It is time again for the Annual Cotton Ginning Days in Dallas, NC.

This is a festival that I really get into.  I am a country girl at heart and I love the site of old barns, antiques, the smell, look, and feel of our past.  Here in Dallas is a steam powered cotton mill that they fire up every October.  It is great to remember our past and how things used to be.  The area around the mill is covered with antique to modern farm equipment, engines of every shape and size, anything cast iron, and more.  Barn stalls are filled with arts and crafts.  The arena has amusement rides and ponies for kids to ride on.  People here don't ride around on golf carts but old lawn mowers. Tractors shuttle visitors to and from the parking lot.  Banjo music plays and you can hear the old gospel hymns being sung.  The historical society has moved some old farm houses and barns to the site to be restored and visited by the everyone.  I can't say enough of Cotton Ginning Days.

This year we brought some friends along with us.  The Maggarts and their boys and Bryce's friend, Jonathan, had fun at the festival.  One of our most interesting finds was a pair of shackles.  At first glance you would think they are just some old, iron handcuffs, but then I looked at the inscription on them.  It said "For Negro Woman or Child".  Yep, you read that right.  These were slave shackles for a woman or child.  Whether they were for their wrists or ankles I wasn't sure.  The man displaying them caused me some concern.  I wasn't sure what he stood for.  He also had on display some old rusty pendants for the KKK and Nazis.  I certainly hope he doesn't supports these groups but we are in the south and some still fly the Confederate flag proudly.

Here is a slide show of some pictures I took:
Cotton Ginning Days 2009