ARTISTS PLY CRAFTS ALONG SCENIC TOUR; SECOND ANNUAL 131-MILE TREK WILL CONTINUE TODAY

Jerry Rachels was hacking away at a piece of 30-inch tulip poplar log.

Robert Woehler kept his feet and hands busy as he turned a potter's wheel.

Charlie Mungle was demonstrating a cutting tool which dated back more than a century.

Rachels, Woehler and Mungle were among the more than 20 artists and crafters who were demonstrating their crafts Saturday at Black Forest village.

The Black Forest, north of Cape Girardeau, the Massey House at Marble Hill and Sedgewickville which is observing its 125th anniversary were big attractions during the first day of the second annual Mississippi River Valley Scenic Drive, which will conclude today.

Although an estimate of people was not available Saturday, sizable crowds were reported at a number of sites along the 131-mile tour despite mostly cloudy skies and light falling drizzle throughout the day.

The tour continues today along the route, which includes an area from Biehle north to Wittenberg on the Mississippi River, Fruitland and Trail of Tears State Park, Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Burfordville and Marble Hill, Patton, and Sedgewickville.

Featured at Black Forest, the site of two replica 1870s vintage villages New Hanover and Arnsberg are many crafts and demonstrations, including a working sawmill, provided by the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club. The club also provided a display of several antique tractors.

Rachels, of Palmersville, Tenn., was making his first appearance in the Cape Girardeau area.

"This is our first show in Missouri," said Rachels, who makes hand-hewn wooden dough bowls. "We've been in crafts since 1983, and are looking to expand our show area."

Rachels' wife, Nelda, makes cornshuck dolls.

"I've been making dough bowls five years," said Rachels, who said it takes about five hours to complete a bowl, using a hatchet and a "spoke shave" tool.

"The bowls are not ready for sale then," said Rachels. "We let them air-cure for a month, then reshape the inside with the spoke-shave tool. Rachels says he makes about 150 bowls each year.

Woehler, of Paducah, is making his second appearance at the Black Forest.

"We take in about 10 to 12 historical shows a year," said Woehler. "This is one of the smaller shows, but it will grow, and we want to grow with it."

Woehler and his wife, Virginia, were dressed in early vintage clothing.

"Some shows require costumes," said Woehler, a construction engineer who started making pottery as a hobby. "The hobby has worked into a good retirement program."

Woehler says it takes about seven days to put a piece of pottery on the sale block. "It takes less than an hour to make it, but it has to be air-dried, then baked in a kiln. In seven days, we can put the glaze on the pottery."

Woehler blends four different clays into the mixture he uses. "We use clay from Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and Georgia," he said.

Mungle, a leathersmith from Cape Girardeau, demonstrated the use of a "splitter" and an "edger roller," both from the 1870s era.

"The splitter is from 1872," said Mungle. "It cuts leather to different thicknesses. The edger roller is used to put decorative creases on various strips of leather."

Other leathersmiths at Black Forest include Cliff LaFentres and Jim Jost, who were demonstrating tools and saddle repair work.

Other crafts and demonstrations along the tour are at Rocky Holler USA, located about five miles north of Cape Girardeau; Altenburg, Frohna, Biehle and Marble Hill.

Other notable sights which continue today include the Civil War Encampment near Burfordville, Penzel's Azalea Gardens west of Jackson, Hanover Lutheran Church, the Sycamore Valley Artesian well which has been running for almost a century, and quilt shows at Marble Hill and Cape Girardeau.

Points of interest in Cape Girardeau, which is planning its 200th birthday, include old St. Vincent's Church, the Glenn House; River Heritage Museum, the Southeast Missourian murals, Courthouse Park and the Riverfront Park along the Mississippi River.

Maps of the tour are available at each of the entry sites 5 N. Main in downtown Cape Girardeau, Biehle exit of Interstate 55, and Marble Hill, Junction 51-34.