PETERSBURG - Clear blue skies and pleasant temperatures set the stage for what was a picture-perfect day Saturday at Lincoln's New Salem State Historic Site.

As part of this weekend's Summer Festival, volunteers dressed in period clothing re-enacted life in the mid-1800s. The event is co-sponsored by the New Salem Lincoln League.

Strolling through the reconstructed village where Lincoln once lived and worked, visitors could view demonstrations of barrel making, wheat weaving, rug hooking, broom and soap making, chair caning, spinning and other chores from days gone by.

Under the shade of an oak tree, several women stitched a quilt that later will cover a bed in one of the cabins. Nearby, Margie Adkins of Springfield used 16 bobbins to braid delicate lace.

"It's a dying art," said Adkins, whose interest in history led her to volunteer at the park eight years ago.

"Little did I know that I'd learn all of these crafts," she said.

Adkins' 11-year-old-son, Keith, a sixth-grader at Grant Middle School, said he enjoys tagging along with his mother and doesn't mind exchanging his video games for the wooden toys of long ago.

He played toys such as a spinning button, Jacob's ladder, ball and cup, the lumberjack, a top and marbles. He also explained a game called "climbing bear" that was used to teach kids how to milk cows.

"This is what kept kids occupied back then," Keith said.

Several families worked together at the festival.

Inside the Rutledge Tavern, Barbara Archer, a Springfield teacher for 33 years, prepared chicken and pot squares (noodles or dumplings) from a 1775 recipe.

She said that after she and her husband, Bill, visited the site during a winter storm 13 years ago, he decided "it might be fun" to join the program.

"Between the two of us, I don't think there's anything in the village that we don't do, from working as the cooper, the cobbler or with the animals to spinning and tending the gardens," Archer said.

She's even written several cookbooks. "I've got a youngin' here to help me today," said Archer in character, referring to Beth Hiatt, a freshman at Chatham Glenwood High School.

Hiatt's father and younger sister could be found at the blacksmith shop.

"I like the atmosphere and being able to share history," Hiatt said. "It's one of the few places where you can get a live experience."

The New Salem Militia marched and conducted drills, inspections and firing demonstrations. Jim Patton, lead interpreter at New Salem and member of the regiment, said the group had spent the night in the primitive camp they'd set up and would be cooking meals over the campfire, just has soldiers did in the past.

Scott Whitehouse of Burnside had a captive audience as he poured boiling water on 12 layers of wool, then rolled it out, making felt that later would be shaped into a hat. Wearing fingerless leather mitts, he explained how he taught himself the skill using an 1828 hatter's manual.

"New Salem was a commercial village of merchants, doctors and craftsmen," he said. "I am convicted to portraying a craftsman."

A toe-tapping fiddler, a gentle dulcimer player and the inspirational Shaped Notes Singers also entertained those traveling back in time.

Lindsey Smith, 7, and her younger brother, Drew, of Irving, Texas, came to the festival with their grandmother, Sue Lester of Springfield.

"It's my favorite place to come when we visit," Lindsey said. "I like to see all the old-timey stuff." She said she enjoyed watching the soap making and even got to try her hand at sewing.

Matt and Kathy Reynolds of Roodhouse frequently bring their young daughters, Elaina and Cara, to New Salem.

"It's a learning experience and it's close," Kathy said.

New Salem's Summer Festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today. The park is located on Illinois 97, two miles south of Petersburg and about 20 miles northwest of Springfield.

Ann Gorman can be reached through the metro desk at 788-1519.