The Polk County Historical Society is helping Polk County and the Red River Valley celebrate the history of its origins with Pioneer Day, happening on Sunday, September 11, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Polk County Museum. Admission is free, and everyone is welcome to enjoy the various events, which include music performances, tours, demonstrations, displays, and exhibits. Lunch will also be served, consisting of brats from B&E Meats, Sloppy Joes, pies, coffee, and water, which will be open until the food is gone. The museum will also accept free-will donations and memberships for $15.
The Society will have various displays outside the museum on Sunday that capture the history of the Valley’s origins. “We have a lot of traditional displays, and we rotate through what we have outside, and this year, there’s going to be a display of running “Hit & Miss” Engines, the old “putt-putt-putt” things. I find myself fascinated just watching them move, we don’t think of an engine running with just a little bit of compression then spinning for a long time, they just run all the time,” said Historical Society member Steve Hannah. “We’ll also have our spinning wheel demonstrations, and our longtime friend, Randy Oberg, is going to be in the blacksmith shop.” Along with those displays, the Point Paradise Stables from East Grand Forks will give free wagon rides around the museum grounds from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. There will be musicians playing throughout the afternoon in the Centennial Building. The musicians include the fiddlers Double The Trouble at 1:00 p.m., the one-man band and fiddler Alex Conwell at 2:00 p.m., and the Ross Sutter Musicians at 3:15 p.m. in the Hafslo Church.
At the same time, the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Museum on Fairfax Avenue will be holding its 17th Annual Harvest Festival from 10:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If people wish to travel to the museum for their event or would like to return to it later, T.H.E. Bus will be running between the museums every half hour to both museums. “We run T.H.E. Bus back and forth every half hour, so if you want to park in one place and see both events, it’s a nice way to do it without having to move your car and find parking again,” said Hannah.
If you have any questions about Pioneer Day or other things about the museum, you can contact the museum during their regular hours of noon to 4:00 p.m. on Tuesdays to Sundays at 218-281-1038.
