The “Great Indiana State Fair” concluded after 17 days on Aug. 18. As the event wrapped up for another year, Franklin County residents Ron and Candy Yurcak and Ron Galyen, who are an intricate part of the Pioneer Village at the fair, departed with a fresh set of cherished memories.

Located between the machinery field and the MHS Family Fun Park, the Pioneer Village offers visitors a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a bygone era. This historical attraction paints a vivid picture of Indiana’s rich farming heritage, providing a glimpse into a time when dedication and community spirit shaped the landscape. The little village is straight out of the 1800s, where everything is done the old-fashioned way. 

“We are like family in the Pioneer Village,” said Pioneer Village Coppersmith Ron Yurcak. “That makes it easy to show how life used to be when family and communities worked together, showcasing the unity of a farming community.” 

Visitors are greeted by “locals” wearing period clothing. Functioning antique tractors, steam engines and farming machinery are displayed in the field. The village boasts a general store, a veterinary clinic, and artisans showcasing their quilt, rug weaving and broom-making skills, to name a few. The village also has the workshops of a blacksmith, potter, and coppersmith, adding to the rich tapestry of historical craftsmanship.

Ron Yurcak has been the village coppersmith for 25 years. Ron’s journey to becoming the coppersmith began unexpectedly when he and Candy participated in a craft show several years ago.

“We were at a show in Linton when the Kettle Corn vendor attending the show told me the Pioneer Village at the Indiana State Fair needed a coppersmith,” said Ron. “So we took three pieces of copper works to show Maury Williamson, founder and director of the Pioneer Village at the time. He glanced at my work and then told us we had roughly two weeks to build the coppersmith building and be prepared for our first Indiana State Fair.”

At the fair, Ron showcases traditional coppersmithing techniques, demonstrating how handcrafted items were made before the use of machinery. He also explains the process to children and visitors, giving them an appreciation for the old methods. Alongside his demonstrations, Ron sells handcrafted inventory in the coppersmith’s cabin.

“We have an extensive line of cookie cutters,” Ron said. “Our most popular item at the fair is the child’s hand cookie cutter. We trace a child’s hand, turn it into a cookie cutter, engrave their name, and the year it was made on it.”

Other copper works available for purchase include buckets, oil lamps, rain gauges, moonshine stills and other decorative and functional copper items.

When Ron began coppersmithing at the fair, Candy joined Ron and helped out as a volunteer in the village. However, after the 2008 annual Pioneer Village Picnic in Metamora, his wife Candy unintentionally took on the Pioneer Village Kitchen Director role. 

“I cooked the meal for the annual picnic,” Candy explained. “At that time, the cook of the last 15 years at the Pioneer Village was retiring, and they needed someone to replace her in the kitchen. I agreed to do it one year, and now, 16 years later, I am still doing it.”

Every day, the pioneer kitchen provides meals for 150 volunteers and esteemed guests, including vice presidents, mayors, and governors who gather around the table in the old-fashioned setting of a pioneer dining room.

“It is a typical thrasher’s dinner in the late 1800s,” Candy shared. “A thrasher’s dinner includes a meat dish, potato, two salads, two vegetables, bread and dessert. We make all the items from scratch, just like it would have been back then. So every day, we make 16 pies from scratch with homemade crust and peel 50 lbs of potatoes for mashed potatoes plus everything else we prepare.”

Although Candy was only going to direct the kitchen for a year, she shared what has kept her doing it 16 years later.

“I thoroughly enjoy it because of the relationships I build with not only the others in the kitchen but also the guests and villagers that eat in our dining rooms that look like grandma’s house,” Candy said. “I always feel like the kitchen is the heart of the home, and we strive to make the kitchen the heart of the pioneer village. Even though the work is hard because everything is made from scratch, we strive to keep laughter and joy in that kitchen, which makes the work much more bearable.”

Galyen was the village potter for 17 years until this year when he decided to take on a new position as a volunteer, passing the torch on to a new potter. Before becoming the potter, Galyen always attended the state fair and made it a point to visit the Pioneer Village. Similar to the serendipitous circumstances that led Ron and Candy to the Pioneer Village, Galyen’s own circumstances leading to the Pioneer Village were also a stroke of chance.

“One year, I hear one of my students (Cassie Garrett) yell, ‘Mr. G come meet my parents.’ That was the first time I met Ron and Candy.” 

Meeting Ron and Candy turned out to be more than just meeting a student’s parents; it also became his connection to becoming the potter at the Pioneer Village after he announced his intent to retire from teaching.

“I get a call from Candy stating the Bastines, who were the potters for 25 years, were not coming back, and the director had asked other crafters in the village if they knew of someone who could take their place,” Galyen said. “I told her I didn’t do the same type of pottery as the Bastines but to go ahead and give my name, resume, and picture of my work to the Pioneer Village Director Maury Williamson and let me know. A week and a half later I get a letter from Maury saying thank you for being our potter.”

Galyen was known in the Pioneer Village for his warm and welcoming demeanor, making each visitor’s experience engaging and memorable. His passion for pottery was evident in how he shared his craft with others. However, Galyen also thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of the village.

“I just love the state fair for one thing, but the Pioneer Village is like a big family,” Galyen said. “Lacy (one of the pioneer village volunteers) shared a lot at the flag raising on the last day about her situation and the loss of her husband before the fair. When asked if she would still come to the fair, she said, ‘Of course, they are family.’ The same thing happened to me (Galyen lost his wife earlier this year), and I also returned because they are family.”

Additionally, Bill Smith, who has strong family ties to the Metamora area and owns the Village Smith, Metamora Inn, and coffee shop in Metamora, runs the Pioneer Village General Store. Inside, shoppers will find things like Metamora grist mill flour, old-time sodas, penny candy, furs, books, syrups, and jellies.