Written by
Nell Luter Floyd
Special to Hinds Ledger
The historic Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Madison and its grounds are worth a visit any day.
The first Saturday of each October provides an extra special reason and that’s true once again thanks to the 35th annual Day in the Country on Oct 4.
Scheduled from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on the church grounds, A Day in the Country is a family-friendly festival that provides fun for all ages. Admission is free; parking is $5 per vehicle.
“Day in the Country brings our church community together, we gain new friendships from the work we do together and we get to introduce the Chapel of the Cross to people who haven’t visited before,” said Brooke Hardman of Madison, who chairs the 2014 event with her husband Joe.
Malorise and Brian Martin of Madison are co-chairs.
For runners and walkers, the event will kick off at 8 a.m. with a 5K run/walk that is coordinated and sanctioned by the Mississippi Track Club. Check-in begins at 6:30 a.m. on race day. For more information, go to www.mstrackclub.com.
Throughout the day, there are tours of the chapel and historic cemetery, old-fashioned games and pony rides for children, a rummage sale and displays by 133 arts and crafts vendors.
A silent auction, a wine tasting and plenty of food options are part of the festival.
Look for jams, jellies and pickles as well as cakes, cookies, muffins and baked goods available for purchase in the bake booth.
Members of the church led by Dan Robertson pour their heart and soul into the countless loaves of bread they bake and sell during the festival, Hardman said.
Try a slice of 63-Egg Cake, the festival’s signature cake. Frances Britton, whose mother built the chapel in memory of her husband, created the white pound cake with butter cream icing. She won first prize for the cake at the first Mississippi State Fair in 1859.
“What makes the cake light and white is that it uses egg white, not the yolk,” said Anne Mollere, a descendant of Britton who owns the sterling silver napkin ring bestowed for the cake’s first-prize win.
