June 15 Tractor Show

Administrator — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 01:54:18 +0000

Homeplace on Green River will be the site of the Seventeenth Annual Russell Creek/Homeplace on Green River
Antique Gas Engine and Tractor Show Saturday, June 15 from 9:00 until 4:00 Eastern Time. The show is free for
everything from parking to the activities. There will be a nominal charge for food offered by food vendors.

This is the same well-known gas engine and tractor show sponsored by Garrison Construction for for 16
years. Lewis Garrison moved the show toHomeplace last year because of the added parking and available facilities at
the historic farm.

In addition to the gas engines and tractors there will be other activities including the pedal tractor pull for
young folks that has been so popular at the show over the years. There will also be children’s activities and
a free photography workshop open to all ages between 10:00 EDT and 12:00a.m.EDT. The workshop will be limited to the first 15
persons who sign up by contacting Lindsey Wilson Associate Professor of Journalism David Goguen via e-mail at goguend@at Lindsey.edu.Participants must bring their own cameras. The workshop will begin at the historic Homeplace home.

The show typically draws hundreds of people from a wide area and offers an excellent family experience at little
or no cost.

Homeplace on Green River is located at 5807 New Columbia Road (State Highway 55) on a 200 acre historical farm 14
miles north of Columbia and five miles south of Campbellsville. First settled in 1804 the buildings and grounds at the farm are being restored as a tribute
to the agricultural heritage of South Central Kentucky. It is open to the public and there are events scheduled there throughout the year.
Additional information about Homeplace is available at www.homeplacefarm.org.

A Productive Year at Homeplace

Administrator — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:18:41 +0000

This past year was one of significant activity and improvement at Homeplace on Green River. A number of long-planned projects were started or completed, a second major event was inaugurated and will become an annual activity and the first two weddings on record were held at the farm. There has also been important increased state government interest in Homeplace in 2012. Here is a brief summary of some of those accomplishments.

The sixteenth annual Russell Creek/Homeplace on Green River Gas Engine and Antique Tractor Show, which has been hosted by Lewis Garrison at his Adair County construction business for the previous 15 years, was moved to Homeplace on Green River in June. Homeplace will continue to host the show annually. Hundreds of interested people viewed more than 40 antique tractors at the 2012 event. The 17th annual show will be June 15, 2013.

In spite of heavy morning rains, the 2012 Fall Heritage Festival was successful with approximately 1000 attending. Almost all of the planned activities were able to continue beginning about noon.

Renovation continued on the house including reconstruction of the bathroom and the beginning of a complete renovation of the electrical system which will be completed this spring. Several significant donations of period furniture were received. Some has been moved to the house and some is in temporary storage. The meat house, located next to the original home, is also being stabilized so further renovation can continue this summer.

After several years of planning, the former manure catch basin at the rear of the feed lot was cleaned out and refurbished to establish a fish and duck pond. The brush and trees surrounding the pond were removed and the roof of the spillway repaired and painted. Once the pond fills and work is completed this year including new landscaping, the redesigned pond will be a significant addition to Homeplace.

Stabilization on the bank barn continued in 2012 and will be completed early in 2013. Following its stabilization, much work will remain on barn reconstruction. This will be a multi-year and very expensive project.

The tobbaco barn was renovated with electric and a new compacted gravel floor. It was the site of the first recorded wedding at Homeplace this past year.

Construction of the long awaited trail on the Tebbs Bend Nature and Recreation Area began this fall and should be completed this summer. Trail markers, trail destination points, wildlife viewing stands, maps and trail head information boards should follow this summer. The trail is over three miles long. Access and parking will be at Homeplace and the Tebbs Bend Toll House just before the bridge on Tebbs Bend Road.
In June Matthew Feltner and Olivia Pennington were married in the first recorded wedding at the farm. A large crowd of their family and friends attended the ceremony in the newly refurbished tobacco barn. A second wedding was held at the September Fall Heritage Festival. Two more weddings are scheduled for 2013 and three additional being considered.

Both Cub Scouts and the older Boy Scouts were active again at Homeplace in 2012. A major four day Cub Scout outing involving more than 40 Cubs from Adair, Green, Taylor and Marion counties kept the four legged and winged inhabitants of Homeplace on full alert for four days in mid-June. In November, Eagle Scout contender Nathan Riggs completed a bird watching station next to the bank barn for his Eagle Scout service project. Nathan, with the help of his Campbellsville Scout troop, also cleared and improved the water ram pump trail.

With the help of Taylor County Extension office and the UK Agriculture Department a training seminar on rain gardens was held and a rain garden built at Homeplace next to the corn crib.

Two descendants of the first settlers at Homeplace visited the farm May 21 to see where their father grew up and the farm that was settled in 1803 by their ancestors. Mandy and Ann Hancock’s father, the late George Wade Hancock, was the son of George Hancock and Amanda Tate Hancock who were residents of Campbellsville. Mr. Hancock’s ancestor, Isaac Hancock and his wife, Amanda, built the original 1803 portion of the existing home at the farm.

For the first time at Homeplace this year’s tobacco crop was planted using a no till procedure. Kirby Hancock, Adair County High School agriculture teacher, planted tobacco without first tilling the soil. The procedure produced a very good crop. (Kirby is not directly related to Mandy and Ann Hancock.)

Major renovation of the two grain bins was completed which will promote easier and more competitive leasing of the farm’s croplands for grain production.

An unknown number of families used Homeplace for picnics, hikes and photo sessions. The Board encourages family use of the farm but asks guests leave the farm at least as clean as they found it.

Lindsey Wilson College faculty and students continued to use the farm for outdoor classes in a number of disciplines. Several faculty members and students provided activities for the tractor shows and fall festival including two photography seminars and art projects for children.

This coming year promises to be even busier than 2012. The Homeplace Board and volunteers continue to work on a very ambitious program to make Homeplace an anchor tourist destination and a place that helps preserve and celebrate the great agricultural heritage of Kentucky. The need for committed Board members and volunteers is greater than ever.

Summer Schedule is Growing

Administrator — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:43:36 +0000

Homeplace is planning a busy summer beginning with the Seventeenth Annual Homeplace on Green River Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Show June 15. The most active part of the season for Homeplace will end September 7 with the annual Homeplace Fall Heritage Festival. Both of these events provide a day of family-oriented activity and draw hundreds of visitors from throughout Kentucky. There is no charge for entry to either event. There is a nominal charge for some of the activities and for food available from a number of vendors.

This summer will see the inauguration of a first class walking and nature trail currently under construction with an access point and parking at Homeplace. Much of the trail itself will be located on Taylor County’s adjacent Tebbs Bend Nature Area . It will include walks in the woods, through Green River wetlands and along the river itself with identification signs and viewing areas. The trail has been funded by a significant state grant.

In addition to the two weddings already scheduled and three others being considered, there will be a number of other activities scheduled. Homeplace is also open all summer for casual picnics and other family outings free of charge. Come on out and enjoy the unique surroundings at Homeplace.

Homeplace Open for Community

Administrator — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 19:56:16 +0000

Homeplace offers many opportunities for area residents. It’s available for use by responsible parties for group or family events, seminars, school classes, youth activities, church events and other meetings. There were two weddings at Homeplace in September this year, one conducted by Taylor County Judge Advocate Eddie Roger. Two more weddings have already been scheduled for the coming year.

There is no charge for informal activities at Homeplace unless equipment/furnishing or utilities are used. For larger groups, please call one of the members of the board executive committee to have your activity approved by the board and scheduled. Casual small group or family visits to Homeplace for a hike or picnic are welcome anytime. If you visit Homeplace, please clean up and take any trash with you when you leave. The dumpster is for large scheduled events only.

The board would like to increase the use of Homeplace for seminars and workshops. For example, this past year there have been two free photography workshops offered and if there is interest we can schedule another one. If you would like to use the facilities for a seminar or workshop, contact an executive committee member.

New Duck Pond is Launched

Administrator — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 17:32:28 +0000

Construction of the long-planned duck pond at Homeplace is now well underway. Located at the end of the feed lot across from the tobacco barn, the old pond has been cleared and will be refilled and landscaped, hopefully this spring. The pond is one of many planned projects at Homeplace. If you would like to help with completion of the duck pond, let us know. It will be a significant addition to the farm.

Fall is photo time at Homeplace

Administrator — Sun, 28 Oct 2012 19:53:20 +0000

This is the time of year for photographers and others who enjoy the fall leaves to stop by Homeplace on a nice day. This year Homeplace has attracted a number of both novice and professional photographers because of it’s great scenery and historic buildings. The trail down to through the woods that begins (and ends–it’s a circular trail) just across from the two metal grain bins between the house and the animal barn has been significantly upgraded. It’s up and down a fairly steep trail and sometimes is slippery, so please be cautious.

College Students Serve Homeplace

Administrator — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 19:44:45 +0000

Twenty students from Lindsey Wilson College volunteered at Homeplace September 19 as part of the college’s annual Malvina Farkle community service day. The students worked on putting away many of the things used in the September 8 Fall Festival, cleaned the floor of the tobacco barn, worked on the rail fence, picked up trash on the trail, worked on the feed lot garden and did a variety of other chores.

In the past four years Lindsey Wilson students, staff and faculty have contributed more than 2400 hours of their time in a variety of projects. These include cleaning the stream of old rusted farm equipment, stripping wallpaper in the residence parlor, cleaning hay out of the loft, widening the trail to the cave spring, painting the corn crib barn, weeding and mowing, cleaning the paths in the corn maze, cleaning the cattle barn, building walls for a storage room in the mule barn, cleaning & preparing the house for the quilt show, moving lumber for restoring the bank barn, etc. Much of this work is thanks to the Freshman Seminar and Project Success which require community service.

Malvina Farkle Day is an annual day of community service at LWC. Classes are canceled and offices are closed so students, faculty and staff can participate in community-service projects. The day is named in memory of a mythical and legendary Lindsey Wilson alumna and staff member who was known for her community spirit and practical jokes.

The college also uses Homeplace as an outdoor classroom for a variety of academic disciplines including biology, art, communications, journalism, photography and history. Business students have prepared a business plan for the farm.

Fall Heritage Festival Overcomes Rainy Start

Administrator — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 17:44:01 +0000

The Homeplace on Green River’s fifth annual Fall Heritage Festival September 8 drew lots of fans in spite of a day that began with heavy rain. As soon as the rain stopped, about 11:30 CDT, people began to arrive for the fun and to join the hearty few who came earlier in spite of the rain. By the time the music stopped, the rides ended and the food vendors left, several hundred had taken advantage of the festivities.

As usual, the mule wagon, barrel train and petting zoo were among the most popular activities. New this year was a pedal tractor pull for smaller children which was busy all day. For the first time the petting zoo included a camel and two llamas.

Everyone adapted very well to the somewhat soggy terrain and while the pony and hay rides had to be cancelled the rest of the show went on. Almost all of the artists and crafters who arrived early in the morning waited out several hours of heavy rain and stayed until the end of the day. They offered a variety of creative and useful products ranging from paintings, ceramics and photos to doll clothes and hand crafted items in a variety of materials. There was lots of food–everything from rib steaks to hot dogs. And, lots of ice cream.

Homeplace is entirely dependent upon volunteers, and as usual the volunteers arrived to help set up, drive the barrel train and mule wagon, answer questions, organize the activities and at the end of the day clean up what little was left. A group of young people from Ecuador and Colombia visiting the United States for three weeks sponsored by the Kentucky YMCA Youth Association arrived by bus and was most helpful all afternoon including helping clean up. They were among the last to leave at the end of the day. One thing none of the volunteers had to do was to pick up litter, because festival goers were careful to use the trash barrels and recycling containers. At the end of the day the grounds looked like they had been swept clear, but they were never cluttered in the first place.

Mark September 7, 2013, on your calendar for the Sixth Annual Homeplace on Green River Fall Heritage Festival. The Homeplace volunteers plan to be there and hope you will be there too. If you would like to join them and help at Homeplace or like to receive the Homeplace quarterly newsletter, contact one of the Homeplace board members listed on this Web page or email kolbensc@gmail.com.

Photos from tractor show

Administrator — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 21:03:51 +0000

Here is a selection of photos from the Saturday, June 16 Russell Creek/Homeplace on Green River Antique Gas Engine and Tractor Show. If you don’t see yourself in one or more of these photos you were not there.

Cub Scouts Gather at HP

Administrator — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:34:12 +0000

More than 50 Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts spent the week of June 11-15 at Homeplace on Green River attending the Old Kentucky Home District Cub Scout Day Camp. Six Cub Scout packs assisted by a group of older Boy Scouts from Adair, Green, Marion and Taylor counties also camped over night at the historic farm June 14. Among the activities were hiking, nature studies, competitive games and a very interesting session on American Flag etiquet including a somber ceremony where they burned a flag. The proper way to dispose of a soiled or damaged flag is to burn it in a very specific way.

The Scouting program has held a number of camp outs at Homeplace since the historic farm was first opened in 2001. It is an ideal location for such outdoor activities. If you are interested in schduling an event at Homeplace on Green River, contact the Taylor County Extension Service in Cambellsville at 270-465-4511.