By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

AUBURN, Ind. — Tractors from J.I. Case will be featured during the annual Winter Tractor and Engine Show, which runs this Friday-Sunday at Kruse Auction Park in Auburn.

The show will include approximately 200 tractors, of which 50 probably will be the Case brand, said David Pence, president of the Maumee Valley Antique Steam and Gas Assoc., which co-hosts the event along with the National Automotive & Truck Museum of the United States (NATMUS). About 50 gas engines will also be displayed.

Jerome Increase Case founded his company in 1842 and worked on creating what eventually became the Case threshing machine, Pence said. Initially, the equipment was powered with horses on a treadmill, but later, Case built a steam engine and then a steam tractor.

The oldest tractors scheduled to be on display will be from about 1915, Pence said. The show, in its 15th year, tends to draw a mixed range of ages, he added.

“While it’s predominantly older people, we do have a great deal of interest from younger people,” he said. “They like to be able to get hands-on and work with things. Some people start working on engines as a hobby, and it ends up leading to an occupation.”
The Vintage Garden Tractor Club of America will have about 30 garden tractors on display, he added.

The show is scheduled in conjunction with the winter convention of the J.I. Case Collectors Assoc., which plans an auction at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The show will be inside a heated building, and will feature a toy show, craft show and model train display daily.

Approximately 2,500-3,000 visitors are expected, Pence said. Admission is $7 daily and includes admission to the nearby NATMUS facility, which features an antique truck, toy and automobile display.

Hours for the show are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday. Food will be available.

The auction park is at Interstate 69 and DeKalb County Road 11-A, exit 126. For more information, see www.maumeevalley.org