The AgriCultural Museum & Arts Center in Boerne, Texas will commemorate its 40th anniversary with the Power of the Past Festival on Saturday, March 7, 2026. This free, family-oriented event will transform the museum's open-air grounds into a celebration of Hill Country traditions through vintage vehicles, antique tractors, live music, and living-history exhibits. According to Tori Bellos, Marketing Specialist at Visit Boerne, the museum blends history, creativity and community while preserving regional heritage and welcoming music, art, food and family memories.
Festival attractions include historic engines, vintage cars, trucks and antique tractors, with re-enactors from the Frontier History Company Foundation demonstrating turn-of-the-century pioneer life. A blacksmith will work throughout the day in the museum's blacksmith shop, while visitors can tour the Big Red Barn to see collections of historic farming equipment, tools, and an extensive display of vintage farm toys. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with gates opening at 8:00 a.m., at the museum located at 102 City Park Road in Boerne.
The festival's vintage car and truck show is open to vehicles 40 years or older, with on-site registration costing $40 and including an event T-shirt. Antique tractors and agricultural equipment receive free registration in honor of the museum's anniversary. Live music will feature the Flashbacks Band performing from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., followed by a Bluegrass Jam in the Pioneer House from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. An awards ceremony will present trophies for Top 30 Vehicles, Best of Show Car & Truck, and categories for tractors, engines, and antique equipment.
Living-history demonstrations will encompass heritage cooking, blacksmithing, and woodworking, while food vendors include Johnny Naan's Pizza and Stoltze's BBQ, with craft beer available from Cibolo Creek Brewing Co. Personalized drawings by Texas' official character artist Jerry Cardona will be offered alongside 40th-anniversary t-shirts. The museum, formerly known as the Agricultural Heritage Museum, serves as a living-history campus featuring multiple historic structures and outdoor exhibits of antique farm machinery.
Regular programming includes twice-monthly Bluegrass Jams on the second and fourth Saturdays, semi-weekly art workshops with the Hill Country Council for the Arts, antique tractor pulls, and an annual pumpkin patch. For additional information about local events, visitors can check the Visitor Blog at VisitBoerne.org.
This anniversary celebration underscores the museum's role in preserving agricultural history while fostering community engagement through cultural programming. The festival's emphasis on hands-on demonstrations and interactive exhibits provides visitors with tangible connections to the region's past, ensuring that traditional skills and stories remain accessible to new generations. As Boerne continues to balance historic preservation with contemporary community life, events like the Power of the Past Festival demonstrate how cultural institutions can serve as vital bridges between heritage and modernity.
