Vendors at the Bishop Hill harvest festival. [Submitted photo]

Bishop Hill’s annual nineteenth-century harvest festival, Jordbruksdagarna (pronounced yord-brooks-DAH-ga-na), will take place Saturday, Sept. 23 and Sunday, Sept. 24 from 10 am to 4 pm both days. The event offers a variety of traditional craft demonstrations, food, vendors, and hands-on activities for the children during the 51st harvest festival.

The word, Jordbruksdagarna, means “earth work days” in Swedish, and the festival centers of demonstrations, hands-on activities, play, and music. All of these activities are free to attendees.

In the village park, artisans will make rope, process flax, carve wood, forge metal, make butter, and more. Vendors will be selling farm produce, pumpkins, herbs, baked goods, crafts, and much more in the park.

Musical performances will include Hammer and Pick at noon and 2 pm, and the Nordic Dancers at 1 pm and 3 pm each day at the gazebo. A petting zoo will be located in the northwest corner of the park as well.

Hammer and Pick will perform at noon and 2 pm. [Submitted photo]

Jordbruksdagarna is not just located in the park but all over the historic village. At the Colony School, the Old Settlers’ Association will be serving their famous Colony Stew from 11 am to 1:30 pm. Uncle Bud Apple Cider Slushie and Pop of the Morning will be next to the Carpenter Building serving food and drinks.

Nordic dancers will perform at 1 and 3 pm at the gazebo. [Submitted photo]

Behind the Bjorklund Hotel from noon to 4 pm each day, visitors, especially children, can try their hand at shelling corn, making bricks, pressing apples into cider, and creating a cornhusk doll.

Music will be provided by the Templetons from 1 to 3 pm each day behind the hotel. Visitors can explore Henry County’s agricultural heritage at the Henry County Historical Museum, where a variety of antique tractors and implements will be on display outdoors. Each day at the Henry County Historical Museum, the Bishop Hill Agricultural Association will do demonstrations, have an antique tractor parade around town at noon, and conduct a kid pedal tractor pull at 1 pm.

Author Mary Davidsaver will have a book signing from 10 am to 3 pm at the Prairie Arts Center. Tractor people movers will also be available to transport people around town to experience many of the activities, museums, and stores that Bishop Hill has to offer.

On Saturday September 23 only, professional story teller Brian “Fox” Ellis will perform as John Deere, inventor of the steel plow, at the park gazebo at 10 am. Following that free performance, the BHHA Acting Troupe will perform their Bishop Hill Colony history skit To America at the Steeple Building starting at 11 am In the southwest corner of the park. TriCo Equestrian Center will have pony rides from noon to 3 pm. Finally, the Bishop Hill Methodist Church will be having a bake sale from 10 am to 3 pm by the Steeple Building.

Jordbruksdagarna is sponsored by the Bishop Hill Heritage Association, Bishop Hill State Historic Site, Bishop Hill Arts Council, the Bishop Hill Agricultural Association, Old Settlers’ Association. VASA National Archives, Bishop Hill Volunteer Fire Department and numerous local businesses, with the assistance of many volunteers.

The event is also partly funded by the Illinois Art Council Agency, Nature’s Creations, State Bank of Toulon, Brookfield Renewable Energy, Wilbur and Marilyn Nelson, River Valley Cooperative, Peck Farms, the Henry County Independent Insurance Agents Association and WJRE. The Cambridge FFA, Galva FFA, and Galva Boy Scouts provided special assistance, along with many other volunteers.

For more details about Jordbruksdagarna activities, call 309 927-3899; email bhha@mymctc.net; check the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Facebook page; or view www.visitbishophill.com.