|
Event/Site:
Southeast Old Threshers' Reunion at the FarmPark
in Denton
Date: June 30th - July 4th. Music every
afternoon and evening. Events begin at 9:00am. Trams available from
9:00am to 5:00pm.
Type: Annual five-day festival at
a museum-park celebrating "the past, its machinery
and way of life," and featuring country and bluegrass
music, with performances by national and regional
musicians, crafts, and regional food.
Location: The Denton FarmPark is
located at 1072 Cranford Road, west of NC Hwy 109
just south of Denton, NC. Click
here for a map.
Cost: Admission: $11 per day for
adults and $6 for children age 12 and under. Preschool-aged
children are admitted free. Campsites with water and
electric hook-up available for $20.
Parking: Free. Parking is adequate
for bus tours.
Special Needs Access: Venue is fully
accessible.
Signage: Signs at location and en
route.
Sponsor: Denton Farmpark
Web Site: www.threshers.com
Contact:
Karen Miller
Denton Farmpark
1366 Jim Elliott Road
Denton, NC 27239
(336) 859-2755; (336)859-3663 (fax); karenlm@lexcominc.net
managers@threshers.com
Description of Event: The festival,
billed as the "greatest collection of steam, gas,
and antique farm equipment show in the Southeastern
U.S.", attracts about 60,000 each year for the five-day
reunion in Denton. People have been coming back year
after year, mostly for the fellowship, but also for
the tractor pulls, cotton gin, petting zoo, and other
farm equipment demonstrations–and for the music.
There is always music, featuring scheduled stage performances,
but also the kind of jamming that goes on at bluegrass
festivals and fiddlers conventions. Situated in a
hotbed of bluegrass and gospel talent, the Threshers'
Reunion jam sessions have been described as "some
of the best you ever want to hear."
History of Site/Event: The event
featuring airplane rides originated in the early 1970s
on the site of a former airport. Eventually the event
added exhibiting antique farm machinery to entertain
people waiting on line for the rides, and in the 1980s,
the event focussed exclusively on the farm machinery.
At that time, the site was developed into the Farmpark,
and the Southeast Threshers Reunion was born.
Description of Site/Facility: Formerly
the Denton Airport, the Denton Farmpark is a 100-acre
museum park with pastures and meadows; exhibit building;
covered music pavilion; and a variety of restored
old buildings, including a country store, post office,
and blacksmith shop; bath and restroom facilities;
food and refreshment buildings; camping areas; a significant
collection of antique farm machinery; and a working
steam locomotive on the 1.5 mile Handy Dandy Railroad
Significance of Site/Event to the Community:
Without losing its regional appeal, the antique
farm machinery show and its 100-acre home have significance
on a state and national level. Local people attend
this event, as do repeat visitors who come from all
over specifically for the Reunion. Traditional music
traditions are an integral part of the festival and
blend well with the agricultural roots focus of the
event.
|
