For more than three decades, the Living History Festival and Small Farmers Reunion in Lathrop has served as an educational experience for tens of thousands of students throughout Northwest Missouri, bringing the past to life.

The annual fall event takes place at the Lathrop Antique Showgrounds just south of town and is organized by the Lathrop Antique Car, Tractor and Engine Association. The two-day festival includes demonstrations, presenters, preserved buildings and hands-on exhibitions to teach students what life was like more than 100 years ago.

“To me, it’s a way of learning what our forefathers went through to make this country what it is today and the sacrifices they made,” said long-time association president Jim Plowman. “It wasn’t an easy life. Everything is modernized now. It’s kind of a historical moment kind of thing, to look back and see how we progressed throughout the years.”

The 33rd Annual Living History Festival will be Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11.

For Plowman, his favorite part of the fall show is seeing all of the students interact with the historic demonstrations. One of the biggest crowd-pleasers is the corn shelling exhibit, where students get to directly operate the shellers and see how corn was produced in the past. There’s also gold panning, candle making, butter churning and much more.

Students can also tour many of the old buildings, some of which are operational, including the saw mill, general store, blacksmith shop, barber shop, broom shop, print shop, post office and wheel wright shop. Students also spend time in a beautifully-preserved one-room school house, at the direction of an old-time teacher, to see how children their age learned before modern school districts.

There are numerous presentations throughout the day on Friday, including Jim Two Crows (early Missouri history), Abraham Lincoln (presented by Lee Williams), Professor Farquar and Polecat Annie, the Shoal Creek Posse, Buffalo Soldiers and Wilbur Wright. You might event catch a stick-up attempt at the Dodge House Hotel!

There’s no charge for students and sponsors on Friday’s school day, while Saturday is open for a free will donation. For more information on the festival, contact Jim Plowman at (816) 896-5546 or Kenni Hisel at (816) 365-5610. You can also follow the Lathrop Antique Car, Tractor and Engine Association on Facebook. The showgrounds are located at 2488 SE 33 Highway in Lathrop, Mo.