(Aug. 3, 2017) Snow Hill’s 19th annual Blessing of the Combines will honor another seasonal planting cycle this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Parade of Combines is scheduled for 11 a.m. and includes antique fire trucks, tractors, lawn mowers and floats. After traversing the bridge the procession will stop on Green Street, at which point the crowd will be treated to an ear-shattering thrust as the engines are disengaged.
Organizer Becky Payne said a conversation with a trio of cohorts nearly two decades ago helped birth the agricultural-themed event.
“We thought the farmers needed to be honored, so we came up with the combine,” she said.
Payne, whose father was a longtime proprietor of Western Auto in Snow Hill, as well as a farmer, said the suggestion was initially met with skepticism.
“The farmers looked at me and said, ‘Becky we though you lost your mind,’” she said. “Who is going to come out to honor us?”
In sharp contrast to those concerns, Payne said the outpouring of community support was instantaneous.
“The first year the streets were lined and each year since that it has grown,” she said.
Following the opening ceremonies at the Performance Stage, the Route 13 band and the Spence Baptist Praise Band will provide musical entertainment.
The family friendly event features a vendor and crafters row, as well as an antique car show. Local and festival foods are available, as are t-shirts for a keepsake memory.
Payne said there are numerous activities for youngsters, including a barnyard with tractors, a clown, a corn pit, a corn maze, and games, as well as hay wagon and pony rides.
“We try to make everything free for the children,” she said. “The corn maze is children-sized, so parents can still see the tops of their heads.”
Also joining in the celebration is the Lower Shore Land Trust, who will provide lessons about essential animals and insects that aid crop production through its newly installed pollinator garden.
The pollinator garden promotes healthy pollinators through its visible habitat. The public is invited to decorate garden markers to help identify the array of plants.
LSLT will also feature oil paintings by Geo McElroy inside its offices on 100 River Street.
Bishop’s Stock Fine Art, Craft & Wine, on 202 West Green Street, will have Dorchester County based author Barbara Lockhart on hand signing copies of her latest work, “Will’s Tractor,” in addition to her most recent children’s volume, “Mosey’s Field.”
Payne also noted there are a few highlights that adults, as well as the little ones, will enjoy.
“The farmers allow anyone to climb up into the combine to see how large they really are,” she said.
Nearly two decades ago Payne said Pocomoke began a tradition that, to the best of her knowledge, was unheard of at the time.
“We were the only ones in the U.S. that had one,” she said.
Payne noted one of the most emotionally charged moments comes when event organizers release doves to honor farmers who time has taken away.
“It’s so amazing to see the combines come across the bridge,” she said. “To see the kids and adults reactions … I still get chills.”
Festivities kick off at 10 a.m. on Green Street. For more information visit Blessingofthecombines.org
The Parade of Combines is scheduled for 11 a.m. and includes antique fire trucks, tractors, lawn mowers and floats. After traversing the bridge the procession will stop on Green Street, at which point the crowd will be treated to an ear-shattering thrust as the engines are disengaged.
Organizer Becky Payne said a conversation with a trio of cohorts nearly two decades ago helped birth the agricultural-themed event.
“We thought the farmers needed to be honored, so we came up with the combine,” she said.
Payne, whose father was a longtime proprietor of Western Auto in Snow Hill, as well as a farmer, said the suggestion was initially met with skepticism.
“The farmers looked at me and said, ‘Becky we though you lost your mind,’” she said. “Who is going to come out to honor us?”
In sharp contrast to those concerns, Payne said the outpouring of community support was instantaneous.
“The first year the streets were lined and each year since that it has grown,” she said.
Following the opening ceremonies at the Performance Stage, the Route 13 band and the Spence Baptist Praise Band will provide musical entertainment.
The family friendly event features a vendor and crafters row, as well as an antique car show. Local and festival foods are available, as are t-shirts for a keepsake memory.
Payne said there are numerous activities for youngsters, including a barnyard with tractors, a clown, a corn pit, a corn maze, and games, as well as hay wagon and pony rides.
“We try to make everything free for the children,” she said. “The corn maze is children-sized, so parents can still see the tops of their heads.”
Also joining in the celebration is the Lower Shore Land Trust, who will provide lessons about essential animals and insects that aid crop production through its newly installed pollinator garden.
The pollinator garden promotes healthy pollinators through its visible habitat. The public is invited to decorate garden markers to help identify the array of plants.
LSLT will also feature oil paintings by Geo McElroy inside its offices on 100 River Street.
Bishop’s Stock Fine Art, Craft & Wine, on 202 West Green Street, will have Dorchester County based author Barbara Lockhart on hand signing copies of her latest work, “Will’s Tractor,” in addition to her most recent children’s volume, “Mosey’s Field.”
Payne also noted there are a few highlights that adults, as well as the little ones, will enjoy.
“The farmers allow anyone to climb up into the combine to see how large they really are,” she said.
Nearly two decades ago Payne said Pocomoke began a tradition that, to the best of her knowledge, was unheard of at the time.
“We were the only ones in the U.S. that had one,” she said.
Payne noted one of the most emotionally charged moments comes when event organizers release doves to honor farmers who time has taken away.
“It’s so amazing to see the combines come across the bridge,” she said. “To see the kids and adults reactions … I still get chills.”
Festivities kick off at 10 a.m. on Green Street. For more information visit Blessingofthecombines.org