Celebrate history at Goessel Threshing Days
"Celebrating Our Heritage" is the theme of the 35th annual Country Threshing Days, Aug. 1-3, at Goessel.
Presented by Mennonite Heritage Museum and Wheat Heritage Engine and Threshing Company, the 35th annual event will provide historical exhibits and demonstrations, musical performances, and ethnic food.
The fun begins the evening of Aug. 1 with supper in Wheat Company hall at 5:30 p.m. Tethered hot balloon rides will be available from 7 to 10 p.m., weather permitting. At 7 p.m., God's Country Kansas Band will perform followed by Sons of the Konza Prairie at 8:15 p.m.
Events will begin bright and early the following day with breakfast from 6:30 to 10 a.m. The FFA kiddy barn petting zoo will be open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. At 10 a.m. a parade that includes antique tractors will be on Goessel's Main Street.
Food will be available beginning at 11 a.m.
A traditional Low German meal of verenika with ham gravy, sausage, zwiebach, cherry moos, and cole slaw with drinks will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Goessel Grade School.
From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., verenika with ham gravy, sausage, bierrocks, ham sandwiches, chips, cole slaw, cherry moos, New Year's cookies, and monster cookies with drinks will be served in the Preparatory School on the museum grounds.
In the former Goessel State Bank building on the museum grounds, ham sandwiches, barbecue beef sandwiches, pizza, chips, New Year's cookies, and monster cookies with drinks will be served until 5 p.m. On Saturday, funnel cakes will be available.
Children's "make it and take it" crafts and other activities will be offered from 11:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Uncle Milt's Shed where children can learn and have fun at the same time. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
From 11:15 a.m. to 3 p.m., old-fashioned games for children are sponsored by Goessel Goal Getters 4-H Club, will include three-legged races and tug-of-war every hour and half-hour between the Friesen House and Krause House on the museum grounds. Alternating activities include seed-spitting and egg toss contests.
A bale maze will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
During Saturday afternoon, large engine, sawmill, blacksmith, horse, and pioneer cooking demonstrations will be available. For a fee, covered wagon rides also will be available.
At noon children ages four to 12 can register for the pedal tractor pull which will be held at 1 p.m.
Also at noon is a threshing demonstration with combining to follow.
Musical group Country Cattails will perform at 12:30 p.m. followed by Voices from the Past featuring Johann Duerksen, one of the first to be buried in the Alexanderwohl Cemetery, and Maria Schmidt Koehn. There also will be a prairie tractor demonstration.
Domestic arts demonstrations will be featured during the afternoon.
Horseman Leroy Schmidt will offer some horse sense and a horse harnessing demonstration at 2:30 p.m., followed by a Parade of Power with antique tractors taking front and center.
At 3 p.m., music will be provided by Dulcent Sounds and a threshing demonstration at 3:15 p.m.
The museum and demonstrations will close for the day at 5 p.m.
Supper will be available at 5:30 p.m. and tethered hot air balloon rides and music entertainment the same as Friday night.
On Sunday, breakfast will be available from 6:30 to 10 a.m.
A worship service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Special music will be provided by The Threshermen's Chorus.
Food, children's activities, games, and demonstrations the same as Saturday will be available during the afternoon.
A threshing demonstration will be provided at 12:15 p.m. Sunday, followed with combining. Parade of Power will be at 1 p.m. with domestic art demonstrations in the Friesen House during the afternoon.
The bale maze will be open from 1 to 3 p.m., Voices from the Past at 1:15 p.m., antique tractor pull at 2 p.m., and musical entertainment provided by Hearts For Him also at 2 p.m.
Exhibits will close at 4 p.m. with the museum closing at 4:30 p.m.
Buttons are $5 in advance and $6 at the gate and are good for all three days.
Vendors should call Loren Unruh at (620) 345-3058 for more information.
For more information to exhibit or about the festival, call (620) 367-8342 or (620) 367-2229.
