During the Antiques Roadshow stop in Raleigh last June, an unidentified Eastern North Carolinian made big headlines when it was discovered that she was the owner of the highest appraised antique ever found on the show. Show publicist Erika Denn said the collection of Chinese jade from the period of 1736 to 1795 was valued at $710,000 to $1.07 million. That breaks the previous record of $500,000 set last year in Palm Springs, Calif., for a painting by abstract expressionist Clyfford Still.

The precious family heirloom that’s been passed down, or the one-of-a-kind collector’s item picked up on a family road trip might not be worth millions, but all collectors will verify that everything has a story behind it.

Cumberland County Farm Bureau member Andrew Gillis and his family have been collecting antiques as a way to preserve their family’s history and use it to educate others about what life was like in earlier days. The Gillis Hill Farm has been in the Gillis family since the 1700s. Through the process of restoring some of the original buildings, the Gillis family thought that others, particularly local school children, might be able to learn something from their family history, and they decided to open the farm to the public.

“We wanted to share our history with everyone around us,” Gillis says.

The family offers tours from April to November for schools and groups that are interested in learning more about farming.

“The tours are not just about the farm animals,” Gillis says. “We show them about old farm life, what it was like to live back then, the way chores were done.”

The tours lead children through various scenes where they learn about the old farm equipment, how crops were harvested, how ice cream was made, how clothes were washed and other practical information. The farm features treasures like an old rope bed from the early 1800s, a horse-drawn buggy from 1890, a rifle from 1862, a house built in 1852 and a steam powered cotton gin from 1911.

“It’s our way of still living off the land, but teaching with it too,” Gillis says.

For Rowan County Farm Bureau member Tom Smith, collecting antiques is a way to remember his past. Smith has an extensive collection of John Deere tractors and equipment.
“I grew up on a farm close to here and worked for a farmer that had a two-cycle John Deere tractor,” Smith says. “In the ’80s, I thought I’d get that tractor and fix it up. It’s a way to remember earlier days, and each one of these tractors carries fond memories.”

Smith and his wife both like to collect antiques, and they enjoy hunting for treasures when they travel. “That’s our thing when we’re out travelling together; we just enjoy looking around antique shops to find things,” Smith says.

His wife has a large collection of old irons in a display that shows how irons have evolved over the years. The earliest irons in the collection date back to the 1700s. The Smiths found them while traveling in Europe.

“We both remember our grandmother using these old irons, and that got us interested in the different kinds of irons.”

Smith’s collection might be worthy of a museum display, but he says it’s all just for his enjoyment. In addition to the tractors and irons, the barn where he keeps his antiques also houses other collectibles like butter churns, washboards, flax wheels, hay trolleys, an old school desk, Depression glass and many other items.

Onslow County Farm Bureau member Marion Howard also collects antiques that he remembers from his childhood.

“I was always into old things, and I kept a lot of the things I grew up with,” Howard says.

Howard has set up an antique museum in the loft of one of his barns where he displays a wide variety of antiques from Octagon soap to ice saws to lightning rods to a full-blown tobacco grading station.

“I’m a scrounger,” Howard says. “I don’t throw anything away; I keep it. But some of these are things I’ve bought or found or someone gave to me. People that know what I’m doing always bring me things.”

Some of the farming equipment that Howard has kept over the years originated from his father. “My father was a sharecropper. He started out with nothing, but he was very smart and a hard worker, and by the time he died, he had done very well,” Howard says. “Looking at what he had to work with and what we have now—it shows how far we can come in one generation. I always think, ‘Well, they’re not going to come up with anything better than this,’ and then they do.”

Howard’s motivation for expanding his collection was to showcase what life was like in earlier days. “I want to be able to share this and pass it on,” he says. “You can go to a museum and see lots of things, but they don’t have all the things we used to use on a daily basis.”

ALEXANDER COUNTY Farm Bureau President Lee Herman recently presented a $1,000 Theft Reward program check to a member. The recipient, who wishes to remain anonymous, gave the sheriff’s department information regarding a theft where the proper sign was posted. The Theft Reward program offers $1,000 for information leading to an arrest for arson, malicious damage to property, burglary or other felonies committed at a property where a sign is posted and resulted in a final conviction or guilty plea on a felony charge or a lesser included offense.

ALLEGHANY COUNTY Farm Bureau, in conjunction with Alleghany Partnership for Children, co-sponsored a Car Seat Safety Day, Aug. 16. The board of directors and office staff participated in this event, which served many families by inspecting, replacing or adjusting car seats.

ASHE COUNTY Farm Bureau President Don Tucker sent two N.C. Fraser fir Christmas trees to troops stationed in Farah, Afghanistan. Richard Sessoms, Tucker’s son-in-law, received the trees for his unit, PRT (provision reconstruction team). Sessoms, seated at far right, said the troops really enjoyed and appreciated the trees.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY Farm Bureau President Billy Johnston, right, presented a plaque to Kenneth Reeves, county extension director, during the November Board Meeting. Reeves, who is a loyal associate “honorary” board member, is retiring after 32-plus years. He was honored for being a valuable resource for Buncombe County’s residents and farmers, for fostering strong relationships among ag groups and for fostering a strong appreciation for farmers and farmland in the county.

BUNCOMBE COUNTY Farm Bureau board member Gary Hutchins and Willy the Safety Squirrel visited TC Roberson Pre-School Dec. 12 for a Home Chemical Safety Day event. Hutchins discussed relevant safety issues, led relevant classroom exercises and passed out coloring books and crayons to the students.

CASWELL COUNTY Farm Bureau participated in the Caswell County Christmas Parade Dec. 6 in downtown Yanceyville. Farm Bureau member Donna Ligon drove Willy the Safety Squirrel and U.S. Congressman Brad Miller. Farm Bureau member Neal Bowen drove his 1954 Chevy. Member Loria Slade walked with the Head Start float, and member Cathy Hayes walked with her son and the Bartlett Yancey High School band. N.C. Rep. Bill Faison tossed candy to the crowd. Also, county President Hester Vernon helped Georgie Holden and Jennifer Cook decorate the outside of the county Farm Bureau office, which competed in the Chamber of Commerce’s Window Decoration Contest.
CASWELL COUNTY Farm Bureau member David Berry Jr. of Yanceyville, left, and “Mr. Dry Pistol,” a three-year-old American quarter horse gelding, were crowned the 2008 NC Horse Ranch Inc. Open champions and Berry was awarded the championship buckle.
Berry owns and operates David Berry Performance Horses and trains horses on his farm.

CATAWBA COUNTY Farm Bureau’s past President Ira Cline (left) was presented the Old North State Award for dedication and service beyond expectation and excellence to the Great State of North Carolina. Presenting the award is N.C. House Rep. Mark Hilton. The award, signed by Gov. Mike Easley, was presented at the Catawba County annual Farm City Dinner on Nov. 25.

CATAWBA COUNTY Farm Bureau hosted Richard Thompson (left) of the Hickory Kiwanis Club as he presented the Outstanding Contributor Award to Worth Killian, of Catawba County Farm Bureau, at the Annual Farm City Dinner on Nov 25. Killian is a Board Member of Catawba County Farm Bureau and has been a Soil and Water District supervisor for more than 50 years.

HENDERSON COUNTY Farm Bureau sponsored a booth at the annual Farm City Day event at Jackson Park. Board Member Larry Roper and his wife, JoAnne, volunteered at a booth that included a mechanical cow used to demonstrate hands-on milking to children, as well as a full-grown cow and a calf. Board Member Wayne Barwell contributed gift certificates, which were prizes in a contest to guess the weights of the cow and calf from his roadside packing house, Free milk and cookies were also available to booth visitors.

ONSLOW COUNTY Farm Bureau member Arnold Maready continued his annual tradition of lending his spotted draft team of horses and handmade cart on behalf of Onslow County Farm Bureau for the Jacksonville Christmas Parade. Maready finished this cart the night before the parade and Onslow County Farm Bureau would like to thank him for his years of dedication to rural North Carolina and Onslow County Farm Bureau.

PERQUIMANS COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Women’s Committee marked National Farm-City Week, Nov. 21-27, by donating a “The Farmer Grows a Rainbow” kit to Mrs. Julie Roberts’ kindergarten class at Perquimans Central School. Students were also given Rudy Rooster agriculture coloring books, pencils and a copy of American Farm Bureau’s 2007 Book of the Year, Chuck Leavell’s The Tree Farmer. The committee also put Farm-City placemats in local restaurants.

SURRY COUNTY Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers program organized an “Operation Santa Claus” drive for less fortunate children in Surry County. Participating were Andy Collins, Wesley Johnson, Sidney Whitaker and Joshua Cave.

WAYNE COUNTY Farm Bureau conducted a workshop, Jan. 12, at Mt. Olive College for Ag in the Classroom’s “The Farmer Grows a Rainbow” kit. Fifteen teachers from nine schools attended the workshop. Wayne County Farm Bureau donated a “The Farmer Grows a Rainbow” kit to each school represented with the hope that the newly trained teachers will excite other teachers at their schools to use the curriculum. ]]> http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2009/03/achievements-lifestyles-2-3/feed/ 1 http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2008/09/2008-county-annual-meetings-2/ http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/2008/09/2008-county-annual-meetings-2/#comments Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:03:58 +0000 Farm Bureau http://www.ncfbmagazine.org/?p=684

ALAMANCE CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Burlington
Aug. 26–30, 2008

ALEXANDER CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Taylorsville
Sept. 30–Oct 4, 2008

ALLEGHANY CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Sparta
Aug. 16–23, 2008

ATLANTIC DISTRICT FAIR
Ahoskie
Oct. 27–Nov. 1, 2008

AVERY CO. FAIR
Newland
Sept. 9–13, 2008

BETHWARE COMMUNITY FAIR
Kings Mountain
July 29-Aug. 2, 2008

BURKE CO. FAIR
Morganton
Aug. 5–9, 2008

CABARRUS CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Concord
Sept. 5–13, 2008

CALDWELL CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Lenoir
Sept. 23–27, 2008

CAPE FEAR FAIR & EXPO
Wilmington
Oct. 30–Nov. 8, 2008

CENTRAL CAROLINA FAIR
Greensboro
Sept. 12–21, 2008

CHATHAM CO. FAIR
Pittsboro
Sept. 17–20, 2008

CHOWAN CO. REGIONAL FAIR
Edenton
Sept. 23–27, 2008

CLEVELAND CO. FAIR
Shelby
Sept. 25–Oct 4, 2008

COASTAL CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL FAIR
New Bern
Oct. 16–26, 2008

COLUMBUS CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Whiteville
Oct. 6–11, 2008

CUMBERLAND CO. FAIR
Fayetteville
Sept. 18–28, 2008

DAVIDSON CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Lexington
Sept. 15–20, 2008

DIXIE CLASSIC FAIR
Winston-Salem
Oct. 3–12, 2008

DREXEL COMMUNITY FAIR
Drexel
Aug. 19–23, 2008

HALIFAX-NORTHAMPTON CO. FAIR
Roanoke Rapids
Oct. 21–25, 2008

HAYWOOD CO. FAIR
Waynesville
Sept. 22–29, 2008

HICKORY AMERICAN LEGION FAIR
Hickory
Aug. 27–Sept. 1, 2008

IREDELL CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Statesville
Sept. 1–6, 2008

LEE REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Sanford
Oct. 6–12, 2008

MOORE CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Carthage
Oct. 7–11, 2008

N.C. MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR
Fletcher
Sept. 5–14, 2008

N.C. STATE FAIR
Raleigh
Oct. 16–26, 2008

ONSLOW CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Jacksonsville
Oct. 6–11, 2008

PITT CO. AMERICAN LEGION
AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Greenville
Sept. 29–Oct. 4, 2008

RICHMOND CO.
AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Hamlet
Oct. 14–18, 2008

ROBESON REGIONAL
AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Lumberton
Oct. 2–11, 2008

ROCKY MOUNT AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Rocky Mount
Sept. 8–13, 2008

ROWAN CO. AGRICULTURAL
& INDUSTRIAL FAIR
Salisbury
Sept. 15–20, 2008

STANLY AMERICAN LEGION POST #76 AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Albemarle
Sept. 16–20, 2008

STOKES CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
King
Sept. 8–13, 2008

SURRY CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Mt. Airy
Sept. 1–6, 2008

WARREN CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Warrenton
Sept. 23–27, 2008

WAYNE REGIONAL AGRICULTURAL FAIR
Goldsboro
Sept. 25–Oct. 4, 2008

WILKES CO. AGRICULTURAL FAIR
North Wilkesboro
Oct. 14–18, 2008

WILSON CO. AMERICAN
LEGION FAIR
Wilson
Sept. 16–21, 2008