(Fishers, Ind.) -- Conner Prairie’s Hearthside Suppers allows guests during the cold winter months to warm up by a blazing fire and warm their hearts with a 19th-century cooking experience. Hearthside Suppers will be offered from January 5-March 25 (Friday-Sunday), 2007; 6-9 pm

Humble Beginnings

Conner Prairie began the Hearthside Suppers as a weekend program in 1984, offering 19th-century style meals for guests in the 1823 William Conner home on Conner Prairie's historic grounds. Twenty years later Hearthside Suppers has become a family ritual, an opportunity to celebrate anniversaries and a way to say thank you to valued employees. “We have costumed interpreters that have worked Hearthside Suppers for 16 years and have seen families, couples and corporations – many who have become our friends, return each year,” said Joyce Newby, supervisor for the program. “It is such a pleasure to watch families grow and to share this evening with their next generation as they attend year after year.”

On the Menu

The same menu for Hearthside Suppers is served each evening. Each year the menu changes to include different receipts from the past. We serve those foods that would have been available during the winter months. Through research of receipts (early name for recipes) from the early nineteenth century cookbooks we are able to recreate a hearty and flavorful meal. The 2007 Hearthside menu, to be prepared each night by costumed interpreters, consists of:

• Beef alamode
• Chicken pie
• Barley soup
• Cabbage salad
• Dried fruit
• Sliced cheese
• Hearth bread
• Apple butter
• Cucumber pickles
• Popcorn
• Brandied peaches
• Orange fool with Shrewsbury cakes
• Hot spiced cider
• Coffee & tea

The Night's Events

Hearthside Suppers -- immersing guests in the nuances of preparing and eating a 19th-century meal -- appeals to many different audiences. Costumed, historical interpreters -- the evening's hosts -- lead guests via lanterns down a wooded path to the historic 1823 William Conner home. In the Conner kitchen, where everything centers around the hearth, interpreters engage guests in lively conversation about 19th-century food preparation, cooking techniques, as well as proper etiquette. Guests may help their fellow diners churn butter, grind coffee, prepare the vegetables or make bread. After a delicious heartwarming meal, participants enjoy a brief guided tour of the Conner home. The evening is topped-off with an excellent cup of coffee or tea, dessert and after-dinner 19th-century-style parlor games. Guests leave with more than a full stomach, each guest receives a booklet of the evening’s recipes.

Great Gift Ideas

Hearthside Suppers' gift certificates make a unique gift idea for anniversaries, birthdays, family celebrations, business associates and more. The cookbook, "Pioneer Hearthside: Recipes from Conner Prairie Museum,” makes a great gift also andis available for sale in the Museum Shop for just $3.50 plus tax.

Hearthside Suppers are $45 per person ($40 for members). Maximum of 12 persons per evening (14 if in the same party). Prepaid reservations are required. Gift certificates are available. For reservations or more information, call 317.776.6006 or 800.966.1836.

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