Yesterday was a wonderful day at the Eastern Shore Threshermen & Collectors Assoc. Inc. at their annual celebration of farm life, agriculture, steam power, and community. Seeing these antique engines and farming equipment up close in motion is almost like watching a movie rolling in front of you, seeing people cutting boards and threshing wheat in simple ways that for decades were life-sustaining means of survival. But there's something different here in Federalsburg - not just the presence of family and descendants of those who began this traditon over sixty years ago, but there's a rare attribute one can feel and see; conversations and demonstration, folks proud and eager to show off their history and heritage. They don't hold back or treat you like a stranger; a gentleman leaped up as I leaned in for a closer look at an old machine noisily processing ears of corn, handing me one and pointing to the spot to feed it to the corn gobbler. Watching the naked cob emerge as the kernels tumbled into a bucket, he explained "kids won't remember anything about this show by Tuesday - but I give them the ear of corn, tell them where to place it in the machine, and then get to actually make that connection of watching the process. Maybe they'll remember that." Those words and his simple corn sheller are there to teach and show, telling the story of life in decades past, hard work that is all too often, forgotten in our super-techie life of today.
You can see examples like this all over the grounds of the Threshermen's Association; wheat being threshed by the same machines used the year this festival began in the 1960's - the founders of this event may be gone, but all over the property, reminders and tributes pay respect to an incredible annual tradition.
Today, Sunday August 3rd, is the final day for the show. Next year one of my goals would be to help promote it through my pictures or writing, because it's one of the quality celebrations taking place right here in our own area. Enjoy the photos! More to be added later today.
#threshermensshow #steamengines #federalsburg #easternshorethreshermen
#ESTA2025 #antiquetractor
