It's Farm Show Week!

Be sure to check out the January program page to plan your visits on the Trails of History this month.

BREAKING NEWS 1/11: Follow @PHMC on Twitter to see all of the PHMC activities and exhibits at the Farm Show.

Yep, it's Farm Show Week, and you know what that means. Folks from farms all over the state displaying their agricultural prowess and folks from suburbs and cities complaining about the smell as they stand in line for potato donuts, fried mushrooms, and milkshakes. It's tradition!

Conestoga Wagon at 2016 PA Farm Show (via Landis Valley FB page)

Seriously though, it also means that PHMC staff will be on hand Jan. 9-16 to help share in celebrating the 100th PA Farm Show (#100PAFarmShow) and more than 100 years of PA agricultural history. Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum has organized an entire room of exhibits (Exhibit Room B) about agricultural practices and equipment that also includes displays from Somerset Historical Center and Pennsbury Manor (thanks to Cindy Reedy at Landis Valley for the photos below) The exhibit room will be staffed from 9 am to 7 pm each day of the Farm Show and there will be informational talks on a variety of subjects at 10 am, noon, and 2 pm daily.

PHMC's booths and exhibits at the Farm Show are nicely grouped together in Main Hall East, along the Maclay St. side of the building (not far from the butter sculpture). So you can easily check in with the history folks and learn about archaeology, century farms, and historic preservation, and get started on the ever-popular historical marker scavenger hunt. (To help you plan, the Visitor Guide is available online - the guide includes historical photos from the PA State Archives.)

The PA SHPO/Century Farm booth is taking shape @PAFarmShow . 2016 Theme : Farms+Family=Heritage. #100PAFarmShow pic.twitter.com/nHlYV8T2th

— PHMC (@PHMC) January 7, 2016

If you aren't able to make it to the Farm Show but want to learn more:

• "The 100th Pennsylvania Farm Show: A Blue Ribbon State Fair" is a great article by John K. Robinson in the Winter 2016 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage
• Pennlive explored Myths and Misconceptions about the Farm Show (including the weather) and shared vintage photos
• PA Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding provided a preview of what to expect at the show

I hope to see you there. I'll be standing by the potato donuts with a milkshake in my hand.

BREAKING NEWS 12 pm 1/8: The new milkshake flavor is Strawberries and Cream. And Somerset Historical Center just posted a photo on their Facebook page of their booth in Exhibit Room B.