Enjoying the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee

Enjoying the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.

If you’re looking for information about the 2023 Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee, you’re in the right place!

Steam tractors at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Steam tractors.

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in Somerset County is a 5 day festival that showcases antique agricultural machinery popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Working steam tractors are one of the big draws to the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Working steam tractors are one of the big draws to the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee.

Since 1953, the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee has been held in New Centerville as a way of keeping alive agricultural traditions and technology that have largely vanished from the modern landscape.

A memorial to the agricultural pioneers of the past at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
A memorial to the agricultural pioneers of the past at the Jubilee.

The event has become one of the premier antique farm equipment shows in the eastern United States, and draws visitors each year from around the world.

Steam tractors lined up on display at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee near Rockwood Pennsylvania.
Steam tractors lined up on display at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee.

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee: When and Where

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee runs the Wednesday – Sunday following Labor Day.

Tractors big and small can be found at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee runs the Wednesday – Sunday following Labor Day.

The dates for the 2023 Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee are September 6-10.

Working steam tractors at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Preparing for the steam tractor parade.

The event is held on the grounds of the New Centerville Fire Company, 9 miles south of Somerset along Route 281.


If you’re navigating by GPS, use 3054 Kingwood Road, Rockwood, PA 15557 as the address.

The Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville has been taking place since 1953.
The Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville has been taking place since 1953.

What to See and Do at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee

One of the most interesting events is the daily Parade of Antique Equipment around the Jubilee grounds, which happens at 1:00 pm each day.

A Gaar-Scott steam tractor on display at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
A Gaar-Scott steam tractor participating the the Parade of Antique Equipment.

Late 19th and early 20th century tractors make their way around an oval track while an announcer tells you a little bit about each tractor and its owner.

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee brings the history of the Industrial Revolution into modern times for everyone to enjoy.
The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee brings the history of the Industrial Revolution into modern times in a festival environment.

Many of the families who participate in the parade have been doing so for multiple generations, passing down a passion for keeping the traditions of old alive.

1945 Farmall in the antique tractor parade at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
1945 Farmall in the antique tractor parade.

Other equipment, like this steam-powered sawmill, are also fired-up for demonstrations throughout the Jubilee.

A steam-powered sawmill demonstration at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
A steam-powered sawmill demonstration.

Fans of the popular TV series “Forged in Fire” will want to check out the blacksmithing demonstrations.

Blacksmithing demonstration at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Blacksmithing demonstration.

Just about everywhere you turn on the grounds of the Jubilee, you’ll find a working piece of antique farm equipment and an owner happy to tell you more about what it was used for.

Steam-powered farm equipment on display at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Steam-powered farm equipment on display.

In addition to the daily demonstrations of antique machinery, there are a variety contests, live music, and LOTS of food!

A few of the many food stands at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in Somerset County Pennsylvania.
A few of the many food stands at the Jubilee.

The horse pulling contest is one of my favorite events to watch, and that happens on Saturday afternoon at 2 pm.

Horse pull at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Horse pull at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee.

The horseshoe pitching contest is another fun event to watch, the forefather to modern cornhole.

Horseshoe-pitching contest at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania
Horseshoe pitching contest at the Jubilee.

The ATV pulls draw a big crowd at the Jubilee.

ATV pulls at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
ATV pulls.

Live music performances (typically country, bluegrass, and/or gospel) are held throughout the festival inside the Museum Hall.

Live music is a part of the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee every year.
Live music is a part of the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee every year.

There’s even a quilt show, with some of the quilts offered for sale.

Quilt show at the Farmers and Threshermans Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
Quilt show.

Final Thoughts on the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee celebrates both the agricultural pioneers of America and the tools they used at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Case steam tractor on the move during the antique tractor parade at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee near Rockwood Pennsylvania.
Case steam tractor on the move during the antique tractor parade.

It’s a family-friendly event heavy on tradition and light on pretense.

John Deere in the antique farm tractor parade at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in New Centerville Pennsylvania.
John Deere in the antique farm tractor parade.

No matter where you go on the Jubilee grounds, or what events you watch, the underlying theme is love and respect for country life.

The Stars and Stripes on display before a horse-pulling contest at the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in Somerset County Pennsylvania.
The Stars and Stripes on display before a horse pulling contest.

If you enjoy learning about history in a first-person way, there’s no better opportunity to observe the evolution of agricultural machinery than by attending the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee in Somerset County!

The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee is a country festival where antique machinery takes center stage.
The Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee is a country festival where antique machinery takes center stage.

Mountain Craft Days is a three-day outdoor festival featuring more than 125 artisans and entertainers interpreting rural life in western PA in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Mountain Craft Days in Somerset features 125 crafts persons, artisans, and entertainers interpreting the rural folkways of western Pennsylvania.
Scenes from Mountain Craft Days in Somerset.

Held on the scenic wooded grounds of the Somerset Historical Center the same weekend as the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee, Mountain Craft Days is an excellent way to learn how the first European settlers in western PA lived, worked, ate, and played.

A gunsmith demonstrating his craft at Mountain Craft Days in Somerset Pennsylvania.
A gunsmith demonstrating 18th century techniques at Mountain Craft Days.

The Nittany Antique Machinery Show is yet another celebration of America’s agricultural history and heritage!

The Nittany Antique Machinery Show takes place on the grounds of Penn's Cave in Centre Hall Pennsylvania.
Tractor-themed bumper stickers.

The Nittany Antique Machinery Association holds shows twice a year – the Spring Show is the weekend after Memorial Day; the Fall Show is the weekend after Labor Day.

The Nittany Antique Machinery Association Fall Show takes place in Centre Hall, PA in September.
The Nittany Antique Machinery Association Fall Show features vintage farm equipment demonstrations and a large flea market.

10 Great September Events in Pennsylvania is your guide to even more fairs, festivals, and ethnic heritage celebrations across the state in September. 

10 Great Events in Pennsylvania in September.
September is a great month to explore Pennsylvania!

21 Must-See Attractions in Somerset County is your guide to even more great things to see and do in the region around the Farmers and Threshermens Jubilee.

Kayakers on Laurel Hill Lake at Laurel Hill State Park.
Kayakers at Laurel Hill State Park in Somerset County.

22 Fabulous Fall Foliage Destinations in the Laurel Highlands of PA shows you some of the best spots for “leaf peeping” in the region that USA Today called the #3 destination in the entire United States for spectacular fall foliage views!

A fall foliage farm scene in Fayette County, PA.
A fall foliage farm scene in the PA Laurel Highlands.

Exploring the Covered Bridges of Somerset County takes you on a tour of all ten historic covered bridges in the county.

Laurel Highlands fall foliage in full swing at the Barronvale Covered Bridge, Somerset County PA
Barronvale Covered Bridge is one of ten historic covered bridges in Somerset County, PA.

Did you enjoy this article?

If so, be sure to like and follow PA Bucket List on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Pinterest to learn more about the best things to see and do in Pennsylvania!

Click on any of the icons below to get connected to PA Bucket List on social media.


PA Bucket List 2022 Sasquatch Logo

Pennsylvania’s Best Travel Blog!

Rusty Glessner
Rusty Glessner is a professional photographer, lifelong Pennsylvanian, and a frequently-cited authority on PA's best travel destinations.