For a 59th year, the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will bring festivities to Bourbon County throughout the weekend at the Fairgrounds, beginning with a downtown parade on Main Street Thursday evening at 6 p.m.
“We’ve got a big show this year,” president David McCord said of the event during the Chamber Coffee Thursday.
The event will include activities such as straw baling, rock crushing, sawmill operating, wheat threshing, corn husking and plowing demonstrations as well as tractor pulls Friday through Sunday and with equipment and machinery on exhibition throughout the weekend.
For the first time, the event will include a machinery auction to be held Friday at 1 p.m. Already, Allen Warren said they have a large collection of items to be auctioned off with more still coming in.
Participants in the auction will pay a 5 percent commission on their sold items. The proceeds will go towards building a storage barn to house the event’s equipment, such as the steam engine that turns 100 this year.
This year, an exhibit of Case tractors will be on hand, including about 20-30 tractors brought to Fort Scott from south of Parsons from a collector. Already, three trips have been made to bring in the tractors and more are on the way.
“It’s really unusual to have one collector bring that many tractors,” Allen said, saying they are fortunate to have it this year.
A writer from a Case farm equipment magazine will be present to see the collection of tractors the Pioneer Harvest Fiesta will feature.
The weekend will also have a quilt show, with members of the community bringing quilts to display while local and out of town vendors will also bring quilts to sell. Country Cupboard, Country Peddler, Butterfly Boutique, Nine Patch Quilt and Fabrics of Nevada, Mo., and the Country Store Quilt Shop of Carthage, Mo., will be present.
“We just have a room full of quilts,” said Jackie Warren, who helped organize the event along with her husband Allen, adding that one of the quilts displayed is over 100 years old.
Those attending the event over the weekend can vote on their favorite quilt on display and the winner will receive a gift certificate to Nine Patch Quilt and Fabrics of Nevada, Mo. There will also be hand and machine quilting demonstrations as well as loom weaving.
Allen said each year the event has had a large number of participants as well as sponsors show their support.
“Our community supports this,” Allen said. “Without our corporate sponsors we wouldn’t be able to have a Pioneer Harvest Fiesta.”
Participants can attend the entire weekend of events, including a meal Friday evening, with the purchase of a $5 button. A schedule of the weekend events is available at the event’s website.
