Wrenching Tales
By Cindy Ladage

Harvest is ready to roll, and for many there are fond memories of farming with old iron. For those who want to see antique equipment, consider coming to Brookville, Ind., for the 16th annual Franklin County Antique Machinery Show.

Held Sept. 23-26 at the Franklin County Fairgrounds, the show‘s opening ceremony kicks off at 8 a.m.

Susan Van Meter, an Allis Chalmers enthusiast, is excited because this year’s featured tractors are Rumely and Allis Chalmers and related equipment, plus Stover gas engines. The show flyer also mentions that the All-Crop Harvester will be on display at this mega-show that brings visitors from all over the United States.

“Allis Chalmers was a company that when farmers quit using tractors, they could afford,” Susan shared.

She collects AC and her husband, Chuck, is a John Deere man.

“Collecting tractors is something to do,” she said. “We need to show the younger generation machinery and how we farmed with it.”

A number of youngsters will get to take a gander at machinery of yesteryear on Thursday the 23rd, which has been designated Children’s Day at the show. “Schoolchildren will be coming on Thursday. They will come by school buses and take tours,” Susan said.

Some of the popular items with kids, besides the old machinery, is the petting zoo that offers a wide variety of animals such as ducks, goats and sheep. Lots of family-related activities, like the kiddies’ tractor pulls and tractor tugs, are also available.

Saturday is game day, with tractor games that include the Slow Race, Crack the Egg, Cranking Contest and Barrel Roll. There are also kids’ games – the Egg Toss, Dash for Cash, Corn Shucking, Bale Toss and Hammer the Nail.

There are many things to see and do at this big show. “We have threshing machines,” Susan said. “Kids and people of all ages love them.”

Several buildings at the fairgrounds are used by the Franklin County Antique Machinery Club. “We have a machine shop, a blacksmith shop, working sawmill, country kitchen and other outbuildings where we have demonstrations displayed,” Susan said.
A few of the demonstrations she named include soap making, broom making and making wool rugs, yarn, pottery and other crafts.

One newly finished display is the Fairbanks-Morse engine. “We have the Oldenburg engine under roof this year,” Susan added. “(It is called that because) it came from the Oldenburg (Ind.) Catholic nunnery. The engine made the power for the academy.”

The show also offers an array of agricultural historic preservation efforts such as corn shredding, steam engines, hay baling and the aforementioned demonstrations. The country kitchen offers a glimpse into how people cooked on woodstoves.

Homemade ice cream is plentiful, and Susan added other great food is available, along with a wide variety of vendors: “There is something for everybody of all ages!”

For those who like the pulls, Thursday and Friday nights host antique tractor pulls and on Saturday night, horse pulls are scheduled.

The Franklin County Antique Machinery Club formed after members showed their tractors at the Clinton County Fair. It was in July 1994, when they met at the Franklin County 4-H Fair, that the idea of the club took root.

“They decided to show their tractors and the group got bigger and bigger, and they decided to have their own show,” Susan explained.

This is the 16th year for the show and it has become a staple on the local agenda. The first show brought 200 tractors, 75 hit-and-miss engines and four steam engines. Today, the club has more than 800 members and they estimate close to 1,600 people participate in the membership.

In the official show guide, tribute was made to the late Dave Taube, who passed on in 2010. Taube was one of the original members who started the club. “He was the thinker and the planner, the brains behind the concept,” the show guide states.

In Brookville, the park is on the south end of town. For more information about the show, contact Susan Van Meter at 765-265-2882.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.