September 12 festival in East Meredith
Antique tractors, Model A Fords, outboard motors, a 1956 Chevy Belair and a variety of gas and steam-powered engines will be featured at the 32nd Annual Dan Rion Memorial Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest at Hanford Mills Museum on Saturday, September 12 from 10 am – 5 pm.
The Museum’s wood-fired steam boiler plant will power horizontal and vertical steam engines. The event also will feature Mill tours, renewable energy exhibits, children's activities, and live music with the Stoddard Hollow String Band.
Hit and miss engines, model steam engines, water-cooled and air-cooled gas engines also will be on display. The machines, some dating back to the early 20th century, chop, grind, mix cement, split logs, and shell corn. They helped people save time with essential chores.
“The antique engines on display demonstrate the ingenuity of the past,” says Hanford Mills Executive Director Liz Callahan. “The exhibitors have great stories to tell of the hours of tinkering, detective work and mechanical know-how necessary to bring these engines back to working order, and to keep them that way.”
The New York Power Authority will have information about how it generates electricity through hydro power, and have displays on solar and wind energy.
Tickled Pink BBQ will offer lunch items and the Charlotte Valley Presbyterian Church will have pies and drinks for sale. The Stoddard Hollow String Band will perform from 11 am to 3 pm. The Museum’s 70-acre site will be open to explore. The Jamboree is included with regular Museum admission, which is free for children 12 and under, Museum members, and residents of zip codes near Hanford Mills (13757, 13739, 13786, 13750, and 13806).
“The Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest is a trip back to the working past,” says Callahan. “It’s great when visitors see something at the Museum and then recall that their grandparents had a similar item on their farm.”
This season Hanford Mills Museum also will host the Woodsmen’s Festival on October 3. For more information, go to www.hanfordmills.org, or call 607.278.5744.
About Hanford Mills Museum
Hanford Mills Museum is open 10 am – 5 pm, Wednesdays through Sundays, and on holiday Mondays through October 15. Hanford Mills Museum is located at 51 County Hwy. 12, at the intersection of Delaware County Routes 10 and 12, in East Meredith, NY, 10 miles from Oneonta and 15 miles from Delhi. Children 12 and under are admitted free, as are Museum members.
The admission fee for adults and teens (13-64) is $9; and for senior citizens, $7. AAA and military discounts are available.
As one of only a handful of operating water-powered mills, Hanford Mills Museum has earned a place on both the National and New York State Registers of Historic Places. The mission of Hanford Mills Museum is to inspire audiences of all ages to explore connections among energy, technology, natural resources and entrepreneurship in rural communities with a focus on sustainable choices.
For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org or call 607.278.5744.