It’s festival time in Burton,Texas, time for the 31st annual Burton Cotton Gin Festival, Saturday, June 13th on the grounds of the Texas Cotton Gin Museum. Watch Texas history come alive in celebration of the 1914 Burton Farmers Gin, the oldest operating cotton gin in America, with a day of family fun from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m…and it’s free!
The day kicks off at 10 a.m. with the main street parade which includes the 16th annual children’s bicycle parade, floats, tractors, classic vehicles and more. Tour the exterior of the historic gin from Noon to 3:00 p.m. and watch the actual ginning and baling of cotton at 3 p.m. Also tour the Wehring Shoe & Leather Shop starting at Noon. There will be Tractor, Classic Car & Engine Shows along with Farming Demonstrations throughout the day. Experience history first-hand with folk life demonstrations such as blacksmithing, woodworking & spinning.
Non-stop entertainment under the Roy Winkler Family Pavilion features dancing to local favorites, Par for the Horse, with Paul Murski, Allison Crowson, and Robert Zientek 12-2, Leather and Lace 2-4, and Sean Orr & Texas Gold 4-6. The fun continues with contests for bubblegum blowing, pie-eating and seed pulling. Kids and young-at-heart can enjoy a kids zone, crafts, antique tractors, engines, farm equipment, vintage cars and more!
Gates open at 10 a.m. and admission is free. Free parking is located at the Burton High School parking lot, only 3 blocks from the festival grounds with shuttles provided. Come have a cotton pickin’ good time!
This annual fundraiser supports the museum’s mission to preserve the history and the structure of the 1914 Burton Farmers Gin. The Burton Farmers Gin has been designated a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is recognized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as a National Mechanical Engineering Landmark as the oldest operating cotton gin in America in the same location with the same equipment.
If you’d like more information, please visit texascottonginmuseum.org , call 979-289-3378 or email programs@texascottonginmuseum.org Photo credit Shutterbunny Photography.
