Plenty to do at 42nd OFFD celebration

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

It’s time again for Old Fashioned Farmers Days, the annual festival that celebrates all things agricultural. The 42nd edition of Old Fashioned Farmers Days will begin this Thursday, June 28, and run through Sunday, July 1, on the Van Wert County Fairgrounds.

There will be a number of ongoing activities, including a threshing demonstration, a sawmill, a truck display, crafts, a flea market, garden tractor display, food vendors, free barrel train rides, and free kids’ carnival games (click here for a schedule of events).

Daily events and activities include a trading post each day from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, in the Agriculture Building, the Quilt & Needle Arts Show from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m., Thursday through Saturday, in the Administration Building, Animal Land, from 4-8 p.m. on Thursday and 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, in the Rabbit Barn.

Other activities include a car show and Fifties music from 4-8 p.m. Thursday north of the Junior Fair Building, a Powder Puff/Junior Tractor Pull starting at 10 a.m. Friday, June 29, on the fairgrounds, a Kids Old Fashioned Cow Milking Contest at 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Rabbit Barn, Tractor Games at 5 p.m. Friday, a Kids Pedal Tractor Pull at 6 p.m. Friday (registration begins at 5:30 that evening) and 10 a.m. Saturday (registration begins at 9:30 that morning), an Adult Tractor Pull following the kids pull on Saturday morning, a Tug-A-Truck contest at 7 p.m. Friday on the grandstand infield (sponsored by the Van Wert County Agricultural Society), and an Antique Tractor Pull at 9 a.m. Saturday (Divisions I and II; registration begins at 8 that morning),

Bean soup and cornbread will be served a 11:30 a.m. Saturday, while church services will be held at 10 a.m. Sunday, featuring the Morse Family Gospel Singers, with a Sunday dinner to follow from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the Farm Bureau Building for a freewill offering, followed by an auction at noon in the Agriculture Building.

There is also plenty of entertainment during Old Fashioned Farmers Days. Nancy & her Country Piano will be featured at 4 p.m. Friday in the Junior Fair Building, while Happy Daz Entertainment will perform from 6-8 p.m. Friday, also in the Junior Fair Building.

Saturday’s entertainment will feature chainsaw sculpting at 9 a.m., By Faith from noon-1:30 p.m. in the Crestview Band Stand, Hula Hoopin’ Heather in the afternoon on the fairgrounds, the annual Fiddler, Banjo & Harmonica Contest at 2 p.m. Saturday in the Junior Fair Building, Blind Date from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Crestview Band Stand, and the Lima Bean Chorus from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Junior Fair Building.