COLUMBUS – Columbus Day will be celebrated in Columbus on Saturday, Oct. 12.
This year's event will include an antique tractor pull, the sounds of cigar-box guitars in the Train Depot, and an exhibit of fiber arts: spinning, dyeing, weaving and knitting.

The annual country fair will take place in Norton Park, an 80-acre tract of field and woods on Bell Road in Columbus, where vintage tractors will be rolling in early and the pavilion will being selling breakfast sandwiches and coffee by 9 a.m.

With colors at near peak, and no doubt, a nip in the air, the annual holiday features Johnson Farms’ (LLC) Tractor Pull, a contest of finely-restored vintage tractors and their dedicated drivers, owners, and fans. By mid-morning, when the Deeres outnumber the deer in the park, the tractors will be ready to thunder.

Event organizers said this year, thanks to a grant from the Chenango County Council of the Arts and assistance from Golden Artist Colors, two artists will join the fall celebration.

Abigail McEnroe of Garrattsville, a sheep farmer, wool processor, teacher, felter and fiber artist, will set up a display in the park’s Train Depot. McEnroe grew up on an island off the coast of Maine where her relatives had a flock of about 75 sheep. In this setting as she sorted and rolled fleeces, she developed an appreciation of raw fiber and its many possibilities.

A recent Artist of the Month at Cooper Country Crafts in Cooperstown, McEnroe derives her wool from her own flock in Garrattsville. She has participated in and judged garment and yarn competitions, “sheep to shawl” events and fleece competitions. Among her newer interests is the wet and dry felting of wool. “Nuno” felting is the application of wool fibers to other woven fabrics, a process that allows her to make summer weight garments of super fine merino wool and silk gauze.

Also in the Depot, this year the Town is featuring the carvings of Bill Kozak of Endicott. A self-taught carver and instrument maker, Kozak carves animals, fish and also builds folk guitars from wood and found objects such as cigar boxes and license plates. Kozak combines the eclectic and electric, using different wood species and modern guitar pick-ups to create unique 3-string guitars. His work reflects how our country’s early musicians, especially in Appalachia, often created their own instruments using whatever they could find to make music for their entertainment.

Organizers said come visit their vendors on Columbus Day including exhibits of homemade crafts, homemade pies and a Quarter Social with prizes donated by families and area businesses.

For more information, call Lori Grace at 607-201-3374. Columbus Day offers family fun in a beautiful community park setting, and as always, the admission is free.

Cultural events at Columbus Day at Norton Park are a Decentralization Program; these programs are made possible with public funds from the NYS Council on the Arts, which is administered by the Chenango Arts Council, with support from Governor Andrew Cuomo and the State Legislature. Additional funding is provided by The Town of Columbus and Golden Artist Colors.