Macungie Agricultural Field Days
by
David C. Semmel
The Borough of Macungie lies at the base of the South Mountain, or sometimes referred to as the Lehigh Mountain, as it crosses through Lehigh County. Between Macungie and Fogelsville to the north are many acres of rich limestone soil, suitable for growing corn, grains, alfalfa, and vegetables including potatoes and tomatoes. Poultry, Dairy, and Beef were also to be found on the many well-kept farmsteads in the vicinity of Macungie, and there were many business firms that catered to the needs of the farmers and were the outlets for the farmer’s products. Feed and grain mills, fertilizer dealers, farm machinery dealers, produce buyers, seed dealers, plus good transportation, first by railroad and later by motor trucks were all conducive to a healthy agricultural economy. The Macungie Grange was a strong and viable force in the community, attracting farmers, their wives, and children to their meetings, cultural, and social events.
In 1950 there was a large indoor exhibit of Farm Machinery in the hanger at the Queen City Airport, the hanger now used by the City of Allentown for a municipal garage. With this large exhibit there was also a plowing contest that took place between the paved runways. (The entire area of the airport was formerly farms owned by the Good Shepherd Home, until the farms were confiscated for the airport during World War II when fighter planes were produced in a part of the Mack Truck plant.)
At the end of WWII, the foresighted people of Macungie realized the need to preserve some open land within the borough, and Macungie Memorial Park came into existence. The Macungie Grange entered the picture and the Macungie Field Days were born. The event held in 1950 in Allentown was transferred to the Macungie area in 1951, using various farmers’ fields to conduct the plowing contests over the years. Programs were held at the Park bandshell, the awards ceremonies nearly always attracting the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture and a few times the Governor, other officials, and political candidates. The park area was filled with farm machinery displays set up by dealers who sold all the various brands: Allis-Chalmers, Case, Co-op, Ford, Ferguson, Food Machinery Corporation, Hardy, John Deere, Massey-Harris, Minneapolis-Moline, McCormick-Deering, International Harvester, Myers, Oliver, Silver King, Sheppard Diesel, plus the crawler tractors like Caterpillar, Cletrac, and Terratrac. Many of those brands are gone, some merged, but those large displays attracted farmers from several counties. The displays outgrew the park and for a few years the east side of Main Street going up toward the mountain was still in farm fields (no houses there in the early 1950’s). That area up the hill along Main Street was filled with new farm machinery, illuminated at night like a Fair or Carnival area. It was all visible from the band shell and the late Miles Horst, then Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, made distinct mention of, and gave praise for the giant display, also thanking the sponsors of The Macungie Field Days, the plowing contestants and the general public who patronized the agricultural extravaganza.
Winners from the plowing contest at Macungie went on to the state contests held at various locations throughout Pennsylvania: Bedford County, Penn State, York County, Hershey, and in August 1961, the Pennsylvania state plowing contest was a part of the Macungie Field Days. However, interest was waning, the newspaper reports indicated that attendance was declining, as were the machinery exhibits. World War II had seen the intensity in farming increase to fill the huge demand for food, but by 1960 the bloom was fading. The Macungie Field Days were probably no longer financially viable and there were needs for funds to improve Macungie Memorial Park. Talk of a swimming pool, a second story on the Memorial Hall, a new food stand, the horse rink, were but a few items for consideration. Along with The Macungie Field Days, there had also been some antique auto events, known as an Antique Auto Derby, sponsored by the Macungie Business Association. This evidently was the seed needed, as the Macungie Field Days sponsored by the Macungie Grange came to a gradual end in 1963, and Das Awkscht Fescht made its debut in1964.
In 1950 there was a large indoor exhibit of Farm Machinery in the hanger at the Queen City Airport, the hanger now used by the City of Allentown for a municipal garage. With this large exhibit there was also a plowing contest that took place between the paved runways. (The entire area of the airport was formerly farms owned by the Good Shepherd Home, until the farms were confiscated for the airport during World War II when fighter planes were produced in a part of the Mack Truck plant.)
At the end of WWII, the foresighted people of Macungie realized the need to preserve some open land within the borough, and Macungie Memorial Park came into existence. The Macungie Grange entered the picture and the Macungie Field Days were born. The event held in 1950 in Allentown was transferred to the Macungie area in 1951, using various farmers’ fields to conduct the plowing contests over the years. Programs were held at the Park bandshell, the awards ceremonies nearly always attracting the Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture and a few times the Governor, other officials, and political candidates. The park area was filled with farm machinery displays set up by dealers who sold all the various brands: Allis-Chalmers, Case, Co-op, Ford, Ferguson, Food Machinery Corporation, Hardy, John Deere, Massey-Harris, Minneapolis-Moline, McCormick-Deering, International Harvester, Myers, Oliver, Silver King, Sheppard Diesel, plus the crawler tractors like Caterpillar, Cletrac, and Terratrac. Many of those brands are gone, some merged, but those large displays attracted farmers from several counties. The displays outgrew the park and for a few years the east side of Main Street going up toward the mountain was still in farm fields (no houses there in the early 1950’s). That area up the hill along Main Street was filled with new farm machinery, illuminated at night like a Fair or Carnival area. It was all visible from the band shell and the late Miles Horst, then Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture, made distinct mention of, and gave praise for the giant display, also thanking the sponsors of The Macungie Field Days, the plowing contestants and the general public who patronized the agricultural extravaganza.
Winners from the plowing contest at Macungie went on to the state contests held at various locations throughout Pennsylvania: Bedford County, Penn State, York County, Hershey, and in August 1961, the Pennsylvania state plowing contest was a part of the Macungie Field Days. However, interest was waning, the newspaper reports indicated that attendance was declining, as were the machinery exhibits. World War II had seen the intensity in farming increase to fill the huge demand for food, but by 1960 the bloom was fading. The Macungie Field Days were probably no longer financially viable and there were needs for funds to improve Macungie Memorial Park. Talk of a swimming pool, a second story on the Memorial Hall, a new food stand, the horse rink, were but a few items for consideration. Along with The Macungie Field Days, there had also been some antique auto events, known as an Antique Auto Derby, sponsored by the Macungie Business Association. This evidently was the seed needed, as the Macungie Field Days sponsored by the Macungie Grange came to a gradual end in 1963, and Das Awkscht Fescht made its debut in1964.
Macungie Historical Society Post Office Box 355 Macungie, PA 18062
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