By Christopher Johnson
If you stuck around town this Fourth of July weekend, you may have noticed Colonville Road had transformed into something of a rural autobahn—buzzing with both motorized traffic and horse-drawn rigs, all headed in the same direction.
That’s because the Amish community was hosting the 31st annual Horse Progress Days right here in Clare, once again held at the Alvin Yoder Jr. Farm.
This marks the third time Clare has played host to the event since its conception in 1996, when it began humbly at the Elmer Kapp Farm in Kinzers, Pennsylvania. Over the decades, the event has rotated throughout farms and ag centers across the Midwest—with Clare proudly standing as its most northern venue.
There’s something almost mystical about the mountain range of white tents stretching up from the Yoder farmland—enticing for some, a homecoming for others. Beneath the shade of these tents were thousands of cash transactions, with tons of seating and food opportunities. While others served as small classrooms for countless seminars and demonstrations on practical agriculture.
The bullpen was a special arena. With tiered seating that wreathed around the central stage where various speakers and demonstrators shared their wisdom under a blue, summer sky. Nothing quite emphasizes just how populated these events are until you see an audience captivated in this sort of arrangement on a rural Michigan farm. It’s quite the vibe, and a very profound one at that.
Alvin Yoder, Jr., this year’s generous host, admits that it’s a very stressful time that requires due diligence from the whole community to pull off.
“it’s like pulling a four-bottom plow with one horse,” he relates. “And it doesn’t work, right? So, if you get enough horses in there and do the work, they can plow. That’s kind of where we are with all these coordinators working together, doing their part.”
One of the more fascinating realities of Horse Progress Days is just how many people travel over from foreign countries to learn from the Amish lifestyle. These are usually poor countries that require practical agriculture solutions and HPD is proud to be that bridge between worlds by hosting international guests every year.
“Clare is just dropping the bucket, you know,” says Alvin. Commenting on the disparity between locals and out-of-towners, who far outnumbered the Michigan demographic this past weekend.
One thing that was a constant observation was the spectrum of different languages that carried amidst the clamor of bodies. Aside from the iconic Pennsylvania Dutch, French and German were also a frequent acoustic as various forms of speech carried about.
In addition to international interest, Clare had visitors from across the United States migrating to the Yoder farm as well. Busloads of people from as far as California and Florida arrived en masse to learn what they could from this unique celebration.
Every one of the seminars was deeply informative. From topics such as soil health, grazing practices, raising livestock, dairy herdsharing, pork processing, cheese making, goat milk soap crafting, wound care, salve and candle making, orchard care without pesticides, small-scale beekeeping and so many others.
Several panels offered commentary on agriculture equipment. Which Yoder recounts as always being a draw for the international crowd who are looking to augment their rural lifestyles, with sales aplenty. In fact, sales were great throughout the entire marketplace this year. It was quite the bazaar of old-fashioned commerce.
“It turned out very well,” prided Reuben Graber, the event’s vendor coordinator. “We had a lot of comments back from people that it was a great show. The vendor participation was up dramatically from seven years ago”
With 257 booths registered and only 3 no-shows, Reuben considers his end of things a considerable success. He estimates an intake of roughly $75,000 from vendors, which will go back to next year’s Horse Progress Days when it continues in Arthur, Illinois.
One of the new features of this year’s show was free water, provided by Bontragers Water One. A precious commodity on a hot weekend like this one, with countless compliments from attendees. Stored and dispensed from a steel tank, the water was ice cold and offered constant hydration for the influx of foot traffic.
While costly, Reuben believes it’s a win-win situation in the end.
“It’s important during warm and hot weather,” he explains. “Upon a pass, you get a water bottle, so those water bottles cost us. But then, we bring in the big tankers of water. It just eliminates all these little plastic throwaway bottles. That way, there’s little to no waste, and people are not paying for that commodity, other than through their pass. So they tend to drink more, and when they drink more, they eat more.”
Indeed, the food vendors were constantly collecting profits, and the menu offered a wide selection of foods, all homecooked and prepared by the community. It was the kind of food that was not only delicious, but you felt good about purchasing. Opposed to the corporate drive-thru food a few miles back in the other direction. Which in comparison is, as we all know, rather soulless and overpriced. It’s just a better human experience that feels grounded and genuine.
As far as any issues that arose, there was one injury that occurred, involving a horse kick to the face. Always unfortunate, but considering the turnout of thousands, one splash in a sea of numerous other possibilities is a small lick to take. An ambulance was stationed nearby so the response to the injury was swift and addressed within minutes. The person in question has since recovered and was sitting upright within a day of medical observation.
A pair of mounted police officers regularly patrolled the grounds, so apart from the one animal-related accident, which are bound to happen, the event was as safe as can be. Everybody was in good spirits and felt at maximum ease.
“I think with these people coming here, and the Horse Progress Days, its actually planting the seed for kids,” concludes Yoder. “We’re teaching them to make your own living off the land. It takes work, and its hard work. We’re not out there for handouts.”
