Heritage Center invites public to event

Music and family fun highlight Root Beer and Yesteryear activities

A Root Beer and Yesteryear event was open to the public on Sept. 8 the Oberlin Heritage Center at 20 W. Vine St. in Oberlin.

Piano and dulcimer performances, along with two historical reenactments of Lucy Stone and Sojourner Truth, were among the offerings.

The center’s three historic houses were open to the public and had already been seeing a healthy attendance within the first half hour, according to executive director Liz Schultz.

Free root beer floats, popcorn and historical games were also available for local families to enjoy.

She said the center had previously put on the event for the past two or three years before expanding its targeted audience.

“It was aimed towards college students to help them get to know our site early on in their collegiate career,” Schultz said.

“This year we decided to make it bigger, open it up to the public, try to get people to visit us and see where we’re located and what we have.”

As for the root beer floats, she said it’s an homage to the city’s history.

“Oberlin was a dry town for many years, so you could not get alcohol here,” Schultz said, adding that the center’s previous owner of the Jewett House, Frank Fanning Jewett, made the beverage from scratch as well. “Root beer was an acceptable alternative ... It’s kind of an old fashion tribute.”

Previously, the event would bring in somewhere around 100 students from the area.

Schultz said she estimated they had already seen that number in the first half hour of the event.

Additionally, she said she believes the draw comes from an interest in the rich history of Oberlin.

“It’s a way to experience history in many different ways ... History isn’t just about reading books,” Schultz said. “There’s all sorts of ways to engage.”

For Alya Abdelsalam, 43, of Oberlin, who moved to the city from Benghazi, Libya about a year ago, the best part of the event was the games, food and tours of the historic homes.

“It’s very good,” she said.

JORDANA JOY - THE MORNING JOURNAL Oberlin Conservatory of Music student Shangru Du, left, performs a piece on an 1800 Astor piano during a Root Beer and Yesteryear event Sept. 8 at the Oberlin Heritage Center at 20 W. Vine St. in Oberlin.

JORDANA JOY — THE MORNING JOURNAL Families came out for free root beer, popcorn, activities and historic house tours during a Root Beer and Yesteryear event Sept. 8 at the Oberlin Heritage Center at 20 W. Vine St. in Oberlin.

JORDANA JOY - THE MORNING JOURNAL Families came out for free root beer, popcorn, activities and historic house tours during a Root Beer and Yesteryear event Sept. 8 at the Oberlin Heritage Center at 20 W. Vine St. in Oberlin.

JORDANA JOY - THE MORNING JOURNAL Oberlin Conservatory of Music student Zuguang Xiao, left, performs a piece on an 1800 Astor piano during a Root Beer and Yesteryear event Sept. 8 at the Oberlin Heritage Center at 20 W. Vine St. in Oberlin.