CONNOQUENESSING TWP — The end of summer may be just around the corner, but that doesn't mean the fun in the sun has come to a close just yet.

After it was canceled in 2020 — the first time in 71 years — the 73rd Butler Farm Show begins Monday and continues through Saturday, Aug. 14. The farm show grounds are at 625 Evans City Road, off Route 68.

“Personally, I expect there to be a really big turnout,” Robin Peters, a junior board member, said. “I just want to see the farm show do really well. I know people really want to get out.”

Gates open at 8:30 a.m. every day and close at 11 p.m.

The farm show junior board will help welcome some new events to the week's schedule, which includes a watermelon-eating contest on Monday.

“We (the junior board) have been doing well in the board's eyes,” Peters said. “There was an availability Monday night, and they kind of gave us the ability to come up with an idea of our own.”

The contest is scheduled to begin about 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Pennsylvania Lottery Pavilion. Contest registration will run up until the start of the event.

Evolution of equipment

No matter what day people decide to visit, the American Heritage Showcase will feature the evolution of farming equipment and will explain the effect these technologies have had on the lives of farmers in the area.

“There's always around 200 tractors sitting outside,” Farm Show president Ken Laughlin said, “along with some single cylinder engines that will be running. A lot of the time they will run an ice cream maker off one of the engines.”

Everything from tractors outside to tools and household items inside will be held on display with demonstrations to back them up.

“Oat-thrashing demonstrations will go on a few times a day,” Laughlin said. “They'll thrash the oats and get the oats off the stalks, then they'll make bales of straw from what's left over.”

While the American Heritage Showcase showcases actual equipment, the Vogel Valley's Miniature Farm Display will contain more than 2,000 toys to show all the aspects of farm life.

“It's really a display for all ages,” Laughlin said. “There's an enclosed trailer with a miniature farm display with 1/20th-scale toys. It's like a city and an agriculture area landscape set up in the trailer.”

Animal shows and contests such as the goat obstacle course Wednesday to the 4-H Rabbit hopping contest Thursday will provide entertainment for visitors.

“There is something going on every single day with the animal shows,” Peters said. “It's really what keeps us so busy. Sometimes there are two shows going on at the same time.”

Dress-up contest

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, people will be able to show off their creativity at Farm Show's first calf dress-up contest in the Dairy Pavilion.

The Randy L. Kummer Arena will have plenty of action, starting with the Truck and Tractor Pull Tuesday, followed by the 4-Wheel Pulling contest Wednesday.

The always-popular Figure 8 Races will take place Thursday and the Demolition Derby is scheduled Friday.

To wrap it up, the Road Semi and Tri-Axle Truck Pull is set for Saturday.

Also new is a coupon book.

“We put together a coupon book this year with coupons that some of the vendors of the Farm Show donated,” said Butler Farm Show organizer Sandie LeFever. “We have around 20 coupons for various food vendors and around 40 coupons for the other vendors at the Farm Show. We are selling the books for $10 each at the farm show office, Agway and Metrick's Harvest View Farm.”

Advance ticket sales can be purchased until Aug. 8 in the Farm Show office. Sales include a strip of six tickets for $35.

Individual tickets can be bought for $8 each at the gate on Monday and $10 each day the rest of the week.

For more information, visit www.butlerfarmshow.com.