Hollandia To Host Free Fall Festival

And Antique Farm Equipment Fair

BETHEL — Hollandia Nurseries & Yesteryear Farm Antiques will be hosting the 18th Annual Fall Festival Saturday and Sunday, October 3 and 4. This event will consist of two full days of fun and activities for the whole family, and is free and open to the public.

The event will feature a huge collection of antique tractors, trucks, cars, engines, and farm tools. There will be hayrides, parades, tractor-pulling contests, food, and plenty of fun for the whole family.

Following the success of previous years’ events, the festival organizers expect an even greater turnout this year. According to Hollandia Nurseries’ Kyle Roller, the 2009 Festival will be the biggest yet, with events held on the center’s 20 acres.

“The tractor parade is always good fun and everyone loves a hayride,” said Mr Roller.

“It’s great for the kids and adults alike,” said Eugene Reelick, Hollandia Nurseries owner, and event organizer. “We’re inviting everyone to come out to enjoy some fall fun, and to learn something about the past in the process.”

Everyone involved in the event puts a focus on education. “We hope to show people how things were done a hundred years ago,” said Mr Reelick.

The event’s goal is a preservation of the past. “History is important,” said Mr Reelick. “Some people are unaware how farm work was done in former times. We hope to change that.”

Kids and adults enjoy the antique machines for the same reason. The devices are cool and interesting and seeing them in action allows people to get in touch with their history. “You hear stories. Folks will say, ‘My father had one just like it,” said Mr Reelick. “We hope to keep yesteryear alive today.”

Mr Reelick is a member of a growing group of antique machinery enthusiasts. “We’re a big group,” he said. These devotees continue to go to great lengths to salvage and repair rare engines and tools to working order. At the festival, people can see rare devices they would not be likely to find anywhere else. Past years’ events have featured machines as strange and wondrous as an engine-drive horse treadmill.

According to Hollandia’s Beverley Egan, when it comes to the antique machinery, there is only one rule: no static displays. “From shelling corn to make corn meal, to rock cutting or splitting wood, these machines all do something.” According to Mr Reelick, the machines are admired based upon three primary criteria including, the rarity of the machine, the ease of use, and the machine’s output.

As well as the antique farm equipment, the event will feature all types of antique cars and trucks. Each year, participants travel from as far as New Jersey to display their classic automobiles at the event.

“There are some really beautiful cars and trucks,” said Roller. “It’s so much fun getting to see these machines, all in working order. It’s a great way to get in touch with the past.”

The event will run from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday and from 9 am to 1 pm on Sunday.