OWASCO - The Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum had hands clapping and feet tapping Sunday afternoon.
Jill Connor / The Citizen
The Erie Canal Cloggers' Intermediate group performs the song “Mountain Music” at the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum. The cloggers had two performances of their Appalachian style clogging on Sunday.
The Erie Canal Cloggers' Intermediate group performs the song “Mountain Music” at the Ward W. O'Hara Agricultural Museum. The cloggers had two performances of their Appalachian style clogging on Sunday.
Back by popular demand were the Erie Canal Cloggers, a clog dancing group based out of Jordan, but with members from across the central New York region.
Martha Shaw, a member of the museum board of directors, was integral in putting the Sunday afternoon show together.
“The cloggers were here last year,” Shaw said. “Since then we've heard from a lot of people that were here that they wanted more, and from people that couldn't be here asking when they were coming back. So this year we were able to get them here for two performances.”
The group performs what is known as Appalachian style clog dancing, a form which was developed in the United States and is often associated with bluegrass or “old time” music, based on Scottish and Irish based fiddle music.
The group was founded in 1994 to share a love of the dance form and has 10 active members who perform all over the region, including the New York State Fair.
But the dancers were just one part of a full day of activities at the museum.
Along with the cloggers were guest speakers such as Randy Nash and Carolyn Adriaanses.
Nash, who is involved with the New York State Barn Grant Program, gave a talk on the history and evolution of barns in New York.
Nash said that in 1790, the time of the first New York state census, there were around 340,000 people in the state. Most were recorded living in the Hudson River Valley and Long Island area.
By 1820, the population had increased to 1,370,000, and much of the population had moved west, clearing virgin forests and promoting the main occupation of settlers, farming.
Nash said that the first priority of these settlers was a log cabin, but soon after a barn followed.
“In two to three years (after settling),” Nash said, “they would have the barn. The log cabins are gone, but some of these barns are still here.”
From the early 1800s, barns took on varying forms to accommodate the needs of farmers at the time.
Early on, Nash said three bay barns were the most common form, used almost exclusively for grain storage and processing.
By the mid 1800s, New York was considered the foremost farming state in the union, leading in areas such as dairy. That situation inevitably led to changes in barns.
Nash explained that around this period barns became bigger with sub-floor areas to accommodate the cows.
By the early 1900s, barns took another turn, when horses become more prevalent. Many barns would often echo the style of the main house.
In the mid 1900s, pre-fab barns from manufacturers such as Sears became available and presently cover-all barns, fabric covering metal truss structures, are becoming more mainstream.
But many of the historical structures can still be found across the state and have been preserved through grant programs, as well as private owners who have even converted some of these historical structures into private dwellings.
This combination of entertainment and education is one of the main goals of the museum. Shaw was pleased with Sunday's attendance.
“We have something for anyone and everyone,” Shaw said. “We have people of every age here today, new people and familiar faces that is what we like to see.”
Martha Shaw, a member of the museum board of directors, was integral in putting the Sunday afternoon show together.
“The cloggers were here last year,” Shaw said. “Since then we've heard from a lot of people that were here that they wanted more, and from people that couldn't be here asking when they were coming back. So this year we were able to get them here for two performances.”
The group performs what is known as Appalachian style clog dancing, a form which was developed in the United States and is often associated with bluegrass or “old time” music, based on Scottish and Irish based fiddle music.
The group was founded in 1994 to share a love of the dance form and has 10 active members who perform all over the region, including the New York State Fair.
But the dancers were just one part of a full day of activities at the museum.
Along with the cloggers were guest speakers such as Randy Nash and Carolyn Adriaanses.
Nash, who is involved with the New York State Barn Grant Program, gave a talk on the history and evolution of barns in New York.
Nash said that in 1790, the time of the first New York state census, there were around 340,000 people in the state. Most were recorded living in the Hudson River Valley and Long Island area.
By 1820, the population had increased to 1,370,000, and much of the population had moved west, clearing virgin forests and promoting the main occupation of settlers, farming.
Nash said that the first priority of these settlers was a log cabin, but soon after a barn followed.
“In two to three years (after settling),” Nash said, “they would have the barn. The log cabins are gone, but some of these barns are still here.”
From the early 1800s, barns took on varying forms to accommodate the needs of farmers at the time.
Early on, Nash said three bay barns were the most common form, used almost exclusively for grain storage and processing.
By the mid 1800s, New York was considered the foremost farming state in the union, leading in areas such as dairy. That situation inevitably led to changes in barns.
Nash explained that around this period barns became bigger with sub-floor areas to accommodate the cows.
By the early 1900s, barns took another turn, when horses become more prevalent. Many barns would often echo the style of the main house.
In the mid 1900s, pre-fab barns from manufacturers such as Sears became available and presently cover-all barns, fabric covering metal truss structures, are becoming more mainstream.
But many of the historical structures can still be found across the state and have been preserved through grant programs, as well as private owners who have even converted some of these historical structures into private dwellings.
This combination of entertainment and education is one of the main goals of the museum. Shaw was pleased with Sunday's attendance.
“We have something for anyone and everyone,” Shaw said. “We have people of every age here today, new people and familiar faces that is what we like to see.”
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