This Father’s Day, dads of all ages — and their families too — will enjoy a nostalgic look at tractors, vintage farm trucks, antique engines, and more at Lang Pioneer Village Museum in Keene.
The living history museum is kicking off its 2023 event season with the 26th annual Father’s Day Smoke & Steam Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 18th.
As always, the family-friendly event will see local collectors bring to life antique tractors and steam engines as they compete for more than 20 awards, including Best Unique Exhibit, Best Display, and Lang Pioneer Village’s Choice.
At noon, tractor games (including lawn tractor races) will feature tractors trying to balance on a tilted platform as fast as possible or manoeuvre through an obstacle course while balancing a tin can on a stick.
Visitors can see displays including smoke and steam collectibles, hit-and-miss engines, and antique tool collections, and learn about the many ways power was generated in the 1800s, including at the Shingle Mill, where machines replaced laborious hand production to generate hundreds of cedar shingles in an hour.
There will also be a variety of historic presentations including grinding demonstrations at the Grist Mill, spring-pole lathe demonstrations, broad axe hand hewing demonstrations, natural dyeing demonstrations, spinning demonstrations, and more.
The day also includes tractor and wagon tours of the village, a model train display brought by the Ganaraska Railway Modellers and Jim Burchell, live traditional music by Glen Caradus and Fiddling Jay, school lessons on horse and steam power, and old-fashioned games for the kids in the schoolyard, where they can make a paper whistle to take home. Families can also visit the farm animals on loan from Harley Farms in Keene all summer.
Food options (for an additional fee) include a pancake breakfast in the Peterborough County Agricultural Heritage Building while supplies last, freshly popped kettle corn from Ben’s Kettle Corn, BBQ from Keene Lions Club food truck, fresh Empire Cheese curds available for purchase in the Cheese Factory, and refreshments and sweet treats at the Keene Hotel. For those up for a delicious gastronomic challenge, there will also be a pie-eating contest on the Village Green.
The day will finish with a tractor parade through the village beginning at 3 p.m.
Admission to the Father’s Day Smoke & Steam Show is $15 for adults, $10 for students and seniors 60 and older, and $7 for children and youth ages five to 14, with free admission for children under five. Family admission is also available for $40 and includes two adults and up to four children and youth. Tickets can be purchased in advance or when arriving at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. For more information or to purchase advance tickets, visit langpioneervillage.ca/plan-your-visit/events/smoke-steam-show/.
Other special events at Lang Pioneer Village Museum this summer include the 26th Annual Transportation Day Car & Motorcycle Show on Sunday, July 9th, Village by Lantern Light on Saturday, August 12th, and a Corn Roast on Sunday, August 27th.
Outside of special events, the museum’s summer hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays to Sundays from June 18 to September 3 (the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays to Fridays until June 18).
