200e. 13th St., North Kansas City, MO 64116
Mo-Kan Branch 19 of the Early Day Gas engine and Tractor
Association held its first free public show on Saturday, June
1st.
Jim Fogle, Ray France, John Sinnett and Fred Thomson arrived
along with a steady rain at the paved parking lot of Bob’s IGA
Grocery in Kansas City North at seven a.m. to begin setting up
tents to protect the exhibitors from the elements. The blacktop was
much appreciated as it had rained most of the preceding night.
The tents required only the assembly of a conduit frame, a vinyl
cover and upright poles dropped into lead weighted bases sitting on
the blacktop. In about forty-five minutes we were finished and
sitting under cover, out of the rain to enjoy steaming hot coffee
and fresh pastries from Bob’s bakery department before setting
up a rope guard rail along in front of the exhibit areas.
By ten a.m. there were fifteen exhibitors, fifty gasoline
engines, two Rumley Oil Pull tractors and eleven hot air engines
assembled to show the big city shopper what this fascinating hobby
is all about.
Mother Nature smiled on us too, as by this time the rain had
stopped and we had dry footing for both man and machine… and the
people came!
Incidentally, Bob’s was an ideal location for our engine
show, as all of his stores display hundreds of antiques and other
items from yesteryear. He even owns a few antique engines of his
own.
One of the special things about this show was the fact that,
though many of the visitors didn’t know the hobby existed, they
enjoyed taking the time to look, listen and see for the first time
what antique engines and equipment are all about. Still others
recalled almost forgotten memories of other times and other places
when this kind of machinery was part of their lives as it was used
to grind grain, pump water or generally make life just a little
easier.
A number of people completed their grocery shopping and then
went home to get their children and bring them back to see the
show.
An estimated three thousand people passed through the display
area and we appreciated the opportunity to share it with them. Only
a few of these people had seen an engine show before.
The last engine was shut down about five p.m. and readied for
the trip home… to await another show at another time on another
day. (Our 1986 show is set for Saturday, June7.)