55^th Annual Fall Festival Returns to Pioneer Farm

Saturday, Sept. 18 2021
9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Nelson Pioneer Farm & Museum

The Nelson Pioneer Farm & Museum celebrates its Annual Fall Festival this year on Sat. Sept. 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  After its closure during the 2020 season, the Pioneer Farm is excited for its annual celebration of pioneer living. “We’re glad to be back hosting our largest event of the year,” explains Director Margaret Spiegel. “The fact that the majority of our activities are outdoors helps ensure the event can happen without too much disruption from whatever COVID conditions exist at the time.”

The crowd favorites will return this year, including threshing oats with the Woods Brothers steam engine, harvest and field demonstrations using historic equipment, a working sawmill demonstration, the old-fashioned spelling bee in the Prine School, a Pioneer Picnic in Bradbury Hall, and pony rides with Pony-Go-Round in the afternoon. The vintage tractor parade will be at 1:30, right after lunch. New features launching this year include opening a newly-renovated exhibit in the Coal Creek Friends Meeting House and announcing a large upcoming exhibit project for the museum building. NoCoast Beer Co. will also have samples of beer available from a brew specifically created using grains grown at the Pioneer Farm in 2020.

“Despite our closure to public visitation last year, we were busy building community partnerships and making improvements around the site,” Spiegel continues. “We are so excited to welcome our community back for Festival and show off all of our hard work. The number of volunteers and demonstrators continue to grow, allowing us to try new things. We couldn’t grow and improve without our community’s support. We hope everyone can join us this year.”

Be sure to plan an entire day of family fun, since several local 4-H clubs and volunteers lead crafts and games across the site.  Demonstrators will showcase various skills including blacksmithing, rope-making, weaving, spinning, farming with hand tools, and more throughout the buildings and on the grounds. There will also be homemade bread and butter, taffy, honey, and books for sale.

Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students, and kids 5 years and under are free.  All Historical Society members also get in free.  You may contact Spiegel at the Nelson Pioneer Farm to purchase a membership prior to this year’s festival.  Memberships are $20 for families and $12 for individuals and will be active through December 2022.

Also new this year is online ticket sales. Member and non-member tickets are available at nelsonpioneer.org/tickets/ “You can purchase a membership at the time of ticket purchase,” assures Spiegel. “Ticket pre-sales allow for more convenient credit card payments for visitors and helps us plan for food and other items. We’re glad we can offer this option for our guests.”

The Nelson Pioneer Farm & Museum is maintained by the Mahaska County Historical Society and located at 2211 Nelson Lane, Oskaloosa, IA.  If you have questions, you may contact the Director Margaret Spiegel at 641-672-2929 or [email protected]