Get FinancingJohn Deere Attractions Announces 2019 Special Events
Each year, John Deere Attractions stages numerous special events for families, history buffs, and John Deere farm equipment owners alike at the John Deere Historic Site in Grand Detour, Illinois; the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum in Waterloo, Iowa; and the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, Illinois. This year’s events run from mid-March to December. New this year is a passport program designed to help guests commemorate their visits to these and other sites, such as the Deere & Company Headquarters in Moline and Deere factories in Moline, East Moline, and Waterloo. The passport program and attractions are free.
Where & When
This year’s events begin with crafts, museum tours, and more at the World’s Greatest Spring Break at the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum, running March 18 through March 22. Other 2019 special events include:
- Duck Hatching, April 13 and 14, John Deere Pavilion. Attendees can watch ducklings hatch and visit learning stations.
- Farm Fun Day, June 8, John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum. Besides a petting zoo and blacksmith demonstrations, corn activity tables, pedal tractors, and more are scheduled.
- Music & Crafting Through Time, June 23, John Deere Historic Site. Live music, candle making, basket weaving, broom making, pioneer-era games, food trucks, and more are on tap.
- Learn & Play Day, July 20, John Deere Pavilion. This event features dozens of activities for kids, including a battery-powered Gator course, pedal tractor pull, construction sandbox, petting zoo, and activity tables.
- Green Iron Days, Aug. 2-4, John Deere Historic Site. Hundreds of pre-1979 vintage John Deere tractors will be on display, including in a tractor parade through Grand Detour on Aug. 3.
- Heritage Tractor Parade & Show, Sept. 7, John Deere Pavilion. Owners of heritage tractors gather annually for this event featuring tractors from 1970 or before and a tractor parade in downtown Moline.
- Fall Festival, Oct. 12, John Deere Historic Site. Pumpkin decorating, covered wagon rides, pedal tractor races, and more are scheduled to celebrate the harvest season.
- Holiday Celebration, Dec. 7, John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum. Deere’s 2019 special attractions wind up with this event that includes crafts, local choirs, a visit from Santa, and more.
55 & Growing
This year marks the 55th season for the John Deere Historic Site. Besides being the site of John Deere’s original Illinois homestead, it’s also where Deere built his first “self-scouring” steel plow. Described as “taking a step back in time,” the site features live blacksmith demonstrations, the original Deere Family Home built in 1836, and an Archeological Site where, in 1963, an archeological team uncovered the location where Deere forged his first self-scouring steel plow.
Don’t Forget Your Passport
In John Deere’s new passport program, participants will collect stamps and seals in a personal passport booklet as they visit Deere’s attractions. Participants can earn gifts and discounts via the program, which Deere describes as a “fun and interactive way to visit and experience” its sites. Passports are available at any Deere attraction.
Upon an initial visit to a site, visitors can stamp their passports using a location-specific seal embosser. Special events, return visits, and visits to other Deere locations earn visitors a stamp. Those collecting all three embossed seals will receive a limited-edition Deere hat. Every booklet page a visitor completes earns her a one-day-only 20% discount on merchandise. Completed booklets earn visitors a special commemorative hook that a blacksmith will hand-forge.
Start Planning Now
For more information about the passport program or John Deere Attractions, see the John Deere Visit Us web page.
You’ll find tens of thousands of listings for new and used John Deere farm equipment for sale every day on TractorHouse.com.
Source: Deere & Company
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