Field Day of the Past

Early morning is my favorite time of day. Like many parts of the country, our summer here in Virginia was wretchedly hot. Even the pre-dawn hours brought little relief from the heat. Lately, though, our mornings have been cool and the air feels light. It is a pleasure to be up before the sun.

On Sunday, I picked Robespierre up at 7:30 and we headed a few miles west to Goochland County. Our destination was the annual Field Day of the Past. The event actually runs for three full days, and our friend Sam is one of the coordinators.

Field Day of the Past is like an old-time county fair. It features historical displays and exhibits, re-enactments, tractor and truck pulls, small engine displays, arts and crafts, flea market, antique and modern construction equipment demonstrations, and a log cabin with ongoing heritage craft demonstrations.

Permanent exhibits and structures include a working United States post office, a 1930's grocery store and garage, fire lookout tower, blacksmith shop, wood wright shop, ice house, gold mining equipment, Pullman railroad car and engine buildings.

There are also farm animals, antique cars & trucks, and carnival rides. It was a gorgeous, sunny day, and we had great fun roaming the 50+ acres. Robespierre & I arrived there first, but soon we were joined by Morris, and then we met up with Sadie & Sheldon at the Short Pump Garage.

We really had a wonderful time. It was similar in some ways to our state fair, but without the sleaze factor. You are invited to roam through this post just as we explored the grounds of Field Day of the Past. I'll provide a bit of commentary & explanation, but I'm devoting most of the space to images of the late summer event.

The Dream Camper has its own bathroom in tow. It's there to the left with the deer head hanging off the side. Below, Robespierre chats with Sheriff Britches.












Our next stop requires some explanation. This shed is the sorghum mill, and we got to taste the sorghum syrup that was made right there. Sugar cane does not grow well in this area, so sorghum was grown, pressed, and cooked into a syrup for use as an everyday sweetener in the old days. I love the taste!

The green liquid running from the press (below) was mashed from stalks of sorghum. The stalks were fed by hand into the press, which was operated by a belt connected to a farm tractor. The juice from the sorghum cane is then cooked over a fire until a thick syrup is achieved. Exhibits like this really made me appreciate the simplicity of making food in older times.


Our day was a visual feast. I have been fascinated with old automobiles since the time I was a kid, so I took lots of pictures of the antique cars & trucks. I remember my dad talking about his Aunt Liza's (the one who lived in the huge, creepy house) preference for Packards. The one below appears to be a Roadster, probably built in 1930 - possibly 1929.




Below is the cab of a small mail delivery van, with a single wheel in the front and two in the back.


The next picture needs a description, also. This is a James River batteau. Batteaux were essential river conveyances during colonial times & later, able to navigate the James River with their shallow-draft, flat-bottomed hulls. The flat bottoms provided stability and the capability of hauling heavy loads of goods.



I loved this unrestored truck, inside & out.





Little wooden ice cream spoons!





1957!















Pig Races!

1957!







1956 Ford Sunliner...don't you love that name?

Robespierre liked this lawnmower.


The huffing, chugging, clanking, hissing machine below operated the sawmill blade that turned huge tree trunks into smooth, wooden planks. I'll never look at lumber at Home Depot with the same insouciance. Seeing a tree turned into building planks so quickly made me wonder how we can ever grow them fast enough.


That's the end of our tour. You can run off & take a turn on the ferris wheel if you like, but remember you just ate that funnel cake and a cone of homemade ice cream so don't even think about those rides that make you sick everytime you talk me into buying you a ticket. If you do, you're riding home in the back of the pick-up truck.