The band, Downtown Sound, sets up inside the Becker barn for a 100th birthday barn dance.
THE OLD BARN was all decked out with rural décor.
Guests gather in a corner near a display of Becker family farm photos. The images are displayed on the exterior of the bathroom built into the barn.
Ear corn and seedcorn signs. Washboard and washtubs. Gourds and pumpkins. Fresh-cut zinnias, cosmos and other garden flowers in jars. Red-and-white checked gingham tablecloths. And in a corner, a collection of family and barn photos.
Across the end of the hayloft, just above the section where the band, Downtown Sound, was setting up, and below an American flag, a banner blazed Becker Barn Dance 1915 – 2015.
Guests gather on the hayloft deck as the sun sets Saturday evening.
John and Debbie Becker purchased the farm from John’s dad, Herb, in 1988.
John and Debbie Becker
Hundreds gathered on a perfect September Saturday evening at the John and Debbie Becker farm just west of Dundas along Rice County Road 1 to celebrate the birthday of a sprawling 36-foot by 100-foot barn built in 1915. One hundred years ago.
Family arrives for the barn dance and party.
A vintage photo of the Herb and Dorothy Becker family. The current barn owner, John, is the youngest in the family.
Family and friends visit before the meal and dance.
But this party was about more than commemorating this century-old massive barn in the Becker family since Herb and wife, Dorothy (both now deceased), purchased the farm in 1948. It was also about a coming together of family—only one of the elder Beckers’ descendants was missing—and friends to celebrate the land, farming and the rural way of life.
A view of the farmyard and barn dance guests from a hayloft window.
Posted in the barn, a photo of the Becker farm and an appropriate saying.
Aunt and nephew at the barn dance.
As I gazed through an open hayloft window at the crowd mingling in the farmyard below, I considered how thankful I am to have grown up in rural Minnesota, to have this close connection to the land and to extended family. Just like the Becker family.
The sun spotlights machine sheds. Vehicles parked in every nook and cranny of the farm.
Wagons rolled.
A vintage swingset proved a popular spot.
Playing games…
Here, on this evening when the sun set a brilliant gold across ripening corn fields and edged shadows around silos, kids rumbled wagons across gravel, pumped legs high on an aged swingset, covered eyes in an old-fashioned game of hide-and-seek. It was like a flashback to yesteryear for me, back to simpler days when kids played with imagination and folks took time to visit.
Nostalgia prevailed on this September evening of a near full moon. Host John Becker briefed guests on the history of the barn, known long ago for its neighborhood barn dances. In his youth, long before he bought this farm, John’s father attended dances here, where men sat on one side of the hayloft, women on the other. On this evening, all generations mingled in the hayloft and John reminded them to be thankful to the Lord for the harvest.
I was thankful to be here, sitting on a bench on the newly-constructed deck off the hayloft. Gazing at the peak of the barn toward the evening sky scattered with stars. Inside the band played Sweet Caroline as the autumn breeze cooled me.
Later I would twirl, in my husband’s arms, across the cornmeal slicked plywood floor to a polka, flap my elbows to the chicken dance and rock it out to I Fought the Law (and the law won) and many more tunes. I danced until my muscles ached. And I smiled, oh, how I smiled. It’s been a long time since I’ve had this much fun, since I’ve forgotten the worries of life and immersed myself in the joy of a memorable evening with friends.
Judging pies.
The food was equally as memorable with savory beef and pork sandwiches from Nerstrand Meats, baked beans and an assortment of salads and bars brought by guests. Later, after judges sampled pies in the pie-baking contest, plated pies presented a dessert smorgasbord. And if that wasn’t enough, sausage and cheese, chips and dip and other snack foods were available for grazing later.
The side entry into the hayloft.
Some six hours after we arrived, Randy and I descended the steep walk-way into the hayloft and followed the gravel drive past the grain dryer (next to the yard light) toward vehicles parked on the lawn. We threaded our way toward our car, music fading as the distance widened between us and the 100-year-old barn.
FYI: Check back for more photos from the barn dance in additional posts tomorrow and thereafter.
© Copyright 2015 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Awesome!
So joyous!
Pie 18 is beautiful
I agree with you on your assessment of pie #18. I’ll show you another fab one tomorrow or the next day.
Looking forward to that!!
The multitude of pictures today indicate how wonderful this evening was for you and I am so glad that you celebrated your birthday i such a wonderful way. We all need those fun times, don’t we?
Yes, I got a bit carried away with the photos today. But I have so many I want/need to share, with additional posts coming.
It was a pretty sweet way to celebrate my birthday. Not every year a barn dance is thrown for my birthday, or a parade.
Exactly. I wonder what Faribault will do for you NEXT year?
Something big, I would suspect, since it’s a milestone birthday. 🙂
Oh yes! I am sure it will include fireworks!
Fireworks would be great.
Great Captures – thanks so much for sharing – it has been sometime since I have been in a barn! Happy Week – Enjoy 🙂
You are welcome. This barn is grand.
Audrey, you have outdone yourself. Your photos are fantastic. It almost feels like we were there with you.
Interesting. I might try that as an excuse for not sweeping the kitchen floor….”but honey, it’s for dancing”.
Thank you, Greg. I’ll be sharing even more photos, making this a several-part series. A barn dance these days is unique enough that I feel OK doing this.
Sure, go ahead and dump some cornmeal on the kitchen floor. Let me know how that works for you.
I wondered about the cornmeal on the floor, too! I would have fallen right on my behind. Not a dancer. But I love these photos and you showed the atmosphere and joy so well. What fun!
I won’t pretend to be a good dance. But no one cares. It’s all about the music and the fun. There was a container of cornmeal sitting on a table to slick up the plywood floor as needed.
I know we’ve had conversations before on old barns, and it is such a pleasure to see one that has been so well preserved and is still functioning and flourishing. Great pics too, Audrey.
John and Debbie have done a fabulous job in keeping their barn in top-notch condition. More photos tomorrow, Jake.
I would love to have a barn like that. What a great, fun event.
You and Cyndie would have loved this event. John and Debbie cherish their barn and it shows.
Need a list of the types of pies that were brought in for judging and sharing! Really looks like a lot of fun and glad you enjoyed your birthday. (Many More!!!!)
I’m sorry, but I don’t have a list of the pies and I don’t know that one was kept. But the varieties I remember are apple, pumpkin, pear, peanut butter, “cow pie”…
Thank you for your birthday wishes, dear sister. The barn dance was a lovely way to celebrate.
Beautiful post, Audrey. I really enjoyed this. The barn has so much history and is gorgeous and I love how the interior was decorated and it looks so welcoming with the tables all set up with the tablecloths. The food looks great too and I’d love the recipe for that raspberry slice (if that’s what it is), if there’s a way of forwarding it to me. What a wonderful occasion of bringing family and the community together and I do hope they have more of these celebrations in the future xx
If you enjoyed today’s post, be sure to check back for more photos the next two days.
That is, indeed, a raspberry bar on the food plate. I will see if I can track down the recipe. Lots of people brought bars, so hopefully someone will know who made these. If I get it, I’ll email you directly if that’s OK.
Belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY Wishes
and what a fun event to attend and 6 hours!! gosh you really must have had a good time. You were so lucky to be able to enjoy the food (especially the Fall Pie), music and conversation with family and friends.
It was a wonderful time, Sue. We’re not related to the Beckers so did not know a lot of the people in attendance. But our entire bible study group was there and we had a great time together.
Great post Audrey, and what a great way to celebrate a birthday! The old barn looks awesome with all the fall decorations,….warm and inviting. Love the camera shy little boy..just precious.
It was quite the celebration.
The little boy wasn’t hiding from my camera. He was playing a game. He didn’t even see me with my camera. That’s how I like it, to be as invisible as I can and capture unposed moments like this that tell a story.
You did very well capturing the celebration!
Thank you kindly. Look for one final post tomorrow.
Wow what a great place. It sounds like you had a lovely time.
I did.