SOUTH DAYTON — The village of South Dayton will celebrate 150 years of the historic Depot at 108 W. Railroad St. with an event from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 6.

Enjoy the 1800s by wearing your favorite old hat and bringing your picnic lunch and a blanket to dine on the Village Green. Greeters Benny and Sharon Bottita will guide attendees to 1800s activities and ask to sign their visitors’ book using a quill pen from noon to 1:30 p.m. Becky King will be the greeter from 1:30-3 p.m.

The depot history includes the start of freight and passenger service by the New York & Lake Erie Railroad out of Gowanda in the 1980s. Former Mayor Larry Zollinger was instrumental in getting parts of the movies “The Natural” and “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” filmed in South Dayton. Zollinger will be available for conversation about the movies, as he was also an extra in “The Natural.”

Through funding from former state Sen. Cathy Young and a grant from the Margaret Wendt Foundation, the Depot was restored and is the Depot Movie and Rail Museum and home to the ticket window that was in both movies.

The events for the day are free, exciting 1800s experiences and fun for the entire family. Relax and enjoy the complimentary Banner Farms Horse & Carriage rides around the north side of the village. Ask Civil War questions of Bruce Sanders and other members of the Civil War 9th N.Y. Cavalry as they spend the afternoon on the Village Green. Miss Heidi’s Piano Studio students will provide an afternoon of pleasant music.

The Firebells will have a one-price hot dog, chips and a drink available in the side room of the village hall. Mmm Mazing Dessert Food Truck will be open for cool desserts, and the Saturday Farmer’s Market will have fresh vegetables, fruits, jams, pies, cookies, breads, homemade aprons, bags and more.

For natural covering, events will be set up under the spreading maple trees on the Village Green.

Jace Wightman will share his knowledge of kite-making with the children. He will have enough material to make 50 kites. Also celebrating its 150th, make Kentucky Derby hats at the Depot with Peg VanWormer and her sister, Terry Rogers, members of the Friends of the Depot. There will be enough material for 50 hats. Claudia Youmans, master quilter, will be stitching an 1800s-style quilt, and she might allow her visitors to sew a stitch or two.

Becky Wightman likes making corncob dolls and she will have enough material for 50 dolls. Along with the display of her collection of washboards, Wightman’s granddaughters Amelia, Darcy and Ellie will help visitors experience the olden laundry days of washboard and washtub of soapy water.  The entire family can paint rocks with Sherry Taber, a member of the Friends of the Depot.

Glen and Sylvia Morey will show visitors how to make hearth brooms, reminding visitors early days of fireplaces as the main source of heat. Also, Glen’s famous walking sticks and a working grinding wheel will be on display. The children can be creative with sidewalk chalk and have fun making bubbles.

In the Depot, Tim Stockman, retired Pine Valley music teacher, will share the history of the Depot along with the history of the local train agents Clayton Perry, who had a 39-year career and last agent Bill Neubeck, who had a 32-year career, including sending telegrams.

Also in the Depot, there will be a display of pig scrapers. Cherry Creek Woodcraft gave the event wooden trophy plaques for visitors to decoupage with a choice of pictures of  Zollinger’s Restaurant, the Village Green, Austin Milling or the Depot.

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes.  Business sponsors for this event are Austin Milling and Zollinger’s Restaurant.

The annual South Dayton Fire Department Fall Tractor Pull starts at noon, Sunday, Sept. 14.