33rd Annual Agricultural Heritage Days offer lower admission and expanded family activities

LUXEMBURG – Kewaunee County residents are invited to celebrate local agricultural history next weekend, Sept. 26–27, at the 33rd annual Agricultural Heritage Days, featuring a reduced admission rate and an expanded lineup of children’s activities.

The weekend event is held at the Kewaunee County Fairgrounds in Luxemburg, and put on by Agricultural Heritage and Resources, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the history of farming while sustaining its legacy for future generations.

“Agricultural Heritage Days is a longstanding tradition that our organization has been putting on, and it’s really just all about preserving the past and trying to educate people about how farming and agriculture was done years ago,” said Julie Siegmund, a member of Agricultural Heritage and Resources, Inc. “At the same time, they can see modern-day agriculture as they drive around the county — you have to start somewhere to get to where you are now. The focus is on preserving the past for the generations now to see.”

This year’s celebration features Case International Harvester tractors and implements, with free admission for all exhibitors.

Throughout the weekend, attendees can view live demonstrations of traditional farming and homesteading craft techniques, including fiber arts, quilting, blacksmithing, a steam-powered sawmill, grain threshing and corn silage processing. The blacksmiths will offer live forging demonstrations near the livestock show ring, where visitors can also purchase handcrafted metal goods.

Organizers have expanded the vending area since previous years, placing it in the exhibition hall in order to fit more sellers.

“We really this year tried to focus in on a couple of areas just to enhance them,” Siegmund said. “The vendor area was one of those.”

The event will also feature a swap meet for specialized agricultural goods and collectibles, offering items such as vintage tractor parts, machinery manuals and rare farming memorabilia.

The kids’ area is another place organizers decided to improve. Families can expect the steam-engine wagon rides to return this year, in addition to a pedal-tractor straw-bale maze, a petting zoo, face painting and lawnmower-pulled barrel rides.

Dining options feature breakfast and lunch served by the Algoma FFA Alumni and cook-stove breakfasts, a pork dinner, pies and carrot cake made by Agricultural Heritage cooks.

“We have cook stoves which are heated with wood. That was very common in old houses back in the day, so you would have to start a fire and keep that going with wood in order to do your cooking and baking,” Siegmund explained. “So we will have some cook stoves set up, and they actually do prepare breakfast on the cook stoves.”

Live musical entertainment will be provided by the John Truska polka band, performing both days from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. near the Algoma FFA Alumni food stand.

The highly-anticipated vintage tractor pull will take place on Saturday at 11 a.m., while the Champion Garden Tractor Pullers starts at the same time on Sunday.

Thanks to financial support from local business sponsors, adult admission has been reduced to $5, while children ages 15 and under enter free of charge.