HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt Historical Society will be hosting its 10th annual Appreciation Day on Saturday to say “thank you” to the many volunteers and the community as a whole for their support of the museum complex. The public is invited to take part in the free event, enjoy the food, be entertained and educated.
Festivities will start at 10 a.m. on the museum grounds at Second and Neosho Streets. The five buildings will be open for viewing, lunch will be served at noon, there will be restored cars and tractors on display and Hocus Polkas will provide musical entertainment.
Several metal detector enthusiasts will have on display articles found throughout the community. Recent sidewalk replacement in the downtown area uncovered many treasures, which will be in the exhibit.
Charles McCullough, a member of the Historical Society, will demonstrate the art of spinning and weaving.
McCullough taught himself how to weave after the museum made him a gift of a loom.
“They had a weaving loom that wasn’t operational and they said if I would restore it, they had another one they would give to me,” McCullough said.
In order to restore the loom, McCullough first did his homework by reading several books on looms.
When it came time to test his tinkerings, the loom operated smoothly. He has been weaving rugs and decorative table runners for five years.
Both looms are known as rug looms, McCullough said, and both have two shafts. “The more shafts the loom has, the more detail you can incorporate into the piece you are weaving.”
McCullough will be demonstrating the art of weaving on a four-shaft loom Saturday. One loom set up in his garage bears a tag engraved Reed Rug Loom, which after researching the name, McCullough believes was manufactured in the 1920s.
He loads it with enough string to weave four or five rugs before having to reload. Although the loom is capable of handling an article 40 inches wide, he has the huddles threaded with 190 strings, or a width of approximately 24 inches.
“It takes 20 to 30 hours to string the loom,” McCullough said. “That’s the hard part and nobody likes to do it.”
Once the loom is strung, weaving may consist of material strips, more commonly known to make rag rugs, towels, loopers or upholstery salvage.
McCullough enjoys weaving with the loopers, socks that have been cut across creating multiple circles of fabric.
“You just chain each loop together making a long strip to weave,” McCullough explained. “Loopers really give the rugs texture and it’s easy to add more loopers, if needed.”
Other items are woven with llama wool freshly sheared, cleaned and carded. Visiting a local llama owner, McCullough recently was allowed to have the wool sheared from the animal.
“First thing I have to do is wash it in 130-degree water and soap,” he said. “I use the soap like what the 4-Hers use. After 10 minutes I have to switch the wool to a water and vinegar mixture and then to plain water for the rinse.”
After the wool dries, he uses two, hand cards, tools similar to a hairbrush with wire teeth, to straighten the wool, pulling the teeth through the wool over and over until it is straight. It is rolled on to a wood rod and twisted tightly forming a roll log that is spun into yarn on a spinning wheel.
With a background of teaching art and industrial arts for 26 years, in Burlington and Ottawa, McCullough is easily attracted to many art forms that he has learned. A recent purchase is a potter’s wheel and kiln, which he intends to master.
“I just wait to see what he’s going to get into next,” wife, Janice said.
After retiring, the McCulloughs moved to Humboldt and have been here 13 years.
Weaving highlights museum day
