Young and old alike had the chance to experience plowing with horses, old-fashioned wagon rides, cake walks and “chawin’” on sugar cane on Saturday as Old Time Farm Day returned to Butler County.

With the loss of one of their most enthusiastic board members in an accident earlier this year, a special display in memory of Kyle Arnold greeted visitors as they stepped inside the gate.

Emcees Kyle Haynes and David Norrell of Q-94 Radio kept the tunes spinning and updated the hundreds of visitors on activities and raffles by non-profit organizations such as the Liberty Fire Department and the Butler County Humane Society.  Haynes and Norrell also managed to get some of the more nimble attendees to show off their moves during group dances, with one especially agile older gentleman earning a t-shirt from Haynes.

The ladies of the Avant Homemakers Club were in one corner of the pavilion, busy stitching on several quilting projects, while a volunteer sold raffle tickets on an intricate quilt in rich holiday colors now underway. The monies raised by the raffle of the quilt and the sale of baby blankets and other items on display go to scholarships for local students.

“Homemade” and “handmade” was the order of the day for many of the booths on Vendors’ Row, with everything from home-baked goods and home-canned preserves to local honey, blueberry salsa, wood crafts and hand-stitched children’s attire. Mary Croley, a regular at the event, had many of her whimsical paintings, along with craft items, on display.

The younger set enjoyed climbing the giant haystack to zoom down the slide, pedaling pint-sized tractors and riding on the barrel mini-train. Few could resist the charms of the fuzzy and feathered babies found in the petting zoo.

A big draw for many in attendance was the old-fashioned saw mill, where visitors could watch a log being transformed into smooth planks, as well as the cane mill, where cane syrup “the way granddaddy used to make it” was produced.  Neil Faulkenberry, an OTFD favorite, also drew a great deal of interest with his blacksmith demonstrations.

There was plenty of red to be seen and not just the shade Crimson Tide fans wear. With Farmall tractor owners from across Alabama meeting at the OTFD site Saturday morning to plan for next year’s national convention in Montgomery, the tractor company’s signature color stood out on Tractor Row among the Fords, John Deeres and International Harvesters.

“I have noticed a lot of people from out of town here today,” said attendee Linda Morton. “I’ve talked to some people about the event from here and they’ve never been. I tell them they really need to come out and find out what it’s all about. I always enjoy it!”

Old Time Farm Days kicked off on Friday with School Day. Approximately 400 area students visited the site for some hands-on fun on the farm.