SHERBURNE – Since 2014, the Sherburne Historic Park Society has been celebrating the heritage and history of the area. What started as a local Civil War reenactment has grown and changed over the years. The event has developed into a celebration to highlight Sherburne history and this year’s focus will be on the agricultural history of the area.

The celebration of Sherburne Heritage will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 25th at the Sherburne Historic Park on Champ Drive. “We want to highlight the history of Sherburne, Smyrna and Earlville,” said one of the event organizers Jenni Larcher.

Sherburne and the surrounding towns were once heavily rooted in agriculture, but over the years, the number of farms has dwindled. “When I first came here, there were about 19 dairy farms in Sherburne. There are less than 10 left. The trend has continued that there are fewer dairy farms and they are bigger and bigger. Farmers have made up for it by diversifying,” said Town of Sherburne Historian Paul Mastro.

To highlight the agricultural history of the area, the Sherburne Heritage Day celebration will feature tractors, a combine, a hay press and other agricultural equipment to highlight agricultural history. In addition, small farm animals will be on display.

“Events like this are important because most people are five to six generations removed from agriculture and they don’t realize where their food comes from and the way it was done historically,” said local dairy farmer and maple producer Mark Schmidt.

The focus of Sherburne Heritage Day changes every year, but there are usually agricultural components because of the importance of agriculture to the development of the area.

This year, the 250th anniversary of the United States, the event will highlight local Revolutionary War soldiers. Activities will begin at 10 a.m. with the Boy Scouts from Troop 66 raising the flag. A special presentation will begin after that with banners recognizing locals who fought in the Revolutionary War.

The Smyrna Citizen’s Band will be on hand to play music from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. A Little House on the Prairie 1870’s themed musical performance by campers from Jenni’s Musical Studio will take place at noon. Food and crafts will be available for purchase throughout the day.

“We want people to know the historic park is here,” Larcher said, explaining that people drive by all the time but many don’t realize what it has to offer. “We have the one-room school house, the log cabin with artifacts and materials to read through. We want people to know it is here and available.”