The popular Field Day of the Past program is moving from Goochland to Redfield Farm in Amelia County.
The 29th annual event will be held Sept. 17-19. The move comes following a search which lasted more than a year to find a new site for the show. In 2019, Rockville-Centerville Steam & Gas Historical Association, host of the annual Field Day of the Past, lost its lease on the property where the event took place for almost three decades, a release stated.
The loss left organizers scrambling to find a new home for its myriad collections of artifacts, antique buildings and equipment, and varied attractions. Last year, COVID-19 all but halted the search, which resumed early this year. The Amelia site was located in the spring and negotiations have been ongoing since that time, with an agreement reached only recently.
Field Day of the Past grew from a one-day community event in 1992 to a three-day extravaganza which drew more than 40,000 people in its last years in Goochland, with visitors coming from up and down the East Coast to experience or participate in this yearly event.
The show appeals to a wide range of interests and to people of all ages. Its program includes for children, music, historic presentations, antique machinery, much of which is operational, and many other attractions designed to entertain families.
With its agricultural and educational roots, Field Day has featured traditional lifestyles of America’s past through sorghum molasses making, ham smoking, sawmilling, blacksmithing and similar trade demonstrations. The display of large diesel engines and small “putt putt” engines, emphasizes the Industrial Era in America. Over the years, historic presentations were added to the program mixed with typical county fair activities such as a carnival, arts and crafts, commercial and corporate vendors and truck, tractor and lawn mower pulls. Children’s activities, music and historic buildings provided Field Day of the Past with a flavor of country homecomings and the historic buildings added yet another dimension to the event’s persona.
For information on Field Day of the Past, visit the website, which is being updated regularly, at www.fielddayofthepast.net, email fielddayofthepast@gmail.com or call the office at 804-741-8468.