The central mission of the Oldtime Farming Festival in Centerburg hasn’t changed in 29 years. “We’re trying to keep the reality of farming alive,” said festival president Glen Goodwin.
The annual festival of farming begins with the traditional parade at 10 a.m. Saturday beginning at the high school and ending at Centerburg Community Memorial Park, the site of the two-day event. The festival began in 1991 with farmers displaying antique machinery and other tools of farming. The old tractors and machines remain the centerpieces of the festival, but it has grown into a gathering of events, competitions, attractions, food and entertainment.
“The festival was originally started to teach the younger people about old-time farming,” said Mack Shepard, a past president of the Oldtime Farming Festival.
“We get a lot of kids that come in there that don’t know the first thing about a farm. They can see some of the antique machinery there and watch the demonstrations. We hope it gives them an education of what it was like years ago to farm.”
The festival isn’t just about old machinery. Other planned activities include craft shows, FFA competitions, cow-milking stations, hay rides, youth art displays, threshing, a horticulture show, a pie auction, good quality food and entertainment for the kids like pony rides and train rides. More than 60 vendors will be on hand. The highlight remains the Antique Tractor and Machinery Show, which features more than 250 antique tractors.
“We’re trying to teach the kids about what farm life used to be,” Shepard said. “There’s a lot of work in farming. People don’t realize that. But if you don’t have farmers, you don’t have any food. We feed the world.”
Goodwin became involved with the festival several years ago as an electrician and is now serving his first year as president. The festival will attract from 12,000 to 15,000 over the two days and is always held the third weekend in September.
“It’s always nice to run into some of the old guys who actually used that equipment years ago and talk to them about how much farming has changed over the years,” Goodwin said. “And it’s good to see the kids interact with the older people and get knowledge about the equipment.”
