As with the first festival every year the park raffle items were unveiled. As you can see the incredible  craftsmanship of the Lemley Powder horn and the Haines Knife only get better every year. This year we have two additions to the raffle: A knife by Warren "Fish" Trout and a powder bag by Rockforge Arts. The raffle is the major fund raiser for the park and the drawing is at the closing of the Frontier Festival in August.

Master of Ceremonies and Park Volunteer Bob Ammons kept the Festival moving right along giving away over 30 door prizes donated by the vendors and crafters throughout the weekend from underneath the packed festival tent. Registration for door prizes is always free at Mason-Dixon Park Festivals all you have to do is register at the information booth after paying your admission which is never more than a friendly "hello". They could probably hear Bob in Little Washington announcing "We have a winner!"

Several Musicians and groups performed for spectators in old fashion "Mountain Style" on the cabin porch stage. Nothing brings a community together like good food and music. A little folk, a touch of Bluegrass, topped with some Country; a sprinkle of Rock, and a pinch of Gospel is the perfect recipe to shake off that cabin fever.

The lines started early last year for the first batch of the Spring Tonic Menu at our Annual Mason-Dixon Ramp Festival. Many vendors reported record sales for the first day.

Serro Scotty trailers were manufactured in Irwin, Pennsylvania beginning in 1957 . Because of their low cost and the ever increasing retiring baby boomers, Scotty's are again gaining popularity. It is only fit they return to their home here in Pennsylvania for a weekend visit.
 
This year the Mason-Dixon Park will be host to some of the members of the  National Serro Scotty Organization. This mini "Ramp Rally" will surely become a featured favorite for years to come.
 
Be sure to visit with the owner's and enjoy a little snap-shot of America's travel history.

 
A great taste of Spring mixed with Traditional American favorites. A great way to ease in thatfirst time Ramp taster in your family. Prepared by Taylortown Methodist Church
No festival is complete without carnival food. Freshly made funnel cakes are just what the order calls for in a case like the Ramp Festival.  Prepared by April Adams
Whether it is an early start or a dessert you have a craving for after a great meal Uncle Jim's is exactly what would be perfect with that cup of coffee!
Diane Bonnell will be an early riser to make sure you get your fill of this Mountain Family favorite served with a smile.
Mason-Dixon Park Volunteers pull together every year to offer this classic Appalachian meal of ramps with excellent side choices of a Good Ole' American Hotdog or the traditional Poor Man's Dinner of Beans & Cornbread. All available with fresh Ramps of course!
 
 
In the Spring many of us who trek the mountain streams for a great day of fishing top it off with a Fish Fry to relax with family and enjoy the success of the day's catch. Take in some of this tradition with a great fish platter prepared by Jan Thorn especially for the festival.
 
No real country festival would be complete without a selection of bake-goods. Michelle Statler will be offering many of these county fair favorites for you to enjoy at the park or to take home.
 
Ramp Chef Walter Danna will be back to share his culinary talents with a great selection of Ramp Dishes suitable for the whole family to enjoy. While you are taking in the festival and Walt's fine fixin's don't miss out on a great cup of Sassafras Tea to wash down those delicious ramps!

The Appalachian name "ramp" is believed to have come from the British Isles where a related plant A.ursinum, grows wild. The English folk name "ramson" (son of Ram), refers to the plant appearing during the sign of Aries and Emdash (March 20 to April 20) on the zodiac calendar. Some indicate that the folk name was "ramsen," the plural form of an Old English word for wild garlic, "hramsa." The similarity between A. ursinum and A. tricoccum in taste, appearance, and growth habit led early settlers of the Appalachians to use the English folk name, which later was shortened to "ramp."
 
With modern technology a steady, year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables is readily available, our dietary need for ramps as a spring tonic has diminished. But to mountain folk, especially those in West Virginia where the tradition still lingers, the social medicine conferred by ramps is an integral rite of spring, a spiritual need.
 
In late winter or very early spring, each bulb sends up two or three broad, smooth, ovate leaves--similar to those of lily-of-the-valley. Growing 8 to 12 inches tall, these leaves show deep reddish purple streaking at the base and up along the parellel veins. Ramps reproduce by both bulb offsets and seeds, and large colonies can blanket a hillside.
 
By late spring -early summer,  the canopy of the forests begin to shade the ground, the ramp's leaves wither and die, leaving only a single bud on a naked stalk.
 
This bud opens in June or July to form a spherical cluster (umbel) of creamy white florets. Each quarter-inch flower has three sepals and three petals and produces a three-lobed seed capsule. After the ramp has finished blooming, it goes into dormancy, which lasts through the driest, hottest days of summer, fall, and the worst of winter's cold, recommencing its activity as the weather begins to moderate in March or April.
 
 
 
Native Americans have a long relationship with ramps.  The Menomini called them pikwute sikakushia or skunk plant. In an area where they grew abundantly near the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the placewas called CicagaWuni or Shikako (skunk place). Later white settlers used Shikako to name their new settlement known now as Chicago.
 
Native Americans were the first to recognize the important qualities and uses of ramps. Native Americans used ramps for centuries before the Europeans arrived. One of the first edible wild plants to emerge in the spring are ramps; after a long winter without fresh vegetables using mostly dried foods, Native Americans took advantage of nature's first gift of the new year.
 
Native Americans used these spring greens as tonics to purify the blood. They also crushed the bulbs to create a juice that treated stings and used them to treat coughs and colds
 
Ramps, like every member of the onion family, contains allicin, a phytochemical that is credited with lowering cholesterol and blood pressure. Additionally allicin aids in fighting off infection by boosting the immune system. Not to mention they are packed vitamins A & C and other benificial minerals.
 
As with most Native American traditions stories were told of the gift of ramps and why they are used. One Ojibwa legend speaks of a man who invited guests over for a social pipe ceremony and a good meal. For the meal there was wild rice with ramps in it with roasted venison sirloin.
 
The first settlers learned to eat ramps from Native Americans. Presumably they also saw the herbs as a spring tonic after a long winter. Later they developed their own stories and traditions about the ramp.
 
Since the settlers adopted the use of ramps it has become part of tradtion for mountain folk.  The social medicine of  Spring Ramp Festivals flourishes still in the Appalachians. Eating ramps is an integral rite of spring in many communities, and even takes on a spiritual need.
 
 
Before Ramp Festivals became the commercial events they are today it was a time for communities to come together to celebrate the end of winter and renewed life. Many of the mountain people of the Appalachians approached the Ramp Social like they would going to a wedding or church. It was a time to give thanks, socialize with friends, and cleanse the body.
 
The date of these spring gatherings depended on a community's location. Its elevation, how far north or south it was, when the snow melted, etc... All  effecting when the ramps would grow. In Pennsylvania and West Virginia ramp festivals are usually held in late April or early May.
 
Oddly enough the arrival of ramps coincides with Easter lending a more spiritual attribute to them. Early on the belief that ramps represented the resurrection of Christ after conquering hell found its place in the lore of the mountain people. The smell which ramps are famous for represented the sulphorous hell. Eating ramps therefore was like accepting Jesus into your soul cleansing your body.
 
The varying dates of today's Ramp Festivals allow people to attend several in the same year. One recent attendee of the Mason-Dixon Ramp Festival said he "followed them (ramp festivals) like dead heads follow the Grateful Dead band".
 
Ramps are listed by the states of Maine and Tennessee as being threatened due to commercial exploitation according to the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. Please when harvesting ramps be sure to leave two-thirds of the patch to guarentee there will be many festivals to come.