For some old-time fun for the whole family, head out to the 27th annual Susquehanna Old Fashioned Field Days. The event will be held at Conoy Park, 2115 River Road, Bainbridge, on Saturday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 22.

The festivities will kick off with breakfast served by the Conoy Lions Club beginning at 7 a.m. both days. Opening ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, with an interdenominational church service held from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sunday.

A fishing derby for children age 15 and under will be held following opening ceremonies. Participants should bring their own bait and rod. A tractor parade will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday and at noon on Sunday.

With a theme of "Made in Pennsylvania," both days will feature live entertainment from bluegrass bands, demonstrations, re-enactors, vendors and food.

A benefit auction will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

"We will have lots of variety," said event volunteer Tonya Bernhard, describing the auction. "There are usually a lot of antiques, but we never really know what we're going to have because it's whatever people donate." New this year, the event will offer an opportunity to win a variety of giveaway baskets, featuring gift cards to local businesses and attractions, personal care products, a "Taste of Lancaster County" basket and more.

Lots of old-fashioned activities and demonstrations will take place throughout the weekend, Tonya said.

"We'll have both Civil War and Revolutionary War re-enactors. There will be somebody pressing cider. There's a shingle mill, a sawmill and a blacksmith," she commented. "We will have all kinds of hit and miss engines. They might be shelling corn or running water."

As volunteer Ron Bernhard explained, hit and miss engines had their heyday in the late 1800s through the 1930s. "The engines fire, and then they coast," said Ron, who collects the equipment. "They are belt driven, and they were used all over farms."

A kids' zone will feature old-fashioned games organized by a local church, and additional kids' activities will include barrel train rides, corn sandboxes and rides to a pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin.

"We have a lot of craft vendors, and many of them have been coming back for years," said volunteer Sandy Baker. "We have vendors who sell soap. We have a woman who makes embroidered items. We'll have a Tastefully Simple vendor."

Homemade food is also a highlight of the event, said volunteer Jolynn Bernhard.

"We have home-churned ice cream, apple dumplings, whoopie pies," she shared. "We have lots of food stands."

The Lions Club will host a new food stand featuring half-chickens, Ron said, with proceeds going to support future old-fashioned days. "All of the money we raise, through the auction and everything else, goes right back into the show so we can keep this going year after year," Tonya remarked.

The Bernhards have been helping to organize the event for decades, and they said they look forward to it every year.

"It's just rewarding to see all the families there," Ron stated. "Even if people don't have much interest in the hit and miss engines, which is my thing, there are so many other things for them to see and do. We get so much positive feedback, so it's rewarding that way."

Jolynn noted that some families have been coming back year after year. "We have so many generations that come to this," she said. "We'll have a lot of three- and four-generation families."

Ron encourages everyone to come out for at least one of the days, noting that admission and parking are free.

Added Tonya, "It's a very family-oriented event. People will show you how things were done back then. If you're watching a demonstration and you have questions, you can ask the demonstrators, and they will be more than happy to talk to you about what they're doing."

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