Sec / Treas P. O. Box 1754 Clarksburg, WV 26301
What constitutes an engine show? Who sets the rules? Why do we
go to them? Why do we tinker with this junk that no one else sees
the beauty in? There are answers in GEM October ’88 by Shirley
Whitney and August ’88 issue by Philip Whitney. To me they hit
the nail on the head!!
I am fairly new to the collecting and restoring of engines with
about five years under my belt. With friends of mine like Dick
Taylor and Gene Townsend, I have traveled to other shows to learn
from the experienced boys on how to build an engine correctly, what
color to paint it, and why drag it two hundred miles to show it
off. I don’t think there is a real answer. One reason I go is
because I always meet a nice bunch of good old common people.
We were at a show one Sunday when the question came up ‘When
are you going to have a show in your area’? This started the
wheels turning. I remember sitting on the back porch one hot summer
evening with Mark Ware and Danny Marshall, who is now our
President, discussing plans for an engine club. To make a long
story short, a group of us picked up a charter from the southern
part of the state and now we are known as The North Central West
Virginia Antique Power Assn.
Our first show was held near Fairmont, West Virginia at
Bunner’s Ridge Park and proved to be very successful, with
about one hundred engines and fifty exhibitors. As with any
association we planned to have a larger show for 1988. After
several months of searching for suitable grounds, we found the
perfect place to have a good show-Jackson’s Mill State 4-H Camp
was selected. Hosted by Jackson’s Mill Heritage Arts &
Crafts Jubilee, with over fifteen years of experience, they feature
more than one hundred craftsmen displaying some of the finest arts
and crafts that West Virginia has to offer. Along with a hand-blown
glass demonstration, civil war reinactment, country music,
photography contest, quilt display, it made the Labor Day weekend
sound very inviting.
With over twenty five thousand spectators to be visiting the
Jubilee that weekend, we knew there was going to be a parking
problem. So we decided to have the show on a grass covered airstrip
adjacent to the park. This decision was made so the exhibitors
could camp and tailgate their engines.
As weeks wore on, we crossed our fingers as the mill worked hard
through horrid hot weather to construct a bridge that would link
the mill with the airstrip. When show time came we were sitting on
a contract, one hundred beautiful brass plaques, oil and other
favors for the exhibitors and a half finished bridge. We extend our
apologies for that inconvenience. But the show had to go on.
On Thursday morning when Dick, Mark and I went to the park to
rope off the grounds, we found John May-hill of the Florida
Flywheelers making himself at home. John proved to be a helpful
guest and was one of the last to leave on Monday afternoon.
We ended the weekend with 160 engines and 70 exhibitors from 6
states. Club member Nelson Blake brought a beautifully restored
John Deere Model B and Ray Reed showed his screened cooled
International. The club sponsored a weiner roast on Saturday
evening for the exhibitors with Russ Carlomany and Tom Mc Glumphy
as cooks., In his travels to surrounding states, John Denham did a
bang-up job promoting the show.
Our show will be held again next Labor Day Weekend at
Jackson’s Mill near Weston, West Virginia. With the bridge
completed, we will have hundreds of people coming through our show
to catch the shuttles to the mill.
I just received a newsletter from another club and I would like
to quote the following paragraph. ‘Also went to Jackson’s
Mill near Weston, West Virginia. This is a small club but they put
on a good show. The hospitality was terrific. I recommend this
show, Labor Day weekend to anyone not headed west after the
Portland, Indiana show.’
Watch for our ads in Show Guide and GEM, then come see us in
Wild Wonderful West Virginia!
