4777 Upper Valley Pike, Dayton, Ohio 45424
The 22nd Old Timers Club Show was held at the fairgrounds in
Xenia, Ohio, September 25-27, 1992. This year Minneapolis Moline
Modern Tractor Pioneers 1870-1969, the Prairie Gold Line, was
featured. As is the case with many shows, equipment started to fill
the fairgrounds days before the formal opening. Russ Luse and his
large staff of enthusiastic officers and helpers had planned in
detail the many activities of the event.
Jim Mason was on hand early to sign in the many tractors and
equipment of every make. Bud Crager was busy trying to satisfy all
the craft and flea market vendors with choice exhibit places.
It did take some of the tractor collectors, like the Bobby
Quigley family, several trips to get everything to the show.
Quigleys have Olivers.
There was the common, and the rare, like Ron Koogler’s 101
John Deere which he paid $35,000 for. Ron said in the forties the
Deere Company made five experimental truck garden size tractors
labeled 101 with an LA engine. These FULL VISION tractors were sent
out for trial, then recalled and this now is the only one.
Interest is usually centered around the more unusual at these
exhibitions, and Don Cash’s I-12 roller, Dave Luttrell’s
1916 Montgomery Ward T conversion and Art Sedell’s 1919 Ford
Conversion had many lookers. Not to be outdone, Dick Durig had his
chain drive Whippett conversion. Bill Dame-wood brought his
recently restored 1930 Irish Fordson with a Traction Company
conversion.
A great thing with our hobby is the before and after impressions
we experience. A good example of from ugly to beautiful was Wendell
Anderson’s MMZ which he parked by my very rare BFMM Industrial.
The collectors always enjoy seeing the several crawlers that Roger
Martin brings to the shows.
A crowd pleaser at the grandstand is the Antique Tractor Pull
under the direction of Andy Bledsoe. All entries must have been on
display prior to registering for the pull by the owner, be built
prior to 1940 and entered in one of four classes 1, 2, 3, or 4 plow
size.
Spectators gathered for the annual horse show under the guidance
of Guy Climer. There was competition for the best wagon, farm team
(horses), farm team (mules), best antique implement, best leather
harness and obstacle courses. This was followed by mule jumping.
There were demonstrations of loading logs on a wagon with horses
and straw baling with horse power. Kenny Smith conducted an
exciting horse pull afterward.
Russell Sams (Smokey) obligingly kept a black smoke cloud over
the threshing area with his steam engine.
Trophies and money were awarded in the four classes in the
annual chicken frying contest held under the direction of the
International Association.
One of the traditions of the Old Timers Shows is the ice cream
which is sold in great quantities. At the first show in Clifton 22
years ago it was decided that ice cream would be a fitting snack
while listening to a few gas engines pop. Members brought freezers
from home and strong arms turned the cranks. You couldn’t call
it homemade since it was made in the yard of the old Clifton
school, site of the get-to-gether.
Cranking tractors and cranking one lungers and cranking freezers
was deemed too much, so the next year the genius of the men
resulted in belt pulleys on the freezers. Now one can see old style
White Mountain five gallon freezers being turned by beautifully
restored gas engines. The last show saw more than 400 gallons of
ice cream sold.
A big hit with the pre-collector crowd is the Kiddie Pedal
Tractor Pull, with four classes by weight. Probably, Jim Turnbull,
the sponsor, was surprised to see girls doing better than boys, on
occasion.
Like most of the other shows in our great land, there are many
beautifully restored cars for people to reflect on. Everyone can
relate to these since they represent a fun time in our brief
existence on this earth.
For those who like to get involved, there is the bale toss for
men and women, bubble gum blowing contest, tractor cranking
contest, quick draw, slow race, hog calling contest, corn husking
contest and money in the hay stack contest. No one is going to get
rich by winning, only very famous. If these don’t suit your
fancy, there are some dozen other contests for you to prove
yourself.
The Old Timers Club has never been famous for a great number of
flywheelers, but the uniqueness of the engines makes the exhibit
worthwhile. Nowhere else can you find a beautiful 1905 Schaub
engine or a beautiful man like Bill Schaub running it. Jim Fin
always has the gas engines placed so one can walk around and see
and hear them perform.
Those who come wanting to park their bedroom during the show are
assigned a beautiful spot for $2.00 a night by Waldo and Loma
McCoy. How does that compare with New York where it will cost
$150.00 + to sleep? While in Moscow last spring, I found it was
in-congruent for the hotels charging $175.00 a night and the
employees making fifty cents a day.
Now that the elections are over we have a new ball game. Let us
hope that all the elected officials make the ‘good of the
Nation’ the optimality of all decision making.