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Summer on the Farm awaits at Sauder Village

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ARCHBOLD - From setting up a wigwam and making rope to churning butter, hand-cranking ice-cream and enjoying festive fiddle tunes - visitors are invited to celebrate Summer on the Farm on Saturday, July 11, at Sauder Village.

One of the most popular family events of the season, the annual fiddle contest and Summer on the Farm event is a great opportunity for visitors of all ages to connect with their past while creating memories together.

Summer on the Farm is a fun-filled event featuring many historic farm demonstrations with plenty of hands-on activities for families to enjoy. At the village's historic Spring House visitors will be able to help make butter with a churn, make hand-cranked ice cream, and watch cream separating demonstrations. Other unique hands-on activities include rope making, gardening, stringing leather britches and grating soap. Visitors will also be able to watch goose picking demonstrations and try their hand at flailing wheat.

Weather permitting there will be threshing demonstrations in the fields and in the 1910 homestead visitors can pick up a recipe and learn more about threshing meals of the past. Visitors can even get involved with the preparations of this bountiful meal by helping to roll and cut out biscuits, churn butter and snap beans or shell peas from the garden.

New this year, visitors can also enjoy a "Threshers Buffet" at the Barn Restaurant. To tie-in with the farming activities in the Historic Village, a special lunch buffet will give visitors an opportunity to enjoy a traditional threshers dinner featuring foods like broasted chicken, ham, mashed potatoes, fruit cobbler and more.

At Natives and Newcomers visitors will have an opportunity to try cordage making and can also help set-up a wigwam. Those who attend the annual Summer on the Farm event will also have an opportunity to try making a traditional hooked rug, play old fashioned games, and watch soap making demonstrations. An old-fashioned spell down will be held in the District 16 School and all ages are encouraged to participate.

"Summer on the Farm continues to be one our most popular events for families at Sauder Village," said Kim Krieger, PR/media relations specialist. "Many visitors enjoy coming to the series of events . . . spring, summer and fall on the Farm, to experience how life on the farm changes with the season. These events really make the past come alive and are a lot of fun too."

Another highlight of this fun-filled day is the 29th annual fiddle contest. Fiddlers from throughout the tri-state region will gather in Founder's Hall to compete in one of two categories, one for students and one for adults. The competition will begin at 1 p.m., and following the tallying of student scores the adult competition will begin. Ricky Prater and the Midnight Travelers will get things going at 12:30 p.m. with their upbeat music and engaging performance style.

"Visitors of all ages always enjoy gathering in Founder's Hall to hear the toe-tapping fiddle music performed by our student and adult competitors," said Jan Nofziger, event coordinator. "Our visitors always appreciate the talented performers who choose to take part in this contest."

Contest participants must play a hoedown and a waltz using old time style and techniques, and each contestant will have five minutes to perform. Judging will be based on a point scale in the areas of fiddle style and technique, rhythm and timing, difficulty of selection, tone quality, and showmanship and crowd appeal.

Sauder Village is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. and Sunday hours are from 12-4 p.m. Every Sunday this season, all children (16 and younger) receive free admission to the village. Regular admission rates are $12.50 for adults, $6.50 for students (6-16) and children 5 and younger are free with family.