Couple keep traditions alive 'for the fun of it'

George and Linda McCollum, of Sedalia, live on a century-old farm, have a home filled with antiques and, even though they are both retired, they still fill their days with work.

The McCollums use hickory bark and corn shucks to weave chair seats, stools and benches — that is, of course, when they are not playing one of their 12 dulcimers.

“We just do it because it’s fun,” Linda said.

Years ago, George and Linda visited with a man in Arrow Rock who was demonstrating how to work with hickory bark to use it for chair seats.

“I asked him if he ever gave any instruction in how to get the bark,” said George, who quickly picked up the skill and began seating chairs that belonged to his parents.

“In the meantime, Linda was kind of interested in corn shuck seats,” he said.

The two traveled to Iowa and spent a weekend with a woman who made seat chairs from corn shucks and Linda picked up the skill.

“Now, I do the hickory bark and Linda does the corn shuck seats,” George said.

Each year, the two travel to festivals throughout Missouri, demonstrating how to make the chair seats.

George uses hickory bark from their farm and cuts his material in May or June when the bark easily slips from the trees. He then cuts the bark into strips, rolls it up and soaks it a bucket of water for three to four hours.

“It feels and works very much like a strip of leather,” George said.

It can take up to five hours to finish one chair seat.

“It takes lots longer than that to get the material ready,” George said.

He uses a pattern of two over, two under weaving, but he said any pattern can be used.

While George works on his seats, Linda uses the corn shucks to make hers. The corn shucks can be used like the hickory bark or twisted to create a different look.

“Almost everybody has a different way of doing things,” Linda said.

In their spare time, the two make music together playing one of their double dulcimers.

“I had always wanted to have a dulcimer,” Linda said. “George got me one for our anniversary ... so I got him one for our next anniversary and it just kind of grew.”

The two have learned to play by ear and often perform at festivals.

“I like to play the old-time tunes that I remember hearing while I was a kid,” George said.

The McCollums’ chairs and dulcimers have been given as gifts to their four children, eight grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

Linda doesn’t expect her family to carry on with their old-time traditions, but, “it’s hard to say.”