Clear skies bring a big crowd to Pioneer Day

The sunny weather Saturday helped make Pioneer Day at Chinsegut Nature Center another big draw.

Volunteers and a few visitors were decked out in 19th century garb. There was live music, lessons on rope making and a horse carriage that took people through some of the nearby nature trails.

There was even a pie-eating contest for children and adults.

"I like the old times. I think they were the best times," said Alfonso Mazza, of Weeki Wachee, who attends the annual event each year with his wife. "It was much simpler then."

Most aspects of Pioneer Day haven't changed during the past several years, said one former volunteer.

Aimee Seymour and her mother used to show visitors how 19th century Floridians made soap, she said.

The crowd size Saturday seemed to be about the same as it was years earlier. She saw some of the same people and many of the same sites.

This time she came with her husband and two children.

"It's been lots of fun, but the little ones aren't ready to grasp having to sit still and listen," she said.

Mazza said he hoped the event doesn't change in the future - both in terms of what it offers and the size of the crowd.

To him, it's not too big and it's not too small.

"I hope it stays this way," Mazza said. "I would hate to see it turn out like the Swamp Fest (in Weeki Wachee) ... That's out of control."

The 14th annual Pioneer Day offered visitors the chance to ride a horse-drawn wagon, watch cow-milking demonstrations and use two-man saws.

For more information about upcoming events at Chinsegut, call (352) 754-6722 or visit the center's Web site.