Festival goers in Pomeroy learn about ‘living traditions’ through hands-on activities

By: Talia Milewich
Posted on: Wednesday, June 4, 2025

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POMEROY, Ohio (WOUB) — “To make tea out of it, you’re just going to use a very little bit of it in a recipe,” Maureen Burns said, “Why? You’ll know when you smell it.”

As Valerian root was passed around the room noses were plugged and windows were opened, though no one fell asleep. This is one of the many plants that can be used medicinally. It is often used as a natural sedative.

Burns, who owns The Herbal Sage Tea Co., taught festival goers the ins and outs of plants, herbs and gardens. Attendees learned which plants can help mental or physical problems as well as what each part of a plant — stem, root or flower — does.  

This was one of the many “Living Traditions” celebrated at the first event of the festival series Saturday in Pomeroy. These are all traditions that stem from the history of the community they are practiced in, however, also constantly evolving and adapting to the changing world, which is the “living” part.

“Any everyday art that we practice that we don’t learn in an academic setting, but we learn from our peers,” is how Talcon Quinn, the festival organizer, describes them. All these traditions are passed down and are an integral part of what shapes the region.

The festival began with a sourdough demonstration at the weekly Meigs County farmers market. More demonstrations followed, including stitching, sewing and fresh plant tincture workshops.

Herbs have been used as medicine and food since the beginning of time, Burns said. “It’s a way to help heal and keep a community healthy,” she said. 

The use of plants as medicine has also evolved with science and new discoveries. Burns shared that companies today are able to test components of plants and determine which chemicals are prevalent in the plant.

One attendee was looking to grow plants that would be aromatic and relaxing. Burns suggested sage and offered some growing tips. “As the plant is growing, all the energy is going into the leaves. So all that medicine is in the leaves of that plant,” she said. Once the plant begins flowering the energy is focused on producing the flowers and no longer in the leaves.

“I think the tradition of taking care of older things and bringing them into the future is a big part of the living traditions,” Burns said.

There will be two more mini festival events this year: one in Corning on Aug. 9 and one in Stewart on Oct. 11, all with a mix of traditional crafts and history.

“We work really hard to make it be a blend of food ways, medicine ways, material, culture, music, oral history,” Quinn said.