Alliston, Ontario.
The 10th Georgian Bay Steam Show was held at Cookstown Fair
Grounds August 2, 3, 4, 1975. In spite of the extreme heat
Saturday, and rain on Sunday, a record crowd turned out to see the
many demonstrations of various pioneer activities. Such included
the saw mill, drag saw, stone crusher, shingle making, thresher, as
well as numerous type water pumps in operation.
There were also individual demonstrations of rope making,
carving of axe handles, candle making, weaving, spinning and quilt
making, etc.
Frank Robson again had his Maple Sugar Shack which gave quite an
interesting inside view of how the sap is made into syrup, then
sugar.
Steam engines, small to large, huffed and puffed around the
track. Many were belted up to show young and old how they did their
stuff in days gone by. No trouble knowing when it was dinner time
as all whistles were blown at 12 o’clock. Mr. and Mrs. George
McKinless took the trophy for the best restored steam engine with
their beautiful Robert Bell, a Canadian engine made in Seaforth,
Ontario.
Tractors were more numerous this year. Most makes were visible
and together they represented many thousands of hours spent in
restoration. The trophy was won by George Parr with his Eagle
Tractor.
The club had the best collection of old cars ever. Many
outsiders brought antique cars and left them on display for part,
or all, of the show. Elmer Webber won the car trophy with his 1915
– 490 Chevrolet. This was his father’s first car which was
junked many years ago, then restored from the ground up.
There were over one hundred gas engines, from 1/2 to 18 HP, on
display, providing power for a wide variety of antique farm
machinery. The trophy for the best restored gas engine was a 7 HP
Fairbanks-Morse, owned by Bill Windsor of Stouffville.
The small antiques inside the fair building were varied and
numerous. Gordon Dowding won the trophy for best collection of
small antiques, with a nice group of carpenter’s tools.
The ladies bazaar, as usual, was a great success with almost a
complete sell-out of dishes, cups, baking, sewing and general
souvenirs. This section of the show was under the direction of Mrs.
M. McCabe, assisted by a number of wives and friends of the club
members.
The ‘General Store’ section of our show, under the
capable chairmanship of Mr. and Mrs. H. McCrindle, did a land
office business, not only in selling donated and consigned goods,
items, parts and books, but also cheese.
The club really appreciated the help and co-operation of the
Cooks-town Fair Board. The new lunch booth, additional bleachers,
and enlarged buildings all made things more convenient and
comfortable for members and, most important of all, the visitors to
the show.
Entertainment for the show was provided by Newton Robinson’s
Centennial Band and the Heywoods, of CKNX – Radio Station, Wingham,
Ontario. The music provided by these two groups was easy on
everyone’s ears. The amateur fiddling contest made for a
toe-tapping variation to the other musicians.
The kids, and adults as well, patronized the hay-wagon rides as
they provided welcome rest for tired feet.
President Dalt Curran and his slate of directors already have
plans underway for a bigger and even better 1976 show.
This is 19 year old James McCague’s of Beeton, Ontario, 1933
International 1/2 ton truck. It has a 6 cylinder flat head red
diamond engine with cable brakes.
Jim bought the semblance for $40.00 when he was 13 years of age
with money earned from working in the potato fields all summer. The
new box is all hand made of solid, highly varnished oak. The cab
has 13 coats of bright red paint.
The McCague family are very active members of the Georgian Bay
Steam Club which holds their annual Club Show every Civic Weekend
at Cookstown, Ontario. Mom is club secretary and Dad is in the
process of restoring a huge Sawyer Massy traction engine.
16 HP Barrie Engine, very rare -only one of this size known in
Ontario. Owner is Harry Fraser, Cheltenham, Ontario. Shown at
Georgian Bay Steam Show at Cookstown, Ont. 1975. Picture by Bruce
Goss, R.R.3, Coldwater, Ontario, Canada LOK 1EO
6-1/2 HP Lister engine on grinder. Owned by Don Hurst,
Collingwood, Ontario;
Elmer Webber’s 1915-490 Chevrolet, for which he won the car
trophy. He even has a little mat to place on running board when he
climbs in.
Another picture from the same show
Magnet engine 3 HP, used to pump water in a market garden. Owned
by Bill Newton, Barrie, Ontario, Canada. All these above pictures
taken at the 1975 Georgian Bay Steam, Auto and Gas and Antique
Association Show, by Bruce Goss, R.R.3, Coldwater, Ontario, Canada
LOK 1EO.
The winner of the best restored gas engine trophy at the 1975
Georgian Bay Steam Show was a 7 HP Fairbanks-Morse owned by Bill
Windsor of R.R.2, Stouffville. This engine, Serial No. C12057 was
made in Canada around 1911. It has a 7 inch bore and a 7 inch
stroke and runs at 400 R.P.M. It set in a farm yard, without
running, for fourteen years before being restored by its present
owner. There were over 100 engines on display running a wide
variety of antique farm machinery. Many popular makes such as
I.H.C., Gilson, John Deere, Lister, Fairbanks, Gould-Shapley and
Muir, Eaton and Cushman were shown. Courtesy of Mr. & Mrs.
Brian Burns, R.R.2, Hawkestone, Ontario, Canada LOL 1TO.
