A soggy weekend for history at Shawnee Indian Mission Fall Festival

A metalsmith examined his work after pulling a rod from the fire.

If Saturday’s dreary weather did nothing else, it sure helped put in perspective the challenges of surviving on the Kansas prairie of the mid-1800s.

Dozens of merchants and historical re-enactors endured miserable conditions Saturday at the Shawnee Indian Mission Fall Festival — though Sunday’s conditions were nothing less than perfect.

The annual event, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Shawnee Indian Mission and Kansas Historical Society, provides a glimpse at what life was like when the mission was active from 1839-1862.

The Anchovy Fisherman delivered a pitch-perfect rendition of the PVPost.com editor’s childhood favorite, “Ragtime Cowboy Joe.”

Missile propulsion is a favorite skill set to practice among the adolescent male crowd.