The 35th Annual Riverbend Steam and Gas Show in Allendale,
Mich., was held July 18-19, 2003. The show was held on club member
Lee Scholma’s farm, as it has been for the last 30 years.
Lee’s father was one of the club’s founding members.
The 2003 show’s feature tractor was Massey-Harris. Sixteen
Massey-Harris tractors made the trip, and exhibitor and
Massey-Harris fan Nelson Victory brought about half of those.
The Friday night tractor pull was a great success, with a long
line of tractor owners awaiting their chance to pull the club’s
stone boat. The pull challenges the power of all the tractors, as
the stone boat has to be started with a ‘dead’ pull.
New club member Luke Tonneberger showed off the 20-40 OilPull he
recently acquired. He tested it many times on the club’s Baker
fan, and we look forward to seeing this big machine again in
2004.
One of the founding members of our club, Tom Rosema, passed away
last May. He owned a large collection of tractors, engines and farm
equipment, and had a wealth of old-iron knowledge. In his memory,
his son brought Tom’s 7 HP Economy engine to the show.
In 2003, we added a pre-show heavy weight horse power
demonstration on Thursday night and draft horse demonstrations
Saturday morning, with several teams taking a turn at plowing. We
also had a tractor parade Saturday afternoon, giving spectators
another chance to see the show’s tractors in action.
The 2004 show will be held on July 16-17, and this year
we’ll feature Minneapolis-Moline tractors and also welcome the
Vintage Garden Tractor Club of America. Hope to see you there, and
don’t forget to sample the wonderful homemade ice cream!
Contact engine and tractor enthusiast Rick Gilder at: 2222
92nd St., Byron Center, Ml 49315; (616) 878-0846.
