Missouri River Valley Steam Engine Association Show

By Staff
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Sorghum press in action.
Sorghum press in action.
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Miles Wolfe's 1919 10-20 Titan.
Miles Wolfe's 1919 10-20 Titan.
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Saw rig.
Saw rig.
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3 HP IHC.
3 HP IHC.
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Jerry Shahan's 1912 25 HP Titan with cab.
Jerry Shahan's 1912 25 HP Titan with cab.
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Dennis Ficken on his W-6.
Dennis Ficken on his W-6.
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This 1919 Moline Universal won Best Restored last year.
This 1919 Moline Universal won Best Restored last year.
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Bill Neal's grandson, Joshua Neal oils a 1910 Waterloo Boy engine at the Cedar Valley Thresher Show last Labor Day weekend.
Bill Neal's grandson, Joshua Neal oils a 1910 Waterloo Boy engine at the Cedar Valley Thresher Show last Labor Day weekend.
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Rt 2, Box 84 A, Hickory Hillside Acres, California, Missouri 65018

I wanted to let you know how our 25th Anniversary Show turned out at Boonville, Missouri, this past September. The weather was excellent, cool and sunny. New exhibitors attendance and gate attendance records were set. Paid admissions to the four day event were around 5,500 people. Nearly 50 new members were signed up. We hosted over 20 steam engines, over 1,000 gas engines ranging from 1-100 HP, 20 head of work horses and 295 tractor exhibits. Popular events and attractions included: Horseshoe pitching; live music; dancing; blacksmith shop; gas engine displays; crafts; flea market; parts sales; antique and classic tractor pulls; horse, steamer and tractor power demonstrations; threshing; baling; plowing; lumber sawing; rock crushing; antique cars and trucks; Knights of Columbus-country meals; daily parades; and of course the I.H.C. feature event.

I would like to elaborate some on the I.H.C. feature event for you readers. The feature area was a 60′ diameter cargo parachute converted to a tent. The tent contained selected choice I.H.C. exhibits, a display case of trophies to be given away, and all sorts of I.H.C. memorabilia, patches, flags, tools, toys, literature, signs, etc. The feature tent also provided seating, shade, free ice water, free sample copies of Red Power Magazine and served as the tractor headquarters and loafing area.

The feature tent housed and displayed the following: the Association’s raffle tractor, a 1938 restored F-12 on steel ($1.00 donations were accepted for chances to win this tractor. It was given away during the last day of the show ); a beautifully restored W-30 belonging to Mark Johnsdow of Arkansas City, Kansas (this tractor won best restored on steel); a nice 0-12 and 0-14 were provided by Wayne Hutton of Clarence, Missouri; a nice F-12 with factory wide front was provided by James Gall of Reserve, Kansas; a slick F-12 with single front belonged to Lee Schmidt of California, Missouri; an OS-12 belonged to Willard Hawn of Newport-Ritchey, Florida (this unit won an award for traveling the greatest distance-1,400 miles); an 0-12 belonged to Byron Monckton of Fayette, Missouri; a beautifully restored Fairway 12 belonged to Dan and Martha Schmitt of Omaha, Nebraska (this unit won best restored on rubber); a real nice early Regular on rear steel belonged to Charlie Robinson of Cresco, Iowa; an 1865 McCormick Reaper was proudly displayed by Gus Schrader of Boonville, Missouri; Mike Smasel of Sedalia, Missouri, furnished a real nice Titan gas engine.

The tent being just so big, most of the I.H.C. featured line which consisted of 98 tractors and related items (machinery, trucks, engines, etc.) was parked surrounding the feature tent. Some units I will highlight for you, but due to space I cannot include each one.

E. Brad Foster of Edgerton, Missouri brought his 191120 HP Type C Mogul (this tractor won an award for oldest); Jerry Shahan of Brashear, Missouri, took home the coveted I.H.C. Feature Trophy with the display of his 1912 25 HP Titan with factory cab and his 1917 International 8-16; Wayne Hutton of Clarence, Missouri, won rarest honors with his Regular, F-20 and F-30 all narrow tread tractors; Miles Wolf of Pilot Grove, Missouri proudly unveiled his newly restored 10-20 Titan (not bad for a boy with Green blood); Dennis Fricken of Wooldridge, Missouri took 2nd place Best Restored Classic with his H on steel. Looking on down the I.H.C. lines you could see nice Regulars, F-20’s, F-30’s, 10-20’s, 15-30’s, 22-36’s, F-12’s, WK-40’s, W-40’s, WA-40’s, A’s, B’s, C’s, H’s, M’s, an MD, a W4, W6, and W9, a 1988 Case I.H. Magnum 7120 and a smaller 1988 Case I.H. Utility Tractor with mower provided by Case IH Power & Equipment Co. of Sedalia, Missouri. Several nice IHC trucks from the 30’s-50’s and a barrage of IHC equipment including: plows, sub-soilers, balers, a Weber wagon, manure spreader, rakes, corn and grain binders, threshers, grinders, walking plows and a mower. Rob Gooding of Cairo, Missouri won best machinery display and contributed greatly to the IHC equipment line.

On Saturday we had a combination feature and regular parade. This parade lasted nearly three hours. A color guard of U.S., Missouri State, IHC, and Farmall flags were carried by the 25 HP Titan, 20 HP Mogul, IHC 8-16 and the Fairway 12 respectively to start the show while our National Anthem was played on the steam calliope by Mrs. Lou Kruger of Boonville, Missouri. IHC exhibits, tractors and machinery, trucks and engines were followed by the steamers, horses, all other brands of tractors and machinery, cars and trucks. The parade was long but each piece had a story to be told and our announcers were very knowledgeable to boot. We were there to put on a show and that we did! No one seemed to mind the seemingly endless display and the crowd actually loved it.

You hear a lot these days about some clubs and shows having hard times and I thought you would like to hear that after 25 years, and even the 1988 drought, we-the Missouri River Valley Steam Engine Association of Boonville, Missouri-are STILL GROWING STRONG! We had a very successful show.

I saw three things wrong with this year’s show: 1) The wind blew the feature tent down the first day. 2) The dust was really bad. 3) The show was good, so good in fact it will be a tough act to follow next year.

We are already gearing up for our 26th Action Show. Advance Rumely Steamers, Rumely-Allis Chalmers line tractors and Witte engines will be featured. We hope to see all of you September 7, 8, 9, and 10, 1989.

Late last year, we received several clippings from W. E. Neal of 6148th Avenue. Charles City, IA 50616, promoting the Cedar Valley Engine Club’s annual show which was held last Labor Day Weekend. Much of the publicity centered on the club member Al May, diesel engineer, who recently restored a three cylinder 75 HP Fairbanks-Morse semi-diesel engine dated somewhere between 1929 and 1936.

The engine was acquired from a Trempealeu, Wisconsin man, after being idle for several years from activity as a railroad locomotive winching engine.

May was a logical choice for restoring the engine, as he had many years’ experience with diesel engines. At age 75, he is retired from the hardware store he operated with a plumbing and heating business for 22 years.

The restoration began shortly after Labor Day of 1987, and took months to complete. The engine was dismantled, piece by piece, and some parts had to be re-invented. A neighbor, Herb Brumm was an able assistant on the project.

By the end of July, May and Brumm were ready to start up the engine, but failed. By August 9, they were able to fire it up in front of a crowd of well-wishers.

May thinks that despite the work involved, it’s worth it-he enjoys the challenge of putting engines back together and making them work again.

  • Published on Apr 1, 1989
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