3RD ANNUAL CATOCTIN ANTIQUE GAS ENGINE SHOW

By Staff
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Myersville, Md., 21773

The Wolfsville Ruritan Club held its first show in 1973 with 31
exhibitors displaying 101 engines. Last year 68 faithfuls showed
208 engines. This year, the Third Annual Catoctin Antique Gas
Engine Show had 137 exhibitors displaying 320 engines. Wow!!!!

Why the great growth and enthusiasm? You may ask, was it the
weather? Yes, the weather was perfect. The warm fall weather with
leaves falling from the large oaks beside the stream gave a setting
for the enthusiasm to be shown by those diehard exhibitors.

Bob Mildren, Ellicott City, Md. was the first to arrive on
Friday and after that, the exhibitors continued to come to the
display grounds for a truly fine weekend where the slogan
‘caution, adults at play’ was in evidence. Many of the
exhibitors brought their campers to stay the weekend and a few
brought their tents and slept under the stars.

Breakfast was served at 6:00 A.M. and from that time on the
faithful began trading secrets (as well as lies). Many entire
families enjoyed the festivities of the weekend. As the sun rose,
the exhibitors began uncovering their engines and prepared them for
the days running.

We could see a definite trend develop. New exhibitors, who had
no engines the first year, proudly had their engines operational in
short order. Displays such as the Cato tin Show gave the new men
the enthusiasm to acquire their own engine. Acquire them they did
and the restoration job done on the engines were out of this
world.

Top :Gaither and Harold Leatherman are seen discussing the 1-3/4
HP Hercules that was chanced off at the show with Charles Martin.
Charles is also relaxing and listening to his own engines run.
Bottom :This lad and his dad are both proud of the Fairbanks. This
is the lad that Horace Sprout kept pestering all weekend to sell
his engine. It soon got to be a show-wide project-but nothing
doing!

Top: Edgar Delauter, Lantz, Maryland had a very fine display as
you can see. His 10 HP Titan ran fine during this entire show, as
did several of the other fine engines he had on display. Bottom
:Grover Jones, Wilson, N. C., is seen with his back board talking
to Lawrence Lewis, Myersville, Maryland. This is a good example of
the bartering and trading that goes on between the exhibitors.

Also we could see the evidence of the very young exhibitors.
Andy Rice, Jimmy Kelley, Tod Gouker and Randy Fogle were just a few
of the very young exhibitors. There was another lad at the show,
whose name cannot be picked out of the exhibitors roster, that
Horace Sprout kept pestering to buy his engine. Soon everyone that
passed this lad tried to buy the engine. These young boys rode the
Fairbanks lawn roller and drove the garden tractor over the grounds
to the extent that a trail was laid out by these boys. Allen Funk,
Fisher Hill, W. Va. had his display of Maytags.

In all, the flea markets showed up in force. Lou Gillinger,
Martinsburg, W. Va. had his hearth fired up and was forging the
items requested of this blacksmith and the food prepared by the
women of the Club was delicious.

In all, the growth and enthusiasm was far better than could be
expected. When we were told to prepare for 250 to 300 engines for
the show, we felt this was impossible. The figure of 320 in three
years is great.

We look forward to our fourth show on the first wseekend of
October, 1976, and look forward to seeing all of the old faces and
welcome many new ones.

A complete list of all exhibitors is warranted, but it is
impossible due to length. We must thank them; one and all, as they
are the persons who make any show. We are sure the success will be
equal to 1975.

Pictured is something I have done and have not seen in the
magazine. The engine is a 2? HP ‘Economy’ gas engine. I
poured a small concrete slab and set the engine on it in my front
yard next to the driveway. I have wanted to do this ever since I
started collecting engines about 10 years ago, but never found one
in really decent enough condition to restore.

This engine is rusted solid. When I got it, there was not a
loose part on it. The carburetor, muffler, oiler, gasoline filler
and mag., broken from igniter bracket, were missing. Also water
hopper and cylinder head are badly cracked from freeing. I scrubbed
and brushed most of the rust and dirt off and gave it two coats of
paint. Also added some of the missing parts and put decals on the
water hopper. All in all, it turned out, I think, real well and I
have received some nice compliments on how it looks sitting there
next to the driveway.

  • Published on Jul 1, 1976
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