Mil Harr’s pair of 1952 Model Gs and Walt Staack’s 1945
styled Model D John Deere lineup for view at Westminster Mall.
They had to get in there somehow – Gary Boelter runs his 1939
Farmall F20 into the mall while Ken Clement hitches a ride.
A 1919 Fairbanks-Morse ZC fronts a line of machinery restored by
John and Denise Holtz and Richard Nielsen.
Ed Gannon’s Model U Allis-Chalmers (nicknamed Buford), and
Ken Clements antique, horse-drawn road grader.
The engine club that I belong to, Front Range Antique Power
Association, a 287-strong association with members in seven states,
recently held an engine and tractor show inside the Westminster
Mall in Westminster, Co.
The show, which ran March 15-18 this year, was a success, and it
also gave us the chance to cleanup our equipment and get it ready
for the show season. We had a great turnout, with around 25 members
showing about 30 tractors, 20 engines and a few other pieces of
farm and construction equipment. We also had the opportunity to
meet a lot of people who would never have known what this hobby is
all about if they hadn’t seen our show.
Denise even displayed her first two pieces, a 1916 Briggs &
Stratton WMB and a 1940 Maytag Model 82. The Briggs is hooked up to
an old grinding mandrel and was a good conversation piece. The
Maytag, which is painted purple, was a great way to show some of
the women in the mall that this hobby can be fun for all -you can
imagine some of the comments we got on that one. 1 brought a 1942
John Deere 1- HP Type E and a 1919 Fairbanks-Morse ZC. We also had
an old post drill that my wife has fallen in love with – she likes
to show how it works any chance she gets.
The machinery was setup in various locations throughout the
center of the mall, with the larger tractors taking center
stage.
I posted this show on Harry’s Old Engines
(www.enginads.com) as an idea for other clubs. Boy, did I open a
can of worms with that one. For the most part, people said it
sounded like a good idea for an early show, one that would help get
things rolling when the weather was bad. I did have one rather
adamant reply that anyone can see an engine just sitting there in a
garage, and that he would rather stay home and run one than go to
this type of show.
In some ways I agree, but this type of show can really help out
our hobby and will probably bring in a few members and some hidden
treasures. In fact, I think we ended up gaining three to four new
members as a direct result of the show. I was also told of a number
of these ‘old rusty things’ sitting in fields and will be
checking on that soon.
I hope everyone has a great show season and a little luck
finding treasures. If you want to see more pictures of the show or
contact the Front Range Antique Power Association, you can check
out our website at: www.hometown.aol.com/frontrange2000.
Contact the Holtzs at 10945 Grange Creek Drive, Thornton, CO
80233, or email: TAZNDNKIDS@aol.com
