Faron Wahl, Manager

It’s almost upon us. The details packing the final days of countdown are coming together, and suddenly it’ll be Thursday. The start of Steam Threshing Jamboree 2017.

The core of what we are and where we came from at Prairie Village centers on this 55-year-old threshing show. It was held for four years before the village as we know it even existed. No event can claim deeper roots in an organization’s heritage than that.

And so, we celebrate it in a grandiose manner, paying homage to the people, machines, and highly manual skills by which this rural region was settled and which paved its development since. And it should matter to us. Regardless one’s immediate vocational status, many of us can connect our family dots directly to this state’s early settlers, often with a pretty short line.

The rows of tractors and equipment gracing our grounds are swelling by the hour, some restored to impressive levels and others fun to see in their original, every-day clothes. The sheer variety is stunning. And the bright rows of orange populating the entire section reserved for our feature, Allis-Chalmers, will be a treat for anyone crisscrossing the grounds.

Much will be packed into four days. Leading the trip back in agricultural time will be steam and horse threshing, along with plowing contests and sawmill demonstrations. Daily parades will showcase feature tractors and a palette of other equipment colors, plus cars, horses, and giant machinery.

There’ll be free entertainment in the Opera House, including music and programs about pioneer living. Our railroad will be running solid from Friday through Sunday, also featuring a dinner train by reservation Friday at 6:00 pm. And to highlight Friday and Saturday evenings, you can settle in for the thrills of tractor pulling, with additional pulls Thursday afternoon and Sunday morning.

Campers have been staking their reserved electric site claims since 8:00 Saturday morning, and dozens of others who will be dry-lot camping are setting up as well. Food and drinks have been shuttling in here en masse for days now, setting the stage for our kitchen and many additional food vendors who will tempt your palate as your merriment generates hunger.

The extensive flea market is staked, and by the time Jamboree is rolling you’ll find those pads bustling with the wares of sellers from across the region, and some from further away than that. One could spend a chunk of a day just browsing this expansive north-end offering alone.

We’ll be ready, and you can expect a fine show at the village for our 55th annual Jamboree. Additional details can be viewed on posters hung around the region or at prairievillage.org/jamboree. Do come out and join us. The fun will be rampant!