The Ag History Project has had an exhibit at the annual Santa Cruz County Fair each year from the Project’s beginning. Our first year’s exhibit was in a small 10’x10’ space in the Harvest building giving out samples of wheat to children and explaining how wheat is used in our daily life. The second year we took half of the Harvest Building and created a Wheat Field with real wheat stubbles. A threshing machine was set up, belted to Ken McCrary’s Steam Engine from Big Creek Lumber.
In our third year we introduced Yesterdays Farm and have been doing it ever since.
This year we will have an exhibit on wheat again , but this time we will be threshing the wheat just like it was done before the Industrial Revolution. Wheat will be threshed on a wood floor, cleaned, and then ground before your very eyes into flour. At the end on the demonstration, Claudia Scott will bring out a loaf of Bread made from wheat that was ground the previous day and baked in Claudia’s Kitchen.
Other activities that you can enjoy are: the Kid’s Tractor driving in the Race Track Area, the Spinners and Weavers exhibit in the Codiga Center and Museum, the Early Day Gas Engine and Tractor Association exhibits on the lawn area, and every evening we will be having the Tractor Parade.
Our volunteers will be demonstrating how to restore a piece of equipment and will be happy to take the time to visit with you. Silva’s Clydesdale Draft Horses will be back and so will Kim Kobow, the Horseshoe Specialist. Both of these demonstrations draw a lot of attention at AHP. And while you are at AHP’s site, notice all of our new signage that was installed this past year. It’s all part of making AHP a place for us to learn about the History of Agriculture on the Central Coast.
See you at the Fair!