There's a lot of excitement during the opening weekend at the Georgia National Fair. With all of the food, rides, games and prizes, there's a lot to be excited about, but there's a small group of people celebrating something else and it's 100 years in the making.
"We'd ring the bell for the people on the farm to come to work," farm owner David Muse said.
Muse grew up on his family farm in Perry, which at one point grew to nearly 2,000 acres. He helped his father -- who had helped his grandfather -- harvest the land for the last 100 years.
"It's from daylight to dark most days and it's rewarding when you get the crop in," Muse said.
At only about 350 acres now, some parts of the farm are still standing while other buildings have changed quite a bit.
"Well the equipment shed up there, I built it with my father in the middle 60s. A tornado came down and took out the other shed," David said.
Pieces of equipment they just couldn't live without in the past don't work the way they used to.
"Here's your gauge. If you wanted one gallon to 10 gallons you'd pump it up," Muse said.
Still, the Muse family farm holds many treasures near and dear to David's heart.
"That windmill has my granddaddy's name stamped on it when they shipped it to him. I don't know exactly what date, but it had to be back in the early 1910s," he said.
Now, a century later, David worries the winds of change are going to carry away the farming lifestyle.
"In 100 years, you might never know that this had been farm country," he said.
But his son Pat, an accountant by day, hopes to prevent that after retirement.
"I hope I can have some pecan trees and tend to those," Pat said.
Regardless of the future, David and his family are celebrating their 100-year history now.
"It's wonderful to have this designation because there are not that many around," he said.
Each of the family farms recognized for their 100-year contribution to the Georgia Economy is self-nominated. They'll each go home with a certificate signed by Governor Nathan Deal.
More than 500 farms have been honored since the program began 25 years ago.