Farm Museum

"Christmas Past and Present" is the theme of Carroll County Farm Museum's holiday tour, which concludes this weekend at 500 S. Center St., Westminster. Tree ornaments and greenery will be reminiscent of celebrations of the past. Contemporary decorations also will be featured. Christmas music will accompany the tour. Food will be available in the summer kitchen. Also featured are visits from Santa Claus, poinsettia sales, artisan demonstrations and wagon rides. The General Store will be open for shopping.

The Carroll County Farm Museum has announced the winners of this year's Fiddlers' Convention. More than 80 entrants competed for more than $3,000 in prize money. The winners were: Old Time Band: Late for Supper, first place; Martin Family String Band, second place; New Southern Cow Tippers, third place. Bluegrass Band: Sycamore Boys, first; Cuttin Grass, second. Old Time Banjo: Lydia Martin, first; Patrick McCauley, second; Speedy Tolliver, third. Bluegrass Banjo: George F. Wagman IV, first; Jim Greer, second.

Rex Barney didn't make it, and the crowd was smaller than usual, but those who did attend the Community Jubilee Day at the Carroll County Farm Museum on Friday ate, danced, chatted and generally had a good time."

GUESS WHO'S 30 years old this year? While your first answer is probably "The Monkees!", let me suggest there's another correct answer just south of Westminster, right next to Landon Burns Park (no relation).It's the Carroll County Farm Museum, nee county almshouse, that continues to be the county's top tourist attraction and premier cultural resource.The complex of red buildings on 140 acres of suburban landscape is the popular center for festivals and exhibitions through most of the year.

The Carroll County Farm Museum will hold its annual Old-Fashioned July 4 Celebration starting at noon Friday. Visitors can spend the day picnicking on the 140-acre grounds, listening to music, shopping for handmade crafts, learning about life in the 1800s and enjoying the food available for sale. The day will begin with the Explorers youth group raising the American flag on the pole by the stage. Ray Owens will perform from noon to 12:45 p.m., the Old Line Statesmen Barbershop Chorus at 1 p.m., the Back Pages Band from 2 p.m. to 3:45 p.m., the Carroll County Cloggers at 4 p.m. and the Stillwater Band from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. In keeping with the farm museum's 19th-century setting, old-fashioned games such as hoop rolling and jacks will be held for children from noon to 2 p.m., followed by competitive games such as sack races and a lemon relay race from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. For those who prefer more modern fun, a new Kids' Corner will be set up with bounce-and-play inflatables provided by Fun Events LLC of Taneytown.

The Carroll County Farm Museum is 140 acres of agricultural history, with many buildings that offer exhibits detailing farm life from the latter half of the 1800s through the early 20th century. But there is a flip side to the museum that visitors to a seasonal festival or other special event probably don't think about: It is a year-round business, educational center and community-oriented facility. "You've got to be more than a museum," said Dottie Freeman, executive director. "You've got to make sure the first visit will be an enticement for a second visit - you have to have new venues for visitors to enjoy."

Carroll County Farm Museum will celebrate July 4 in its usual grand way, starting at noon and ending with a giant fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Families are invited to spend the day on the grounds of the 140-acre historic farm in Westminster picnicking, visiting the farm buildings and enjoying a variety of entertainment. WTTR-AM radio station will broadcast from the grounds throughout the day. The Westminster Jaycees will return to put on the fireworks display. Bring your food or buy freshly prepared fried chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, sodas, pizza, ice cream and more from the many food vendors on the grounds.

The Carroll County Farm Museum is taking John Adams' advice in organizing its celebration of the 218th anniversary of America's independence."The fourth ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore," Adams wrote to his wife after independence had been declared in 1776.While there won't be a parade, guns or bonfire Monday, there will be just about everything else from noon to 9:30 p.m., when the Westminster Jaycees fireworks display will light up the sky."

Phil Eckard can think of few nicer things to be remembered for than that he was the man who brought the Clydesdales to Carroll County."I hope that I will accomplish more good deeds in my life," said the 32-year-old lifelong resident of Westminster, "but this has been the most exciting so far."Wednesday's overwhelmingly successful visit to the Carroll County Farm Museum by the hitch of eight Clydesdale horses is a testament to vision, dreams, hard work, cooperation and perseverance on the part of Mr. Eckard, sales manager of The Bees Beverage Distributors in Finksburg, and Dottie Freeman, the museum's administrative marketing specialist.

The Carroll County Farm Museum will celebrate autumn at its annual Fall Harvest Days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.Visitors can make a scarecrow for the yard, take a tractor or mule-drawn wagon ride, buy meats, fresh apple butter and Christmas crafts, and listen to live entertainment.Materials are provided for the scarecrow, which costs $8. Wagon rides are $1 and tractor rides are 50 cents.The schedule of entertainment Saturday is: Freewheeling, country band, at 11 a.m.; Whirligig, Irish music, at 12: 15 p.m.; River Hill Band at 1: 15 p.m.; Old Line Statesmen Barbershop Chorus at 2: 15 p.m.; country singer Jessica Andrews at 3: 15 p.m.; and the Carroll County Cloggers at 4: 15 p.m.The lineup Sunday includes Redwood, country music, at 11 a.m.; Stillwater country band at noon; Walt Michael & Company, folk music, at 1: 30 p.m.; Bob Paisley & The Southern Grass at 2: 45 p.m.; and Paradise Club, bluegrass music, at 4 p.m.A puppet theater and show will be presented in the reception barn at noon and 2: 30 p.m. Saturday and at 2: 30 p.m. Sunday.