Route 4, Morrison, Illinois 61270
The Antique Engine and Tractor Association of Geneseo, Illinois
held their 1976 show at the usual spot, the Ivan Wildemuth Farm.
The crowd was about the usual size, the weather was nice, except
for a sudden hard shower just after the parade on Saturday
afternoon, which did not do the show too much harm, just got the
crowd started home a bit early. Some of the younger, more hardy
fans did not even bother to get up out of their chairs to stop
their engines, just sat back and hollered, ‘Let ‘er
rain!’ Some of these folks came from parts of the country that
suffered hard from drought this past year and they even enjoyed
getting wet again. The sun came out after the shower and it was
nice again for those who had engines to load.
There was more threshing this year and more steam engines than
we have had for awhile. Two Advance Rumelys, a Wood Bros., a Case,
the old Frick and the half size Grant Conboy Special which is a
very good engine indeed.
The straw baling got a setback from the rain and since the
youngsters had their usual good time tearing around in the straw
pile, the shower had a good chance to wet things.
We had a new showpiece this year in the form of a one cylinder
Fairbanks Morse tractor of about 1912-15 vintage. One can’t
judge the condition of this machine by its age. It is in new
condition and it still runs that way. It winds its way around at a
very contented 200 plus R.P.M. and the quiet ‘chuff-chuffs’
are so far apart, one gets the impression for just an instant, it
has misfired. It sort of takes a very short nap in between its easy
going efforts to keep on running. Joe McCash is the proud papa at
the wheel.
The old Reeves 40 set this one out. It stood back by the com
field and watched the proceedings with a contented smile on its
greasy old face. It seems as if several folks formed the opinoin it
is not in running condition any more, but this old job can fool
you. It can set all year and with a sip of gas in each priming cup,
it usually starts the second or third turnover and chuckles along
in fine style. The fuel lines are out of condition and between his
farming and two or three outside jobs, the engineer just
couldn’t get the time to fix things up.
The old 14-28 Oil Pull with its two ignitors was there in its
usual prime condition, just waiting for a tough job to show up that
the steamers could not handle.
One of the top attractions at the shows in this part of the
country the past year, is the remarkable Erbe Model of a 15-30
McCormick-Deering tractor. This tractor is built to scale and the
work is so exact, if I would have drilled one of the holes in the
drawbar it would have spoiled it. This little outfit looked cute
setting beside one of the very best 10-20s one can find
anywhere.
When Ivan bought this 10-20 it was in the shed on wood planks,
the lugs were removed and the lug bolts were oiled. When it
started, the fan belt flew off in pieces. The old owner exclaimed
that he had never had the least bit of trouble with it. It was the
belt that was on the tractor when he bought it in 1927. It lasted
46 years – not bad for any belt.
There were not as many tractors as last year, but a few more gas
engines. There were engines from Iowa, Missouri, Indiana,
Wisconsin, Minnesota and even a few from Illinois.
Our show is just about as close to a non-profit organization as
anything can be. The only thing about the outfit that makes any
money is the ladies with the lunch tent. Things swing more and more
in their favor every year and before long they will take the whole
thing over. When this happens you will see all the gas engines
mounted on doll buggies and there will be geraniums, begonias and
rose bushes growing from the water hoppers, the air-cooled engines
will be equipped with electric fans. You will be asked not to walk
on the grass, to wipe your hands before you try to see whether or
not the crank pin bearing on the steam engines are tight or not,
and don’t wipe them on the lace curtains that hang from the
tops of the engines. Better get here before they take over!
The most rewarding thing about our show is the way so many
people come up and tell us how much they enjoyed themselves. This
makes us feel good, even if we think you fib a little to tell us
so. Anyhow, money is not everything and we really don’t give a
hoot if we do lose money, so long as everybody likes to come and
enjoy themselves watching us go broke.
Next year (1977) when the third weekend in September comes
around, we will try once more to see if we can learn how to put on
a show. We will want everybody to come and bring some engines and
help us get ours going too, so we won’t look so bad. The women
will have their lunch tent as usual; the price might be a bit high
and you likely won’t be able to eat it anyway – but come and do
your best!
