Another great year for Carstens Farm Days is in the books. Combine good weather and lots of great visitors with lots to see, do and eat, and you have a great time.
Many people joined us both Saturday and Sunday for breakfast which was served by Hodges Smoke House Catering from Minden, Iowa, and featured scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits and gravy, coffee and juice.
Of course, after a full breakfast and needing to walk off their breakfast, people began to wonder around the many exhibits on the Farm and also to visit the many crafters. We had 54 crafters selling everything from bird houses to antiques to cute towels and blankets to .... well, you name it, and it was there!
Lunch was also served by Hodges Smoke House Catering with many tasty selections. The Shelby Trailblazers 4H Group served pie, the Neola Busy Members 4H Club served pop, water, nachos and popcorn. The Feed Trough also served blooming onions, sweet potato fries and lots of other goodies. Needless to say, there was something there for everyone!
Special thanks to the AHSTW FFA Group for their help in picking up trash and keeping the grounds looking good.
Many thanks to anyone who helped with field demonstrations. There were a lot of our usual helpers out there as well as a lot of the FFA kids and other younger ones who joined in.
We have a lot to be thankful for. This Farm is run solely by volunteers. From the people who mow and keep the weeds down all season; to the people who do the corn maze each year; to the people who keep the flower gardens beautiful; to the people who keep the house clean and organized; to the guys who operate the steam shed; to the Sawyer family for bringing their steam engine to the show; to the people who work in the registration shed during Farm Days; to the people who operate the sawmill, the broom shop, the blacksmith shop, and do the threshing and field demonstrations; to Jan Hursey and Marilyn Evans and all the women who help create the quilt for the quilt show; to Leora Dittmer for operating the rug loom (especially for the hours spent threading the loom); to Dianne Ehlers for managing the campground; to everyone on the Board of Directors for overseeing everything; to the vendors, to those who brought small engines, tractors and equipment to display; to the people putting on the parade; to the people at the admission gate; to the people who help with parking the cars; to the parametics and area fire departments; to those who help with Kids Day; to those who take pictures and provide them to us; and to the visitors each year, WE THANK YOU.
To anyone who volunteered in any way, both throughout the year and during Farm Days, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. It is because of our volunteers that we are able to keep this Farm going.
This year, Lance Scott got some great pictures of the field demonstrations, and Amy Hursey got some great shots of things going on as well. The slideshow below are pictures from Lance and Amy.
We recently added a new feature to Carstens Farm. We hope you noticed it at Farm Days this year!
A Past Friends of the Farm Memory Tree* has been added near the Registration Shed to pay tribute to our friends who have supported Carstens Farm with a monetary donation in their passing.
This Tree also includes the names of our corporate sponsors.
Please be sure to check it out!
*For more information on the Memory Tree, please contact one of our Board Members.
First Aid Station
We also added a First Aid Station near the Food Stand.
This is still a project in the works, but it will be up and active by Farm Days in 2019.
Please be sure to check out the 2018 Newsletter page!
Please also remember that annual dues are now payable!
And, finally, we thought this might make you smile!
Back in 2011, Madeline Hursey captured this picture of Lyle Olsen and his grandson, Tucker, walking down the lane at Farm Days.
This year, we got a picture of them again.
Hope you can join us next year for
Farm Days 2019!
September 7 & 8, 2019
See you at the Farm!!
Carstens 1880 Farmstead, Inc. PO Box 302 • Shelby, IA 51570 (712) 544-2341 www.carstensfarm.com
