Wilson Creek Plow Days celebrates history
Candice Boutilier/Columbia Basin Herald<br> Wilson Creek Plow Day is Saturday. People are invited to watch draft horses pull old fashion plows in a large field.
WILSON CREEK — Wilson Creek residents invite families and farmers to attend a plowing exhibition Saturday and Sunday.
Teams are saddling up their favorite animals and plowing at a field two miles north of Wilson Creek. There are signs placed in Wilson Creek leading to the event.
“The event is part of our community’s history,” said resident Todd Bohnet. “This is farming the way it used to be.”
On Saturday, Wilson Creek Plow Days runs from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. On Sunday, the event lasts from 9 a.m. to noon.
“For the animal draft folks, this is a great gathering,” Bohnet said. “This is really a social event for our people and a tradition for us.”
The Bohnet family started Plow Days about 25 years ago and have kept it going throughout the years.
“This is kind of like a family reunion for us,” Bohnet said. “I have family members traveling over here to help get things set up.”
The Future Farmers of America (FFA) members are having a barbecue lunch, starting at noon. Cost is $7 for adults and $3 for kids.
“This is the FFA’s main fund-raiser and helps them participate in activities and attend events,” Bohnet said. “There’s no cost to attend the event, so we encourage people to come purchase lunch and support the kids.”
In past years, farmers have brought in as many as 80 draft animals to plow.
“You never know what will show up or how many animals we’ll get,” Bohnet said. “One time we had a farmer come with 12 mules, but usually there are two horses plowing per person.”
The event is an opportunity for children to learn about old-fashioned farming.
“The younger generations don’t know how easy they have it,” Bohnet said. “With modern equipment, you can do under two hours the things that used to take a lot of people and animals a day’s work to complete.”
Plow Days is open to anyone interested.
“You really have to come out and see it for yourself to understand it,” Bohnet said. “Everybody that (watches the plowing) gets something different out of it.”
For more information, contact Todd Bohnet at 509-345-0211.
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