OLD-FASHIONED FUN RETURNS TO LONGMONT
Tractor parades and grain threshing demonstrations can only mean only one thing: The Yesteryear Farm Show is back in town.
On Saturday, the field outside Longmont’s Dougherty Museum was lined with rows of antique farming vehicles, some of which guests could take for a ride.
Exhibitors came from states including Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas with steam-powered water pumps, typewriters and telephones, an old military truck and much more.
“Most people, even if they didn’t grow up on a farm, have a sense of nostalgia about old things in general,” said farm show volunteer Dave Brown. “We love to see the kids get interested in this sort of thing and grow up and continue what we’re doing.”
The show is run entirely by volunteers and is free to the public; the only opportunities for fundraising are a donation jar near the entrance and an auction held Saturday afternoon. This year’s event is dedicated to two men who died recently: Harvey Nelson, the original organizer of the show, and longtime volunteer Deacon Bob Howard.
“It’s bittersweet,” Brown said of the show’s dedication. “We’re glad to be able to do that and give them all the recognition that we can.”
Brown said attendance was a bit lower than expected on Friday, the opening day, due to rainy weather. The event typically pulls thousands of people over its three-day run, which Brown said the Yesteryear Farm Show is still on track for.
Visitors could step inside the Dougherty Museum next door to view even more vintage vehicles and devices like antique player pianos and phonographs. The show has used the museum as a venue for over a decade after its previous run at the Boulder County Fairgrounds.
“This is our big weekend of the season, no doubt,” said Doug Dougherty, president of the Dougherty Museum Foundation.
Saturday brought the Longmont Humane Society to the show for the first time, which Brown said came from his desire to support the nonprofit as an animal lover.
Around five dogs wearing
“adopt me” vests took parades of their own around the grounds, and Longmont Humane representatives also shared information on barn cats up for adoption.
“It’s definitely good to bring the dogs to,” said Melissa Grosjean, marketing coordinator for Longmont Humane, on Saturday. “People who live on farms are usually looking for dogs that are outdoororiented.”
Other nonprofits with booths at the show were the Kiwanis Club of Longmont, which featured members selling handmade toys, and the Handweavers Guild of Boulder. Guild members knitted, spun goat hair and picked unwanted material out of thick, gray fleece.
To fill the gap created by the loss of two volunteers instrumental to the show, a few new volunteers stepped up this weekend to help keep the beloved event going.
“This is the best show around,” said volunteer Larry Henson from Johnstown, who brought tractors to the show as an exhibitor for several years. “We get to play with the equipment. Before we had to watch; now we get to go play.”
Guests can catch the last day of the show Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the museum, 8306 N. 107th St.