By SUSAN MYKRANTZ
Ohio Correspondent

WOOSTER, Ohio — The dust has barely settled from the 2010 National Oliver Show, but plans for the 2011 show are already in the works according to Joe Gress, of Shreve. The show will be held June 23-25, 2011 at the Wayne County Fairgrounds in Wooster, Ohio.
Gress said that it made sense to bring the show to Wooster,
because there are a lot of Olivers in the area. In fact, there are more Olivers in Ohio, than in any other state. “Oliver had a good tractor, and Wooster had good dealers,” he said. “It was a good place to sell tractors and that made the tractor popular in this area.”

Gress said that the show will feature any item produced under the Oliver Umbrella, including White, which bought out the Oliver line.
“I think this will be a good show,” he said. “We expect a good turnout because there are a lot of loyal Oliver fans.”

Gress and his committee are planning three days of Oliver-related events, beginning with a tour of the Grosjean Antique Equipment Museum on June 23, a tractor pull on June 24 and concluding with the national banquet on June 25. They are also planning a parts auction, equipment displays and threshing, baling, corn husking and shelling demonstrations.

“We are planning lots of noise and action,” Gress reported. “If you don’t have things going on, people are not going to come in to the show.”

An added incentive to bring people into the show is the $2 daily admission charge for adults or a $5 three-day gate pass. “We can’t get families with young children to come in if they can’t afford it,” he said. “If we don’t get young people interested in what we are doing, the group will die out.”

Gress added that because Oliver has been a strong supporter of FFA, any active FFA member will be admitted free with their membership card.

For more information on the show, contact Joe Gress at 330-567-3417. For information on lodging in the area, contact the Wayne County Convention and Visitors Bureau at 1-800-362-6474 or by e-mail at waynecvb@cs.com