181 Hemmi Rd., Bellingham, Wash. 98225
In spite of early morning rain, the 3rd Annual Threshing Bee of
the Puget Sound Antique Tractor & Machinery Assoc. got off to a
good start at 11:00 AM when the oats dried off enough to begin
threshing.
Billed as the ‘largest old tractor and machinery display on
the west coast’, the show grounds were lined with 60 old gas
tractors, including a 1923 Rumely oil pull owned by Marshal Bayes;
three steam tractors – a 12 HP Advance, a 25 HP Aultman &
Taylor, and a 5 HP Moldenhauer; 50 old gas engines from a 1 HP
Maytag owned by young Glen VanLant up to a 16 HP Galloway; eight
old threshing machines; binders, reapers, balers, buzz saws, drag
saws, and fans.
The last two years the show has been held on land donated by
Henry Jansen.
1500 spectators visited the two day show, held August 23 and
24.
New this year was a huge power testing fan. Winning this event
was Doug VanLant’s 18-28 Oliver Hart Parr tractor. Earning
other prizes were Best Restored Gas Engines -1-1/2 HP International
and 3 HP Fairbanks Morse by Jake Wiebe of Abbotsford, British
Columbia, Canada; Best Restored Antique Tractor – 8-16
International by the Postma Brothers; Biggest Display of Gas
Engines – John Ball of Burlington, Wash.; Biggest Display of Old
Tractors – Maurice Beld and Sons; Coming the Farthest with a Gas
Engine Display – John Tucker of Sedro Wooley, Wash.
The crowd also enjoyed slow races, the sack sewing contest, and
a half hour at noon of good vocal and guitar music by the Nooksack
Gospel Trio. The afternoon parade featured about 70 entries of
various old tractors and pieces of farm machinery. Plenty of food
was available, served by two local organizations.
Other interesting features were a reaper pulled by a team of
horses and an old hand fed thresher owned by John Lang and his
father. Altogether, the club threshed about 36 tons of oats.
The hauling of machinery to and from the show done by Denny
Schuyleman was appreciated by many members.
The season ended with our annual club banquet for members and
wives, held in October.
We are now making plans for the next year’s show scheduled
for August 22 and 23, 1975, same place – one half mile north of
Lynden on the Depot Road.
The goal of the club is to purchase land and build a museum to
house this historical farm machinery. We have some ’73 and
’74 souvenir buttons on sale for 50c each.
The club began in April 1972 with 11 members and presently lists
105 members. Club officers for 1975 are (Pres.) Bill Moldenhauer,
(V. Pres.) Chuck Postma, (Sec.) Denny Schuyleman, (Treas.) Ted
Jager, (Hist.) Howard Blankenforth, (Publ. Ch.) Jay VanLant.
