BERNARDSTON — After two consecutive cancellations due to health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the much-anticipated 44th annual Bernardston Gas Engine Show and Flea Market will finally take place this weekend.
Held every Memorial Day weekend for 43 years up until 2020, the Bernardston Gas Engine Show and Flea Market is usually the largest fundraiser of the year for the United Church of Bernardston. Proceeds typically support the church’s mission work, locally and globally.
One of the event’s main organizers, Bob Allen, reflected on how people once used gas engines to power everything. In past years, the Gas Engine Show has had gas engines functioning as peanut roasters, creating ropes, being airplane engines, cutting shingles, powering ice cream machines and doing laundry, among other tasks, as well as tractors of all sizes.
Among the newer elements of the show this year is a kiddie tractor ride, which was first introduced during the festival’s last edition in 2019. In addition to the traditional tractor parade, Allen said there will also be an announcer who will explain to onlookers what type of tractor they are looking at and what year it was made.
Regarding the importance of the Gas Engine Show to the Bernardston community, Allen said simply, “It’s huge.” The festival usually attracts between 6,000 and 8,000 people to the town of roughly 2,100 residents over the course of the weekend, with around 75 to 80 vendors at the accompanying flea market.
According to Allen, it is a very inexpensive event for families, as, although visitors have the option to give a donation to the church on the way in, the event is otherwise free. While the money will primarily go toward keeping the United Church of Bernardston’s doors open, Allen said it will also help the church’s many charitable endeavors. These include community suppers, donations to the local survival center and Camp Mechuwana, a religious summer camp in northern Maine.
Allen is excited for the event’s return, noting how “people get to see each other, some of them are third or fourth generation” Gas Engine Show attendees. He described the camaraderie when people see 30 to 40 tractors lined up, excited children and adults who are themselves excited to explain how they work to the next generation.
“Everyone’s been missing the show,” said Vickie Ovitt, another organizer for the Gas Engine Show. “They’re going to be happy to be back together again.”
The Bernardston Gas Engine Show will be held at Pratt Field from Friday, May 27, to Sunday, May 29. It will be open on Friday with events from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. To view the full schedule of events, visit bit.ly/39SW1Tw.