Michigan

This Museum Tells the Story of Farming

The Coopersville Farm Museum and Event Center is celebrating 20 years this year of honoring farm life through its displays and activities. This museum contains 12,000 square feet of farm equipment, rural collectibles, and interesting exhibits. Many of the tractors on display are from the collection of museum founder, Ed Hanenburg. Regularly scheduled presentations and events draw thousands of visitors to Coopersville every year, according to Lee Anm Prola, project manager of the museum. The facility doubles as a great location for concerts, meetings, receptions, and more. The space is ideal for groups of 10 to 150 guests, she added.

Throughout the month of September, one of the most popular annual events continuing is “Quilts & Their Stories” show. An exhibit of more than 150 quilts is uniquely displayed among the tractors and other items in the museum that represent rural life. Special related activities are scheduled during the show including a quilt walk, quilt classes, and a quilt marathon. On Sept. 16 from 10 am. to 4:30 p.m. teams of four people will work together to create a quilt in a day. There will be door prizes awarded to each participant and lunch will be provided. The finished quilts will be used for future fund raisers, also displayed at the museum.

Downtown Coopersville business owners participate in The

Quilt Walk by placing an official sign in their window. Then they display a quilt in their store for visiters to come and enjoy. Each person who visits is allowed to enter their drawing for prizes. Musical Jam Nights are also extremely popular events the whole family can enjoy. Held twice a month year round, entertainers are invited to come andshare their talent. Upcoming dates are Sept. 8, 21, Oct. 5 and 19 from 6-8:30 p.m. Come and sing, play, or simply listen; it’s fun for all attending. A special “fall into autumn” outdoor concert is scheduled September 9 at 6:30 p.m. The musical group, Benzing Grave Collective, will perform an eclectic mix of rock ‘n’ roll, pop, jazz, blues, country and bluegrass. Their influences include the Beatles, Elvis, Jefferson Airplane and Janis Joplin plus all the jazz and blues greats. They perform with a soulful intensity and precision creating a unique sound that reaches out and grabs the audience.

There is a family day on the first Saturday of each month. Kids, Crafts, and Critters meets the last Saturday of each month. Special craft and vendor shows are held in May, Sept. and Dec. Regular business hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $5 per adult and $3 for ages 4-16. For more information, visit http://www.coopersvillefarmmuseum.org/

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