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Event:
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Homer Historical Society Fall Festival
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Date:
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Saturday, September 24th, 2016
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Time:
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11:00 AM − 4:30 PM
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Organization:
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Homer Historical Society |
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Location:
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Blair Historical Farm
26645 M-60 East
Homer, MI 49246
Phone: none
www.homerhistoricalsociety.org
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Cost:
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no admission charge and parking is free
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Contact:
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Dee Camp
Phone: 517-524-7348
Click Here to Email
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Description:
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Fall Festival Time Sept. 24
at Homer’s Blair Farm
Along with the old
there is always something
new at the Homer Historical
Society’s Fall Festival.
Homer’s theaters are this
year’s new display focus in
the old Albion Town Hall,
and there will be antique
tool displays in the new
barn. The festival at Blair
Historical Farm, 26645 M-60
East, will be Saturday,
September 24 from 11 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. There is no
admission charge, and
parking is free.
Memorabilia from
Homer’s theaters will be
showcased including items
from the Majestic Theatre on
Main Street where movies
were shown, True Grist Ltd.
Dinner Theatre in the former
Cortright Mill, productions
by both the Homer Community
theater and school theater
groups, and an opera house
built in the early 1900s on
the second floor of the
building at the southeast
corner of Main and Sophia
streets where theatrical
productions, high school
graduations, dance classes,
and special events were
held.
“We plan to have
more displays in the new
barn this year,” said Homer
Historical Society president
Bruce Miller. The barn,
built in 2015 to house the
30-foot long Birdsell clover
huller threshing machine and
other large, historic farm
equipment, will showcase
items that were once part of
everyday farm work but are
unfamiliar to most people
today. They include three
fanning mills that were used
to clean small grains, a
wooden corn sheller, cross
cut saws, a paper press, and
other items. “There are a
lot of things we’ve had put
away because we didn’t have
a good place to show them,
and we want to get them out
so people can see them,”
Miller said. A group of
volunteers has been working
to design new display
holders, and he said they
hope to have one done before
the festival.
Richard and Sandy Hennings
from Branch County are
returning with their Lewis
and Clark expedition display
featuring items related to
the famous 1804 trip going
from the Mississippi River
to the Pacific Ocean.
There are lots more things
to see and do including the
Grover railroad station that
is the last tangible remains
of Homer’s once thriving
railroad industry, small
engines and steam engines in
the field, a working saw
mill, French and Indian War
related items, an open fire
campfire cooking
demonstration, corn pancakes
being made on a wood cook
stove and cookies baking in
the Blair Farm kitchen.
Blair Farm apple butter can
be sampled as well as
purchased to take home. It
has been a Fall Festival
mainstay for decades, and
since supplies have sold out
for the last two years, Dee
Camp, the organization’s
past president, suggests
purchasing it early in the
day while supplies last.
The Blair family farm home
will be open for tours. The
house and farm were donated
to the Historical Society by
its owner Maude Blair in
1974 shortly after the
organization was formed. Her
parents built the house,
replacing a log cabin on the
property. She and her sister
Bessie Blair were born there
in 1880 and 1877
respectively. Her
grandfather, Dr. George W.
Blair, came to Homer in 1836
and was the town’s first
medical doctor. He purchased
the property in 1851.
A variety of handmade arts
and crafts will be for sale
by their creators, and
shades of the past—Once
again Fall Festival planners
are planning on having a
large horse-drawn wagon
there to take young and old
on rides through the woods.
Music will be played near
the food tent by the
Homespun Strings group from
11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and
Uncle Carl’s Dulcimer Club
from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Both talented groups have
performed at the festival
for many years. Once again,
the food menu features
grilled bratwurst
sandwiches, hot dogs,
harvest soup, baked beans
and many varieties of pie.
Referring to the Homer
Historical Society’s newly
adopted motto “Visit.
Engage. Learn.” Camp points
out that the Fall Festival
has a long-lasting
reputation for encouraging
people to join together
around history, have a good
time and support the local
efforts.
The Festival is the
Historical Society’s major
fund raising project.
Proceeds and donations from
it support the construction
of the new displays,
historical preservation, and
restoration work.
For more information about
the Fall Festival or the
Homer Historical Society
contact Dee Camp, 517-524-
7348 or check the website
www.homerhistoricalsociety.o
rg and Facebook.
-30-
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Categories:
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Festivals, Fundraisers
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