FARMINGTON — After receiving a shingle mill and a dowel maker as gifts, the Franklin County Agriculture Society is having volunteers build a woodworking museum to show them off.

The new building and display will be ready for the Farmington Fair starting Sept. 15, Ron Pratt, president of the Agricultural Museum, said Thursday.

The Mason brothers, Bob, Jarald and Randy, of K L Mason & Sons of Turner donated the shingle mill in memory of their father, Kennard. The brothers purchased it from Rand Orchard in Wilton, Bob Mason said.

Erlon Rand is expected to demonstrate its use at the fair, Pratt said.

A dowel maker from the former Maine Dowel was also donated to the fair association by the Mason brothers. The association has stored the items for some time, he said.

When Bob Mason learned of his cousin Phil Mason donated a stone grinder to the fair’s historical efforts, he decided he had some stuff to give too, Pratt said.

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“He could have sold it but he gave it to us,” Pratt said. “I thought that was pretty nice of him.”

The Franklin County Agricultural Society board provided the materials for the new 16-by-16-foot building and volunteers, led by Pete Ross, are putting it up, Pratt said. They include Ross’s grandson, Preston, Rick Barr, Ron McCarthy, Tom Cassidy, Craig Brinkman, Chris Brinkman and Pratt.

The new building is behind the Agricultural Museum and diagonally across from the Red Schoolhouse.

“The dream is to eventually have a street (of historical buildings and activities),” Pratt said. It would be on a portion of field that already boasts the Agricultural Museum, a blacksmith forge display, one-room schoolhouse and a maple sugarhouse.

Volunteers are also working on restoring a 1952 tractor, Pratt said.

The McCleery family, children of Robert and Edith McCleery of Farmington, who were both active at the fair, donated a 1952 John Deere MT tractor. It’s at Foster Regional Career and Technical Education Center waiting for students to work on it, Pratt said. It probably won’t be ready for viewing at this year’s fair.

“People have been very generous to us,” Pratt said. “I hope they continue to be.”

abryant@sunjournal.com


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