Wrenching Tales
By Cindy Ladage

Rain and heat, like on most August days, combined to make it a bit steamy at this 51st annual Steam, Gas & Threshing Show Aug. 18-22, at the Pinckneyville Fairgrounds in Illinois.

The show offers a wide variety of things to do, including steam- and tractor-powered plowing, wheat threshing, wood veneering, sawmilling, shingle milling and blacksmithing. It also features animal teams, prony brake, baker fans, miniature models, tractor activities, stationary gas and steam engines.

The American Thresherman Assoc. (ATA) was organized in March 1959 and held its first organizational meeting Oct. 15 at Brownstone, Ill. The ATA show is known for its big flea market and tractor pulls.

In the heat, visitors at this year’s show were grateful to ride around in golf carts and a wide array of other vehicles. One of the most unusual was a golf cart belonging to Richard Moldenhauer from Perryville, Mo. His cart was decorated with Oliver on one side and John Deere on the other.

“I like Deere and my wife, Charlotte, likes Oliver,” Richard said.

He also had a Leader tractor designation on the front of the cart. “I’ve also got Case, Massey, Minneapolis Moline, Allis Chalmers and more,” he said. “I collect all varieties of tractors.”

Richard also restores them – but his passion is pedal tractors. He had a display called “Classic Pedal” at the show. This trailer was filled with restored pedals and available for visitors to walk through and enjoy.

While many different brands were at the show, Massey was the featured tractor. One of the neatest was a combine and a 44 Massey that Bobbie Hislip from Freelandville, Ind., talked about. “The 44 Massey was my grandpa’s,” she said.

“Vaughn (my husband) and I had restored a Massey Clipper combine, then a guy from Batavia, New York, bought it. He said he was going to put it in a Massey museum.”

Once the Hislips sold their combine, they decided they missed it and wanted another. “We bought a 1959 Model 35 Massey. It was sold at Chrisman Farms Center in Chrisman, Illinois, and it went to Terre Haute, Indiana. It runs; we are going to put beans through it,” Bobbie explained.

This was the Hislips’ first time at the Pinckneyville show, but they are members of the White Rider group that have a show each year in Elnora, Ind.

For more information about the show, log onto www.americanthresherman.com

Mark Berkel and his dad, Lawrence, were at this year’s show handing out brochures for the upcoming Victorian Festival over Labor Day weekend. This event takes place on the grounds of the 1866 Fulkerson mansion, which will be open to the public every day during the festival.

There is an antique tractor show featuring John Deere, a large Civil War reenactment, working steam engines, live music – and even a stagecoach robbery courtesy of Jesse James!

Check out www.greatriverroad.com for details on the Sept. 4-6 show. This is an official event of the ILL-MO Tractor and Engine Club.

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