A scene from a previous Harvest Fest.
The fall of temperatures and hue-turned foliage are now testifying to the transition to autumn. A delightful time of year; many call it their favorite season. A period in which we gather to go back to school, watch football, drink cider, and celebrate the bounty of the land.
At 11 a.m. September 27, the last Sunday of the month, the 16th annual Vicksburg Harvest Festival will commence. The affair will enliven the Vicksburg Historic Village at 300 N Richardson with antique engine demonstrations, live woodturning, games, crafts, and animals, both big and small. The Historic Village itself is an attraction; a bespoke time capsule of relocated supercentenarian structures and lovingly crafted replicas. The Harvest Festival will close at 5 p.m. and in those hours feature so much more than the above!
With six hours of festival and over 8 acres of park, the celebration encourages attendees to stroll along the gravel paths at a leisurely turn-of-the-century pace. Each building is a destination, with many showcasing their former function in demonstrations. The great red barn near the north end of the grounds is not easily missed and is an excellent place to start a trip around the village. Originally constructed in the 1880s, it once stood on the Merrill farm east of town and will house the West Michigan Woodturners. Stop in to learn and watch them work!
Next door is the farmhouse from the Oswalt family and the 1860s. Here, families can see early twentieth century laundry techniques and catch a ride on one of two horse-drawn wagons. Just south of the barn, the animal zone abounds with all kinds of creatures to marvel and some to touch.
Further down the path is a 123-year-old one-room school with a fun-to-pull bell, the information tent, and literally tons of beautiful vintage tractors on display courtesy of Kalamazoo Valley Antique Engine and Machinery Club. Make sure to inquire about their homemade ice cream!
Right there in Grace’s Grove, Generous Hands and South County Community Services will have games and mini pumpkins for kids to play and create. Directly across the way is a recreation of an early era village garage where patrons can take a quick tour about town in one of the Smoker’s Model A’s.
Vicksburg Arts will have their Creation Station between the village garage and printshop, which always coaxes any latent imagination and inspiration. In the print shop one can see a firsthand production demonstration of older social media. Gaze back into the not so far removed past and see how things like the paper in your hands used to be printed.
In the center of the village is the gazebo, where you might catch some live local music, and throwing a stone northwest or southwest will strike the township hall and sweet shop and general store respectively. The hall was once the actual Brady Township Hall and at the fest, folks can hear stories read aloud regularly.
Over at the general store, view all manner of provisions necessary for life in an early 1900s village. The sweet shop will host Apple Knockers, selling tasty cold treats and hot dogs! All over the grounds, food trucks and other vendors will have on offer fantastic fare and refreshing delights.
At the northmost point of the Historic Village is the community pavilion which will be full of crafts, produce, and more. Many of these local merchants also participate in the Vicksburg Famer’s Market. Here children can get their faces painted by two artists while their parents shop.
At the southern edge of the Vicksburg Historic Village is the Union Depot Museum. This unique 1904 building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Here visitors can view entries in the pumpkin decorating contest, pick up a copy of this year’s business directory full of our sponsors and local history, and query our museum curator. Those that wish to enter the pumpkin decorating contest can do so by delivering their project to the Union Depot Museum on Saturday, September 26, between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The contest is open to all ages and application forms are available online at vicksburghistory.org and at the Depot Museum on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. in September.
As always, all buildings in the Historic Village will be open for tours. Many will have secret words and items belonging to a village-wide scavenger hunt. Collecting all the images or words on a search sheet will earn a prize at the information tent. Doting docents will be in each building to explain the history and help any wayward searchers. The Vicksburg Historical Society and Historic Village are open during the fall on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. for researching and viewing the collection of artifacts at the Union Depot Museum and on the grounds.
The Harvest Festival is organized by the Vicksburg Historical Society. We look forward to welcoming all, rain or shine, on the last Sunday in September.
