservation.org.
