SIDNEY – The 33rd annual Buckeye Farm Antiques show will be held Memorial Day weekend, May 27 through 29, from 9 a.m. until sunset at the Shelby County Fairgrounds, and will feature fun for all ages.
General admission will be $5 and kids 12 and under are free. Activities and events for the duration of the festival will include a craft show, flea market, quilt display, tractor parts area, wood sculpture, blacksmith, shingle mill, petting zoo, and children’s activities. The Don Zink memorial tractor pull will be held on Saturday, and the car, truck, and motorcycle show and the kiddie tractor pull will be held on Sunday. New this year will be a Civil War encampment, which will occur on Saturday and Sunday. There will also be food trucks on site.
Several John Deere and International Harvester tractors, engines and equipment will be on display, as well as the possibility of Allis Chalmers, Ford, Oliver and Cockshutt tractors. For these tractors to be considered classic antiques, they must be 35 years old, and antique tractors start at 50 years or older, according to Ed Poeppelman, who has been the president of Buckeye Farm Antiques Inc. for two years and the vice president for about 20 years prior. He also said that the number of vendors and tractors at the festival will depend on the weather.
“If we got a good weekend, it’ll be a great show,” Poeppelman said.
The idea for Buckeye Farm Antiques Inc. started in 1988 when a couple of farm machinery enthusiasts started discussing the lack of a good display of old farm machinery. They decided to create an organization to display machinery and tools at the Auglaize County Fair.
The club has exceeded its goal of just displaying farm machinery since then and has brought in revenue to the surrounding community every year. Poeppelman estimated that when the event was still held at the Auglaize County Fairgrounds, it brought about $1 million to the community through people spending money at businesses like hotels and restaurants. He also estimated that the event had 3,000 to 5,000 people attend in the past, and he expects a similar turnout this year. He said that the people who attend are one of the things he looks forward to every year.
“Seeing people from year to year and people you’ve met here and there. Meet new people, maybe be able to answer some questions that they have,” Poeppelman said. “It’s a busy weekend.”
Buckeye Farm Antiques, Inc. also holds an annual swap meet, which will be at the Shelby County Fairgrounds on Oct. 14 and 15. For a small fee, participants can buy, sell or trade anything from car parts to compactors. There will also be food trucks at this event.
For more information on Buckeye Farm Antiques Inc. visit the website at https://buckeyefarmantiques.com/ or the Facebook page, Buckeye Farm Antiques Inc.
