Pioneer Harvest Fiesta to begin on Sept. 27

Fort Scott, Kan. --n Organizers of the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta have made some changes to the 51st annual event, which is scheduled for Sept. 27-30, at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds in Fort Scott.

A parade of tractors and steam and gas engines that typically takes place on Saturday during the event has been moved to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27, and will officially kick off the three-day event, which features a wide collection of early 20th century tractors, gas and steam engines, and other agricultural equipment, according to Pioneer Harvest Fiesta, Inc. President Allen Warren.

Planners changed the date of the parade because in past years, some of the event's best workers and exhibitors had to be pulled from the fairgrounds on Saturday to appear in the parade that morning, which caused problems with organization at the festival and cut down on the number of exhibits at the fairgrounds, Warren said.

The Pioneer Harvest Fiesta is organized and put on by members of Branch 17 of the Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association, Inc., a non-profit organization interested in all aspects of rural and agricultural machinery and technology, according to a statement from the organization. The annual fiesta takes place at the southwest corner of the Bourbon County Fairgrounds, located near the corner of 23rd and Horton streets.

A quilt show that has traditionally taken place the weekend of the event has been expanded into a fiber art show, in which artists may exhibit crocheting, knitting, tatting, quilting and other needlework projects. There will also be periodic demonstrations of these and other needlework processes, organizer Jackie Warren said.

Warren said all items that are entered into the fiber art show must be submitted between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 28.

For more information about this show, contact Warren at (620) 223-9638, or Marge Stringer at (620) 223-5995.

The special attraction at this year's event is a 1912 Baker 'Special' Steam Traction Engine, which will be on display during the festival. The engine, which is owned by Girard resident Ron Sevart, was purchased brand new in 1912, partially restored in 1965, and completely restored in 1983. The engine has been used by four generations of Sevart's family.

The 16 horsepower engine was one of only three Baker engines shipped new to Kansas in 1912. Even though there were a total of 407 Baker 16 horsepower engines built at that time, there are only 10 that exist today, and only a few of which are operable. Sevart's engine is fully operable and will be running during the fiesta, according to the organization's Internet site, www.pioneerharvestfiesta.org.

Photographs of the engine, as well as its history and the story of its restoration, can be found on Sevart's Web site at http://jkkdcomputers.com/rste/.

The featured tractors at this year's event will be Oliver Standard Tractors, while the featured engines will be a variety of engines manufactured in Iowa. An example of this type of engine that will be on display at the event is a 1909 5-horsepower Round Rod Galloway, which is currently owned and has been restored by local residents and organization members Leonard and Leon Lemmon. The engine was once used for a line shaft in a local machine shop. A list of all antique engines built in Iowa can be found online at http://antique-engines.com/iowa-engines.asp.

In addition to the display of antique farm equipment from the early 1900s, the three-day event will also feature live demonstrations of corn husking and shelling, sorghum making, wheat threshing, blacksmithing, rock crushing, straw baling, and a sawmill operation. Other activities and events other than the parade and quilt show include a bean feed and a draft horse pulling contest. Several food vendors, arts and crafts booths, and other exhibitors will also be present during the weekend.

The show will also feature a garden tractor pull and antique tractor pull, a model train exhibit, an entertainment tent, a Sunday morning worship, and many other events. Admission to all weekend events is $5 per person, which also includes a collector button and admittance to the bean feed that begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Children 12 years of age and younger will be admitted free of charge, but will not receive a collector button.

More than 2,000 people attended the three-day fiesta last year. While there were 18 local businesses that helped sponsor the event last year, there are 23 corporate sponsors this year.

For more information, call Allen Warren at (620) 224-7761.