The annual Heritage Festival is held the third weekend in September. The dates for the next Festival are September 19th and September 20th. This year’s theme is Celebrate IOWA. Come experience exhibits, competitions, and other assorted activities that celebrate the wonderful history of Iowa through the people, places, and things within this great state! Throughout the weekend, visitors can tour the many museums and historical displays on the grounds. Exhibitors and guests enjoy the live farm demonstrations including grain threshing, log sawing, plowing, ensilage cutting, shingle making, horsepower testing, corn shredding, lumber planning, feed grinding, corn shelling and much, much more. Visitors will also see very rare steam engines, one-of-a-kind trucks and automobiles, large gas engines, and prairie tractors. We welcome those who exhibit all makes and models of farm equipment. Although each year has a feature focus, we have room for displays of all makes and models. There is no fee to exhibit. Admission to the Festival is $10 for all three days. Children aged 12 and under are admitted free. There is no admission fee for exhibitors. CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTORS AND ENCAMPMENT One of the re-enactors is National Blues: 47th Illinois Volunteer Infantry is an American Civil War reenacting unit located in Central Illinois. The unit will take part in the Steam Threshing Festival. Members will arrive Friday, August 1 and be on the grounds for the weekend. Other Civil War reenactment groups are welcome to participate. We would appreciate having other groups participate. The encampment will be located to the east of the entertainment pavilion on the main grounds of Heritage Park. Visitors are encouraged to stop by and visit with the re-enactors who will be dressed and reliving the Civil War era. Re-enactors will march in the Parade of Power Saturday and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Following the parade there will be a battle demonstration. There will be Civil War-era games and toys for the kids at 10 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. There will be a Victorian Ladies Tea at 11 a.m. Saturday and Sunday held near the entertainment pavilion. The National Blues are a family group that provides a progressive authentic style of reenacting. The group mainly portrays Western Federal Infantry but many members branch out to other impressions such as WWII Engineers, WWII Infantry, WWII Russian, Confederate Infantry, Viking Era men and women and much more. For an example of our schedule of events, click here. Convenient Registration Forms: Click here for Exhibitor Registration Click here for Vendor Registration Click here to Reserve Golf Cart Click here for Personally-Owned Golf Cart / Side-by-Side Registration Click here for Camping Registration
