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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer

Agriculture has been a core part of the Southern states since they were first settled. As the U.S. increasingly industrialized, this identity has been slowly eroded away.

For those who don’t know, Old Baker Farm is a staple of Harpersville and the surrounding communities. The farm has more than 200 years of history and even survived the Civil War. It has been managed by six generations of the Baker family.

Every year, the Bakers provide locals with the opportunity to come to the farm and participate in various festivals alongside the opportunity to pick sunflowers, pumpkins and even Christmas trees later in the year.

On Saturday, Oct. 8 and Sunday, Oct. 9 the farm was open for the celebration of Cowboy Day.

Events such as Cowboy Day on Old Baker Farm provide fun family-friendly festivities, but they also provide residents with a peek into our historical past and a chance to get a taste of an agricultural lifestyle.

“So, this is all about history in our country,” said Pam Baker, who manages the farm with her husband Jerry. “We love history, and this old farm is very historical.”

As with much of history, there is an intricate past to the farm as generations of Bakers continue to tend to the same piece of land.

“We have the trackless train ride because mama Baker road the train from Cherokee County in 1902 with all the babies, while Papa Baker moved everything,” Baker said. “We thought the train was befitting.”

Residents had the opportunity to get a taste of that agricultural style of living simply through the atmosphere of the farm.

As Pam Baker said, “they can just enjoy walking along, sitting on the wall in the shade, looking at the beautiful farmhouses and have some fun festival foods while they are here.”

People had the opportunity to delve into that agricultural life style through a few moments of hard work while they got their hands dirty picking sunflowers and pumpkins. Families had an opportunity to pet and engage with farm animals. How many kids these days are familiar with the setting of a farm? I submit to you not many, even though we live right here in Alabama.

Fall events provide family-friendly fun for the public, but so much more is added to the experience when the location is different than what you might typically see in your day-to-day life.