The Birchdale community is looking forward to stepping back in time for the 12th consecutive year.
The annual old-time festival, Birchdale Pioneer Days, is set for July 14 and 15 at the Birchdale Area Community Building. The event features antique tractor and car shows, live old-time music and a black powder shooting activity in which participants can “see how they would have fared as old-time hunters,” said Soren Olesen, one of the organizers.
The event is the largest fundraiser for the Birchdale community and offers a chance to experience the history of the area.
“We anticipate that we’ll have a nice mix of cars, tractors, gas engines and other old-time equipment,” Olesen said. “Anyone is welcome to bring out their classic and antique cars and old-time machinery to show it off.”
A flapjack breakfast will take place 8 a.m. Saturday. Music will be performed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and after church Sunday. The exhibitor parade takes place at noon both days. Visitors can camp free at Nelson Park, one mile from the grounds.
The weekend also features a blacksmithing exhibition, authentic lefse making, sock machine demonstration, school reunions, live Icebox Radio Theater broadcast and a petting zoo. The square dancing performance which has been featured in the past, has been canceled due to a scheduling conflict.
“We hope to have a nice petting zoo again; some years we have been lucky and had the opportunity to let kids try to milk a goat,” Olesen said. “That is always a good time.”
The school reunions as part of the event have become popular, he said.
“The event is in its 12th year and has kind of turned into a ‘back home days’ type of event for the people with a connection to Birchdale,” he said. “It’s a great time to come out and visit with your friends over a hot lunch or sit around and listen to old-time music blending with the put-put of a tractor engine or the whine of lumber being planed.”
He added, “If that happens, it will be another great year at Birchdale Pioneer Days.”
Admission, good for both days, is $6 for adults, children under 12 free, and vendor space is $15. All exhibitors and open-stage musicians are free to watch.
For more information and preregistration, call Leland Nelson at 218-634-2511, after 5 p.m., or email birchdalepioneerdays@gmail.com. The event can also be followed on Facebook at www. facebook.com/birchdale.
