Box 84, N. Main Street, Otterbein, Indiana 47970
The 11th annual show of the Illiana Antique Power Association, Inc. was held on July 3, 4, and 5, 1992 at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Boswell, Indiana. What a SUCCESS it was. We featured Minneapolis-Moline agricultural equipment, and had a very nice representation of that line. The 1919 Universal owned by Keith Saylor was featured on our show plaque. We were certainly pleased to host 43 men who were on a Wade Farm Tour from Felix stowe, Suffolk, England. Rob Rushen-Smith was the operations manager for the group, and most members of the tour drove tractors in our parade. We also hosted an antique and modified tractor pull, and will do so again next year.
Attendees at the show were treated to a look at a McCormick reaper recently restored by club member Ed Foster. Undoubtedly it was the oldest piece on display. Other very interesting and busy displays were the steam trains exhibited by club members Mr. and Mrs. Jim Fain and Mr. and Mrs. Eugene Miller, and those of Bud Pressler and Larry Sturgeon, who shared the same track with the Fains and Millers. Kenny Edwards brought the show’s first working braiding machine.
We learned a lesson from the show we’d like to share with other clubs. After several years of successful fund-raising raffles centered around restored antique tractors, we changed to a top prize of $1000 cash, and other smaller cash prizes. Not only was it difficult for most members to motivate themselves to sell the chances on the cash, but it was also tough to convince buyers to spend $ 1 to take a chance on winning $1000 when the same investment could win them millions in the state lottery. We are now convinced we need to deal in areas we know something about and feel comfortable in engines and tractors. A restored 1950 DC Case will be given away at 2 p.m. on July 4th Each year the club offers awards for excellence in displays of steam, trucks, cars, tractors and gas engines. These ‘Carter Dalton Awards’ were won this year by Jim Fain for a 1 scale Pacific locomotive, C. V. Cantwell for a Diamond T Reo pickup, Jim Burghardt with a Model A Roadster, Don Kingen for an MM UDLX, and Mrs. Mary Hill with her 5 HP Julien. Congratulations to the winners.
Our shift in show dates a few years ago from the week preceding Portland to the weekend closest to the Fourth of July continues to work quite favorably for us. In addition to offering less competition from other neighboring shows, it allows us to put on a large fireworks display for the holiday. This year will be no exception, as club member Garry Guthridge will shoot them on July 3rd. If you’re interested in the hobby, have some time available and want to experience some genuine Hoosier hospitality, we offer a special invitation to you to attend our 12th annual show on July 2, 3 and 4, 1993. We’ll feature Case agricultural equipment, and as usual, welcome equipment from other manufacturers.
A reminder video tapes of our 10th annual show in 1990 are available from RKS Video. They are significant because we were the organizing club for the first national Oliver Collectors’ Show.
