An old fashioned good time at KBPV Harvest Fest

The Barfuss family is a family that bounces together
T. Lucas and C. Davis photos

Toni Lucas

Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village (KBPV) held their annual Harvest Festival on Saturday September 21, offering a great many activities to those who attended.

Everything was laid out on the 6.5 acres of KBPV grounds, with the many heritage buildings on the site open to the public.  No matter how busy things actually were, nothing ever seemed crowded.  "All the kids that were here had an awesome time," said Kootenai Brown Pioneer Village President Coleen Casey-Cyr.  A lot of prizes went out the front door.  I think it was successful.  Our attendance was just shy of 200 people."

Kids participated in old fashioned carnival games with prizes, and some tried their hand at rope making. The 'make your own wooden train engine" activity was new to the Harvest Festival, and proved to be quite popular. The antique car exhibit is always a popular draw, and featured a couple of new additions this time.

Making rope from twine

When asked what changes may be in store for future Harvest Festivals Cyr replied "I think next year, we will have more carnival games for kids.  That was something that the kids really liked. Fas Gas was really good to us, and helped us out during this event."

The Scherger's invited contestants to try their luck and spin for prizes

Some families stayed throughout the day.   A few people had never been to grounds before, and were amazed that all of this was in the area.  Regular visitors were amazed by the many changes recently completed or currently underway.  Particularly striking is the changes being made east of the Beere Hall.  Much cement has been poured, the garage is fully functional now, and the new buildings that have been moved in over the last two years are coming along nicely.  Cyr and the KBPV crew are working  to enhance the appeal of the museum, constantly and creating more for people to see and experience.

Candace Craig with daughter Cordelia, with her first skipping rope, homemade.

"The Co-op Exhibit will be ready by springtime, and we're putting an addition on the general store for more dry goods," said Cyr.  " The printing press room is going to get finished this winter, and the boardwalk sidewalks and all the street lights and electricity will be done, all the way to the transportation exhibit."

The General Store is to be expanded

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