“If you had told me 18 years ago that we would ever draw 30,000 visitors I would have laughed,” said Field Day of the Past Administrator Melinda Gammon, as she dealt with last-minute preparations for the annual event.

In the summer of 1992, a few steam and gas engine collectors got together to talk about organizing a steam and gas engine show.

They organized the Rockville-Centerville Steam and Gas Historical Association and hosted the first show, attracting about 5,000 visitors.

When they got together to display a few antique vehicles, little did they know that the event would grow into a yearly three-day attraction that would draw crowds in the thousands.

The 18th annual Field Day of the Past is scheduled for Sept 18-20 at the show ground located at the intersection of Routes 622 and 623 in Centerville.

The show features various trades of the past and attractions include a steam operated sawmill, sorghum molasses production, ham smoking and similar activities.

The Short Pump Garage and Short Pump Grocery Store will be open for business. Springfield Baptist Church will be open throughout the weekend with services scheduled for 7:30 a.m. Sunday.

Among the new displays this year is the former Rocketts polling place, moved from Sandy Hook to the Field Day grounds by volunteers in June. It was replaced as a voting precinct by the Goochland Recreation Association building in the 1960s.

Gammon said a core group of 10-12 volunteers keep Field Day going with 100 or more pitching in for the annual big fall show.

“At times you get overwhelmed,” said Gammon, “but it gets in your blood. It’s a challenge each year to make it better.”

The association publishes a tabloid newsletter highlighting their fall event, along with a smaller exhibition called The Spring Thing. Twenty thousand copies are distributed.

Gammon said this year’s show will feature an exhibition of soap making by Deborraha Burnett from Mountain View, Arkansas.

“That ought to be really neat,” said Gammon. Burnett makes soap like Grandma used to do it — over an open fire, and the pot she uses is the one that her Grandmother Burnett brought from Edinburgh, Scotland to America in 1905.

Grace, the amazing mule will be making an encore appearance at the 2009 Field Day of the Past on Friday and Saturday with two performances each day, said Gammon.

After winning America’s Ultimate Horse Idol competition in Richmond last year, she earned a role in the upcoming movie “Get Low,” scheduled for release next month. Her co-stars are Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek and Bill Murray.

As usual, the mainstay of the exhibit will be the sawmill and the steam engines, not to mention the tractor pulls.

There will also be a log cabin with ongoing heritage craft demonstrations.

Permanent exhibits and structures include a working United States post office, a 1930’s grocery store and garage, fire lookout tower, blacksmith shop, wood wright shop, ice house, gold mining equipment, Pullman railroad car and engine buildings.

For more information visit the Field Day of the Past Web site at www.fielddayofthepast.net.