Groffs Lead Millersburg Farmer's Day
Published: Friday, August 28, 2026
The town of Millersburg welcomed thousands of visitors last weekend for its annual Farmer's Day festival. Most of the activities took place at Cook Station Park, ending with a fireworks show Saturday night. For the first time, the antique tractor show found a new home off-site at Dale Yoder's farm located about a mile and a half away.
Ted and Amy Groff served as this year's grand marshal of the parade. Ted grew up on a farm and at age 24 became part owner of C&P Oil Co. in Millersburg. He owned and operated that business for 26 years and worked another 12 years there as office manager. The other owner was Amy's father, though at that time she and Ted weren't married and not even dating.
Both Millersburg natives, Ted and Amy met by chance at a church social.
"About three years later, I finally got up enough nerve to call her up and ask her out," he recalled. They went to see a movie in the Concord area.
That was in January 1980, the same year the Farmer's Day festival began. Ted was a volunteer during that first year, coordinating both old and new equipment lineup for the parade. He has been helping off and on ever since.
"If I remember right, we had over 60 pieces of farm equipment in the original parade," he said. "I had a three-bottom plow and that was followed by a 10-bottom plow. I had a pull-behind corn picker and that was followed by a big combine. It was a good parade."
Amy, who used to work at Carriage Inc., said she looks forward to seeing so many good friends each year at the festival.
"I love seeing the people here," she said. "We just come and see neighbors and friends."
Both Ted and Amy say they feel honored to serve as parade marshals. Considering family history, they were both well prepared for that role. Ted's grandfather and father, Richard, were both grand marshals. Amy's father, Larry Hartzler, was also a marshal.
At Dale Yoder's farm, there were about a dozen antique tractors and at least one Rumely Oil Puller on display. Activities include plowing and disking, sawmill demonstration, silage making, corn shelling and grinding, dynamometer and a Baker fan.
At both the Yoder farm and Cook Station Park, food trucks were on-site to serve hungry festival-goers.
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