Longaberger Basket Fest @ Greenfield Village ~ Part I

Hi, Everybody,

 Just wanted to share a bit about our first visit to the Longaberger Basket Fest at Greenfield Village on Saturday, September 15.  We arrived at the Village around 10am on the second day of basket fest with much anticipation, and we weren’t alone.  The Longaberger Boardwalks, purse baskets and fabric totes were at every turn. 

 As we approached the ticket counter, there was a nice pyramid of Street Baskets, and after passing  through the gates noticed a basket maker at the front of the village.  But after that it was pretty much a guess as to where we might find the Basket Fest.  Being pretty familiar with Greenfield Village, my first guess was to head toward the village green.  It was a good guess, as the festivities were housed in the building just to the left of the green.

Unfortunatley, we were disappointed in the size of the basket fest.  There was a nice area for the make-a-basket experience; a small homestead store area which had a few items from the homestead; a couple of places with the accessories for the Greenfield Village basket; and a few displays of the current line items.   It was easy to “do” the whole basket fest in 45 minutes or less if you weren’t making a basket.   From what we had read about the events at other venues such as the Williamsburg and Boyds events, we had expected it to be much more.   And since Greenfield Village is all about history, it would have been a great opportunity for the company to tell other visitors about their history.  

 The experience wasn’t a total disappointment though.  We were able to pick up a couple of the special baskets with the Model T tacks, and have them signed by Gary Longaberger (he was super nice).  It was also a beautiful, sunny day that was just right for a leisurely walk around the Village.  And since Greenfield Village is one of our favorite places in Michigan, we weren’t at a loss for other things to do and see.

In fact, we visited my favorite working farm–the Firestone Farm, the cider mill, the Dagget Farm….Okay, I’d better stop there, or I’ll end up listing just about every attraction they have. 

We will be back before the basket fest is over and plan to visit more of our favorite spots in the Village.  We might even treat ourselves to tea at the Cotwold Cottage.  If you do make it, be prepared to see the sites and do some walking.  It’s supposed to be a beautiful week here in Michigan!