The theme of this year’s Union County Heritage Festival is “Celebrating Country.” One thing country that has all but disappeared is the country store. There was one or more in every community. The country store carried everything from food to feed. You could use the feed sacks to make a dress or buy the finest linen or silk for a special occasion. It was the place to shop, socialize, or maybe just sit on the porch and enjoy a Pepsi Cola or an R. C. and a Moon Pie. Some people bought peanuts and a Coke. Children and some adults ate Kitts candy or slurped a banana popsicle.

Our memories of growing up on a farm shape our minds and our bodies to tackle life's struggles. But these farm memories also allow us moments of sheer joy. So it is with the memories that Betty Bullen recalls regarding the 2025 Heritage Festival Collectible Print, “Following the Plow”. In Betty's own words, she describes this vividly fond memory: “ I grew up in Union County and lived here all of my young life.

Inspired by memories of curled shavings piled on the porch or under the tree to be caught by little children or the wind, “The Whittler” reminds us of a time when grandpas and many of the men would gather to tell stories, swap Case knives, and whittle.