By TIM ALEXANDER
Illinois Correspondent WYOMING, Ill. — A new antique tractor club dedicated to celebrating the history of farming, farm and antique power equipment and farm families sponsored “Farm Heritage Days” from Aug. 20-21 at the Stark County Junior Fairgrounds in Wyoming, Ill.
The event hosted an array of attractions that included big and little tractor pulls, a tractor parade, plowing exhibitions, kids’ attractions and more. Several hundred people attended, including antique farm equipment enthusiasts and local youth clubs and organizations.
The idea behind the Central Illinois Farm Heritage Tractor Club’s Farm Heritage Days was to educate youth about farming, keep interest in agriculture alive and simply to have fun, according to show coordinator Dean Buchholz, a Caterpillar engineer at the Mossville, Ill., Technical Center who holds a keen interest in old iron.
Highlights of the show included an operational 1914 Avery steam engine, originally built in Peoria and now owned by the Erickson family of Pontiac, and a 1940s 1/2-scale Avery steam engine built by a hobbyist in Indiana and now owned by Delores Koopman of Flanagan, Ill.
The 1914 Avery weighs approximately 14,000 pounds and boasts 18 hp at the drawbar. “It is loaded and unloaded onto a low-boy trailer with full steam power, meaning someone rides on the engine on the 90-minute trip each way to and from Pontiac,” said Buchholz.
Koopman’s 1/2-scale Avery weighs around 7,000 pounds and offers an estimated 7-8 hp at the drawbar.
Attending the event were Gene Sathoff, who spun carefully-crafted mini straw bales for youngsters, and club members Terry Beachler and Paul McKim, who conducted a scavenger hunt for commemorative coins in towering piles of loose hay for local Boy Scouts and other youth in attendance.
Also in attendance were volunteers creating awareness and seeking donations for the planned Spoon River Agricultural Museum. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to construct a “physical” museum that will showcase central Illinois’ agricultural history and serve as a learning center for children and adults who may be unaware of the significance of agriculture in their lives.
Members of the museum plan to create interest for it by hosting special events, exhibitions and classroom discussions along with publishing materials to promote awareness of ag history.
“Our club is supportive of several area museums, including the Spoon River Ag Museum and the Princeville Heritage Museum,” said club member Daniel Wiest. “Our club participates in events with both organizations, has members in both organizations and shares similar purposes with the organizations.”
Wiest said club members were pleased with the show overall. “There were a lot of displays and activities for all to enjoy in the nice weather. We appreciated all those that participated and attended,” he said.
More than 50 tractor pulls were held each day of the event, he added.
For details on the Spoon River Ag Museum, call 309-286-6200 or visit www.spoonriverag.com or to learn more about the Central Illinois Farm Heritage Tractor Club, see www.citractorclub.com |
