Bring Your Pioneer Spirit To McKenzie Co. Heritage Day, Sept 19

The Threshing Show demonstrates farming techniques of the past and always interests the crowd. (Facebook photo) The 26th Annual Heritage Day at McKenzie County Heritage Park & North Dakota Oil Museum is right around the corner, Saturday, Sept. 19. All are invited to step back in time for a day of learning about homesteading heritage. McKenzie County Heritage Park & North Dakota Oil Museum, 904 2nd Ave. SW, Watford City, will open at 10:30 a.m. for this free event. To make the day extra sweet, the first 25 kids through the gate will get a token for free ice cream. At 11 a.m., experience an "Old Time School" lesson and imagine what life would've been like in a one-room schoolhouse. Slezak BBQ will also start serving at 11 a.m., so make sure and grab a bite to eat. The Opening Ceremony begins at 11:30 a.m., with the flag ceremony led by Mark Honstein. Everyone is welcome to put on their best homesteading attire and join the costume contest at noon, or try your luck at some old-fashioned yard games. For those who haven't filled up on BBQ, the Pie Eating Contest starts at 12:45 p.m. A sawmill and shingle mill demonstration will be held at 1:15 p.m., with the threshing show to follow at 2 p.m. Attendants can watch the straw from the threshing show get bailed with an antique baler, and then it's time for the kids' favorite part of the day: the coin scramble. Coins will be tossed into straw piles and kids get to keep the money they find. Heritage Day is also the last chance of the season to tour the outdoor buildings, so make sure to check them out before the day wraps up at 4 p.m. Anyone with questions or who is interested in volunteering can call McKenzie County Heritage Park & North Dakota Oil Museum at 701-842-6434. Show off your pioneer spirit and enjoy some old-fashioned fun at this year's Heritage Day.