Dean Palmer/Heartland News Service
Blacksmith Joe Allen will again be on hand to display the assortment of tools used in his increasingly rare trade.
WESTFIELD — The Rock House Ruritan Club will be highlighting its rural heritage while adding some new features this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Rock House Ruritan Building, as it hosts the 14th annual Antique Tractor, Auto, Engines and Farm Equipment Show.
Originally organized as a tractor show, the event has grown through the years to include an assortment of classic vehicles and engines and other farm equipment and antiques related to the area’s rural and agricultural culture.
But while becoming more diverse, the show has kept tractors as a featured part of its displays. This year, for the first time, they will be highlighted during a tractor ride along an eight-mile scenic course through the countryside. While open to all tractors on hand, show participants will have the option to forgo the ride if they prefer. The ride is scheduled to begin around 10 a.m.
Another new feature will target youngsters in attendance, giving them the hands-on experience of getting to ride a horse. The horse ride will be overseen by a certified horse trainer who will be on hand throughout the day.
Other featured highlights will include the return of a pair of demonstrations of once popular but increasingly obscure skills. Joe Allen will be on hand to demonstrate blacksmithing techniques, while Adam Haynes will be using a hit-and-miss engine to demonstrate corn mill grinding.
The demonstrations will be part of a full day of food, fellowship and entertainment planned for the annual fundraiser. Tents and shaded areas will be available throughout the day as will concessions. Concessions will include hamburgers, hot dogs, desserts, drinks and homemade ice cream. Flea market vendor space also will be available at a cost of $10 per space. Vendors will need to supply their own tables.
Admission for the day will be free, with funds to be raised primarily by tickets sold for the popular cow bingo game. Cow bingo is scheduled to get under way at 2 p.m. Spaces will be available until that time at a cost of $10 per space.
According to club representative Don Bennett, proceeds will be used by the club to help residents with need in the club’s local community and the surrounding area. The club also supplies two college scholarships each year to area high school graduates. He also noted another goal for the day.
“This is about our heritage,” he explained. “A lot of our young people haven’t seen some of the older farming stuff but it’s so much a part of our area. This goes back to a time when people used to work together and help each other.”
The Rock House Ruritan Building is located on N.C. 268 East, five miles outside of Pilot Mountain. For additional information on the day, Bennett may be contacted at 351-2893 or Todd Gordon can be reached at 368-1145.
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