2714 Cedar Crest Drive, Independence, Missouri 64057
On Thursday, July 22, 1993 I pulled into Frontier Village,
having just driven across the low water bridge through foot-deep
water, the result of an early morning rain. Given the wet and
flooding Missouri summer, the prospects for even having a show
looked bleak. The weather forecast called for rain the entire
weekend, but the bright sunshine and beautiful show grounds gave
hope, and even now W.M.A.T. & M.A. members were making last
minute preparations.
Friday saw more sunshine and an-other promise of rain from the
weather man, but exhibitors began to fill the grounds. Greetings,
handshakes, and smiles were exchanged as old friends met and new
friends were made. Friday’s hog roast was a big hit.
There is always something new, and the first thing that got my
attention was the portable steam engine powering the saw mill. It
is a 1906 20 HP Aultman-Taylor, bought by several club members
early in the year. Gary Jones of Owatonna, Minnesota, a good friend
of member Bill Thurman, had the engine for sale and offered it to
the club at a very reasonable price. Calvin Field made the trip to
Minnesota with his low boy and brought it back to Adrian. Gary
Jones even came down to run the engine during the show.
A new building on the south side of the big engine shed houses
several milling, lathe and other shop machines run by a line shaft
and powered by an 8 HP Lauson gas engine. The engine is owned by
Allen Merryfield of Appleton City, Missouri, and operated by
Charles Forester of Peculiar, Missouri. Charles is the one
responsible for getting this project together with help from
several others.
We missed old friends Chris and Esther Burns from the gas engine
ranks. Chris suffered a heart attack at the Waukee Swap Meet and
missed the 1993 show season, but has recovered nicely and is ready
for 1994.
The featured tractor was John Deere, and the gas engine was
Stover. The club decided not to have judging and trophies this
year, which met with the approval of everyone I talked to. As one
exhibitor put it, ‘Winning a trophy is not a good reason for
restoring an old piece of machinery.’
A quick shower on Saturday proved to be the only rain of the
weekend, and we felt blessed, as many shows in the Midwest were
rained-out or flooded out.
The 1994 show will feature several not-so-common tractors, among
them Graham-Bradley and Silver King. Featured gas engine will be
Galloway.
For a really enjoyable weekend, be at Frontier Village near
Adrian, Missouri July 22-24, 1994.
