Annual Doughty Valley Steam Days set to chug into Charm
Packed with plenty of steam-driven activities from start to finish, Doughty Valley Steam Days will chug into Charm July 25-27.
Oliver and Hercules will be front and center when this year’s big steam show rolls into Doughty Valley, but the three-day event during the Doughty Valley Steam Days will be so much more.
Packed with plenty of punch from start to finish, Doughty Valley Steam Days will chug into Charm July 25-27, where a huge cast of working steam engines will highlight a busy three days of activity featuring the way the world got things moving a century ago.
While the last steam engines were built in the 1920s, memory of the machines continues to live through those who promote the role steam played in the nation’s growth, such as the members of the Doughty Valley Steam Club.
“Our goal is to provide a few days where people can get together and reminisce and experience the power of steam like it was in the old days,” committee member Delbert Miller said. “It’s been fun to just showcase the sheer power and beauty of these engines.”
With steam now more than four generations removed from people who actually used it to work the land, the board members don’t want that part of the nation’s history to disappear, and this three-day show does its best to transport people back in time to that era.
In doing so, people can expect plenty of heavy-duty noise, steam and fun.
The slate of activities will kick off Thursday, July 25 and go morning to night for three days. Thursday will feature the antique consignment auction at 3 p.m., the draft pony and draft horse pull at 5 p.m., and a performance from County Line Band at 7 p.m.
Friday’s main attractions will include the old-fashioned tractor pull with two sleds at 5 p.m., and the Destiny Band will perform at 7 p.m. Following that, the Spark Show will feature engines firing off plenty of bright sparks that will light the night sky with a plume of glowing embers.
Saturday will start with a 9 a.m. mini pony pull, followed by the garden tractor parade at 10 a.m.
Those are the special events, but each day will include demonstrations featuring antique gas engines, old-time machinery, steam-powered sawmills, oil field engines, a shingle mill, antique tractors, steam engines and grain threshing, all driven by the power of steam.
Miller said there also will be something new in the shuttle service that will take patrons around the grounds to view all the activities rather than having to sit and watch.
“We’ll make a few stops along the way so people can simply sit and see everything there is to see,” Miller said.
He said they hope to have the wooden shed stop, where a couple of woodworkers will craft small items using steam, and he hopes to have his planer ready to roll, which would be a new addition.
“We work hard to remain loyal to steam,” Miller said. “It’s what has driven this event from the start.”
Concerning the Spark Show, Miller said, “It’s an awesome sight. We almost all burn eco-bricks now, so it’s clean and lots of fun, and it really is beautiful to watch.”
Whether people get up there and just take it all in or watch the tug-o-war between the steam engine and the people or the tractor parade as it encircles the entire property, there’s a lot of neat stuff to view.
There will be plenty of food available throughout the event, many types of vendors, and a craft and flea market allowing visitors to peruse and shop while they take in the activities of the day.
The event is located on a farm at 5023 state Route 557, one mile northwest of Charm. It shouldn’t be difficult to find. Simply follow the billowing stacks of steam.
Gates will open at 7:30 a.m. each day. There also is primitive camping on the grounds, and alcohol and firearms are prohibited. Admission is $5 for age 13 and older, and DVS members receive free entry.