The barn? Sounds silly, but it’s true. Those of you that grew up on a farm can attest to this as well as those of us who’ve sat around engrossed in the stories our grandparents were telling. Surely you’ve heard some old-timer telling of the time a mouse ran up his pant leg while putting up hay in the barn and his consequent dance ritual to get it out, or an elderly grandma recalling her first kiss in the loft?

Take the art of storytelling, combine it with some of these great old memories and you’ve got “Stories from the Barn,” a Saturday, Aug. 29 event to be held in Matfield Green. After a hectic, stressful week at the office or on the job site, what better way to unwind than sitting around an old 1915 barn and listening to a professional storyteller relive the hayloft swings and barn dances, rotten egg fights, courtships, and smoking “out behind the barn?” There are endless stories from the barns of our past. And better yet, it’s free.

This event will take place at the Pioneer Bluffs Ranch in the Flint Hills. Pioneer Bluffs, a historic 12-acre property located in the Valley of the South Fork of the Cottonwood River, just north of Matfield Green (population 68), offers the scenic beauty of the prairie, a mile-long stone fence and a stately cluster of houses and barns.

So head to Matfield Green on Saturday, Aug. 29 to enjoy this truly one-of-a-kind event. Hop on the turnpike in Lawrence and head south for about two hours. The storytelling starts at 2 p.m. — so don’t be late.

For more information about “Stories from the Barn,” visit www.kansassampler.org or contact lynn@pioneerbluffs.org or (620) 753-3484.

Didn’t know there was so much to see, do, buy, taste and learn in Kansas? This is just a taste of what you’ll learn about at the 21st Kansas Sampler Festival when it comes to Leavenworth County. For more information, go to www.kansassamplerfestival.com or e-mail me or call me at kssamplerfestlvco@sunflower.com or (913) 417-7575.