The Prairie Village Museum will celebrate its 34th Annual Village Fair this weekend in Rugby. The full day event takes place at the Museum grounds where the 20+ buildings come alive with demonstrations, costumed characters, food trucks, music, art shows, and more. Historical Society members get in free as do active duty military members. All others pay at the door. Memberships can be purchased on the day of the Fair.
The Fair starts with a pancake and sausage breakfast at 9:00 am served by Rugby Broadcasters. Demonstrations will take place throughout the day in the village and kids are welcome to take part and get hands on with all of them. Blacksmithing, butter churning, hand washed laundry, horse rides, and more will be available this year. There will also be a turning lathe and small engine demonstrations in the afternoon. As people explore the village you will find people who worked and went to school in the buildings there to talk with you about life as a student in the Silva School or life as the telephone operator in the Bottineau telephone office.
Several options for food are available. After the pancake breakfast there will be snacks like pickles on a stick, penny candy, root beer floats, ice cream sundaes, popcorn and old tyme sarsaparilla and cream soda. Henry’s 90Wt Ribs and Deb’s food trucks will be serving all day including ribs, brisket, kraut burgers, and loaded hot dogs.
Music will be featured in the Saloon and other buildings throughout the day. Minot native Jerry Schlag and the JMB Band will play in the morning and the early afternoon in the gazebo bringing the village alive with polka and other traditional music. Other local Rugby talent will be playing piano in the soda fountain and the saloon.
This summer’s kids camp efforts will be on display as well. The Kids Art Camp will have their art show in the new German Russian Heritage Building all day. The German Russian Kids Camp attendees will show off their traditional dance skills at 2pm at the Gazebo. Kids and adults alike will get the change to try their hand at Ham Radio with the help of the Devils Lake Ham Radio club who will have their antenna and booth set up all day.
The Germans from Russian Heritage Building will be open to the public. The building is nearing completion, and this is the first time that the public will get to see the local groups efforts at fundraising and building their new Heritage Hall. The Hall will host its first event on September 15th with Dr. Eric Schmaltz from Oklahoma State University delivering the inaugural lecture.
The Geographical Center Historical Society’s mission is to document, preserve and interpret the history and ongoing story of North Central North Dakota for the people of the region and for visitors from around the world, through educational and entertaining programming and through displays of artifacts and historic buildings at Prairie Village Museum. More information about our programs and exhibits available on our website or check out our social media.
