Activities during the annual Blossoms at Butterworth event at the Deere-Wiman House and Butterworth Center in Moline traditionally have focused on the past.

Participants have walked through the historic Deere family homes and gardens, played 1800s games and listened to old-fashioned music.

This year, there will be all that and something new as well.

Open for the first time on Sunday, June 28, will be a 1,200-square-foot addition to the 1910 Butterworth garage that more than triples the amount of space the center can offer for community meetings and educational programming.

Called the Education Center, this space - which also encompasses renovations to the 99-year-old garage - features a welcome center with a display area, a small auditorium, kitchen facilities and a large meeting room.

Premiering in the display area will be a new video tracing the life of John Deere from Vermont to Moline and explaining the history and mission of the two historic homes. The video will give a good orientation to the homes that wasn't available before, program director Gretchen Frick-Small said.

Also in the display area will be the Brinton Art Show, featuring works by Moline junior high and high schools students, and "Houseboats on the Mississippi," a historic exhibit showcasing photos of, and memorabilia from, early houseboats owned by the Deere and Butterworth families.

The memorabilia includes a silver tea set, towels and china used on the boats.

Blossoms at Butterworth is a family-oriented event and, with the exception of food concessions, all activities and entertainment are free.

The schedule at Butterworth:

• 1 and 3 p.m., performances by the Bix Beiderbecke Youth Jazz Band
• 2 and 4 p.m., performances by the Quad-City Jugglers and organist Steve Steeley

Also, WQPT Quad-Cities, the area's Public Broadcasting System TV station, will host a crafts tent for children and families, and free family photos will be taken at the gazebo, complete with characters in period clothing.

The schedule at Deere-Wiman House:

• 2 and 3 p.m., presentations by the staff of Niabi Zoo, Coal Valley, Ill.

Also, old-fashioned lawn games, a Victorian tea party, performances by pianist Selma Johnson, a display by the Antique Ford Club and Mississippi Valley Antique Automobile Club, self-guided tours of both historic homes and the historic gardens, and guided bus tours of the Overlook Historic Neighborhood.