A chance to experience farm life in days gone by returns to Butler County Saturday, October 29. Old Time Farm Days kicks off at 9 a.m., running until 4 p.m. at the OTFD site on Sandcutt Road in Greenville.

This year a special group will be in attendance, says  OTFD founder, retired educator Carey Thompson.

“We will have a meeting of Farmall tractor owners from across Alabama that Saturday morning,” said Thompson. “After lunch they will be going to Montgomery to scout out the location for the National Red Power Round Up to be held here in Alabama in 2017. So this will be drawing folks from Huntsville to Mobile this year to our event.”

Vintage and antique tractors from Ford and John Deere to Farmall and McCormick are always a big draw for the event. Thompson says the annual Tractor Parade and Slow Tractor “Race” on Saturday afternoon is a proven crowd-pleaser, as are activities such as the Cake Walk and Pedal Tractor Race.

“We also have a group of ladies who will be coming and doing quilting demonstrations throughout the day this year,” said Thompson.

Folks will once again get to enjoy old-fashioned syrup cooking, saw mill and peanut thrasher demonstrations during the course of day, along with blacksmithing, cow milking, petting zoo and much more.  There are also plans to have teams of horses loading logs in wagons as at past OTFDs.

A little-known attraction will also be in place for the kids riding the mini-train, Thompson says.

“We have an old-time moonshine still set up in the woods with Kenneth Solomons hiding from the revenuers . . . the children on the little train get a thrill out of his routine,” he explained.

Attendees can also expect to see William McCormick’s homing birds take flight during the day and return home to roost, always an amazing sight, Thompson said.

Once again concessions will be available most of the day at the OTFD kitchen with a number of vendors on the site offering a variety of crafts, homemade baked goods, home-canned items and more to attendees.

While the main OTFD event is Saturday, many local students K-5 through fifth grade, along with teachers and parents, visit the site between 9 a.m. and noon, Friday, October 28 for School Day.

“The School Day has become really popular for us,” says OTFD board member Rusty Parrish. “We just ask that the teachers call us and give us a head count so we know what to expect.” Admission on School Day is $1 per person and students are asked to bring a sack lunch. 

Whether they attend on Friday or Saturday, OTFD’s founders hope its visitors make memories and learn something interesting along the way.

“We founded this event back in 2005 to entertain and educate our younger folks about life on a farm 50-100 years ago and bring back good memories for the older folks . . . and that’s what we keep working at doing and improving,” said Thompson.

Contact Rusty Parrish at 334-404-5506 for more information on School Day or to book a class. For general OTFD information, contact Carey Thompson at 334-382-2295.