Landmark Park Announces Spring Farm Day For March
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: February 23, 2011
Landmark Park will offer visitors a glimpse into what rural life was
like a century ago during the 28th annual Spring Farm Day on Saturday,
March 19,
from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The
day’s activities will include demonstrations of old-fashioned skills
and crafts like plowing with mules and horses, shearing sheep,
blacksmithing, and more.
Volunteers dressed in 1890s attire will invite visitors to the historic
dwellings to observe the household pursuits of times past. They will
quilt, sew by hand and with a treadle-powered sewing machine, cook on a
wood stove and on the open hearth, wash clothes
and make soap, demonstrate home crafts and games, and relate their own
memories of farm life. Other activities include music, a quilt display
and children’s activities.
A
crowd favorite will be the 25th annual Old-Time Fiddlers’ Convention.
Contestants will compete in four age categories, and acoustical
musicians can gather in
the Fiddlers’ Corner for jam sessions during the day.
The
fourth annual Alabama State Horse and Mule Plowing Contest will serve
as Alabama’s official plowing competition. Plowers will be judged in a
variety of areas,
including depth of furrow, straightness of furrow and cleanliness of
sidewall.
Sponsors
for Spring Farm Day include CenturyLink, WOOF Radio, WTVY, Wiregrass
Electric Cooperative, Houston County Farmers Federation, ServisFirst
Bank, Hardee’s,
Atlanta Bread Company and Dothan Animal Hospital. The event is co-hosted
by Alabama Cooperative Extension System.
The
park’s Martin Drug Store and Shelley General Store will be open for
business, providing visitors with treats from the operating soda
fountain or old-fashioned
items typical of a country store. Concessions will be available during
the day.
Admission
is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and active military, $4 for
children, and free for children ages 3 and under. Park members are
admitted free.
Landmark
Park, home of the Alabama Agricultural Museum, is a 135-acre historical
and natural science park located on U.S. Highway 431 North in Dothan,
Ala. For
more information, contact the park at 334-794-3452.
