The Hometown Treasure September 2012 | Page 61

David Rogers Days is a favorite for folks in the area. The LaGrange County Parks and Recreation Department hosts the event every year during the last weekend in August. The annual pioneer spirit was celebrated at David Rogers Memorial Park in rural Wolcottville and is held to demonstrate what life was like back in David Rogers’s time, in the 1840’s. People that attended the festival are given an opportunity to step back in time and they were able to observe many activities that were popular during this time period. Life on the frontier in the 1840’s was once again alive at one of the first parks to come to LaGrange County. The park lends authenticity to the festival with five authentic pioneer style log and wood homes that give the park its pioneer personality. In the pioneer village there were plenty of activities and fun events for the whole family. Demonstrations, music, storytelling, reenactments, pioneer cooking, folk dances, puppet shows and magic shows, with an authentic twist, from days gone by. There were also many children’s activities and games going on throughout the weekend. Dr. David Rogers himself traveled here by his ox team and liked what he found. The wild herbs that were abundant in this area were beneficial for him to serve the community as the county’s doctor. He felt as a doctor that he was needed here and he liked it well enough that he decided to make this part of LaGrange County his home. The doctor rarely charged fees to the residents of the area. The Hometown Treasure · September ‘12 · pg 59