204 Ball Road, Marion, New York 14505
We had 2-1/2 very good days for the show with however, 1/2 of
Saturday raining very heavy. It didn’t last long but made the
rest of the day a fizzle. The dance at night pulled back the
spirits of the members.
Friday was a very busy day even though many of us had to work at
our regular jobs until late. Things were purring along very well,
when 1 got there at six o’clock. There were more people coming
in on Friday than we’ve had in previous years. Many displays
were still being set up late Friday.
Saturday, things were going full force with Roland Reigle as
Master of Ceremonies all through the show. Campers had come in the
night and many flowed in during the day. The hillside was full.
Les Caves had belted up to the old stone crusher with a 22-40
Cross Engine Case and was turning out pebbles and dust while Dave
Shearns dropped in large rocks.
Later, Glen Orbaker belted his A.D. Baker to Fred Walton’s
separator with a stacker and threshed some weedy wheat. A little
later they went to oats. Both were a little wet.
Saturday afternoon, we had a very good auction with everything
imaginable auctioned by Roland Reigle and ‘Honest’ George
Pettys. We did very well this year.
Shortly after, it began to rain heavy, off and on, until late
when we had our first parade.
We had an excellent hillbilly country band that evening that
took many requests and also had rousing square dances called.
Things closed up very late that night.
Sunday morning began with church services under the pavilion. It
was a beautiful day just warm enough to be comfortable. Dorothy
Smith and Harriet Wakeman had coffee made for the early engine
operators. Dorothy was also our 1973 Queen.
Sunday say several tractors on threshing including Bud
Nortier’s 1938 Allis Chalmers Model A.
Abe Johnson and his crew sawed a few logs with Milt Skinners
40-62 Huber.
Ross Pino had his C Case on his shingle mill and a Brown engine
on the edger turning out some very nice shingles.
Dick Wood’s F-12 was busy towing a wagon full of kids
‘to and fro’ on the grounds.
The Model tents for the three days held a variety of interesting
displays including displays by John Cassivettes from Ashely Falls,
Massachusetts; Robert Riels’ carousel and engines; Ross Bacons
actual running model; Clarence Stillson’s vast array, including
one engine in the process of being built; John Corso’s model
484, 50,000 hp Pennsylvania Steam Locomotive that the U.S.
Government ran; O.T. Halen’s model steam roller running and
drag saw that really cut a miniature log; Fred Keil had a model
engine running. It had a clutch and jackshaft. Elmer Nevlezer had a
model Buffalo Springfield roller.
The A D Baker owned by Glen Orbaker and engineer Ted McCauley
belted up to the Baker fan. After he was through, an F-12 was
belted up by yours truly. Many spectators’ couldn’t
understand why after such a big machine turning the fan, how a
little tractor could do it. Later, Albert Heald had his C Case on
it showing off its ‘stuff’, as he is interested in selling
it and then Frank Orbaker put his small Oil Pull on. The Baker fan
gives a tractor a real work out, especially when the wind gusted as
it did on Sunday.
Near Frank Orbakers barn, Fred Walton had a 1934 Ford stake
truck with cast iron seats displayed all over the racks. They were
all painted and everyone different. Near the pond, Lloyd Simpson
had a model Case steamer. Bob Downs had his model steam locomotive
on the back of his truck here also. Also, here was a steam
boat.
Matt Engles had a very large display of antique wood planes as
well as a display of Apple and cherry preparing machinery. He had a
planet, Jr., garden tractor and a Holyoke hot water heater.
Near here was a 2/3 scale Rumely Oil Pull and a precision built
model built by Castner’s Repair Shop and displayed by John
Smith of Pennsylvania. Also, as for replicas, there was a 1/4 scale
model of a Ford and a Packard by Don Bliss of Marion, New York.
Another very interesting and unique display was put on by Howard
Finch of Sherburne. he had a 1-1/2 hp hercules belted to a jack
shaft which in turn was belted to a hand grind stone, a Favorite
butter churn and a 1910 Cataract washing machine. This is a very
imaginative and enviable display. Carl Frank from Petersboro, also
had a very unusual and unknown engine here too.
Ron Fine wood and Lawton Bevis were hawking souvenier buttons on
the grounds. Due to no small effort on their part, all our buttons
were sold this year.
We had several unusual flea markets this year scattered all over
the grounds. They are very welcome indeed as we only ask 10% of
their sales which is a very important way to help along our costly
show. It is a big advantage to them also, as there is always a very
large number of people interested in their goods at the show.
Howard Wakeman, one of our Directors along with his wife,
Harriet, puts out the PGEA Bugle, had his printing press set up and
was printing souvenier calenders and was experimenting with a few
old cuts for stationery. He also had a Coldwell Cub and a
Lawnmower. Howard also, took care of the camper parking problems.
Howard is a hard worker indeed.
The Headquarters this year was under the pavilion which was a
tremendous improvement over previous years. Friday, Dolly Salerno
and Ruby Heald took care of the souveniers and in between, when
Donald Luteyn had other things to do. Thanks to Don, we have a
large and interesting assortment to choose from, which went over
very big this year.
Ken, Doris and Betsy Milliken were busy with the secretarial
business, signing up members and regular show book work. A special
thanks to Ken for the nice job done on our steps which he built
leading to the announcer’s stand and for the nice job done on
the Headquarters sign.
Next door, the Firemen and Ladies Auxiliary were kept hopping
keeping the hot dogs and hamburgs going for those that wanted and
found time to eat. They also supplemented dinner with side
dishes.
Stanley Vorhees from Hudson, New York had a very nice display
including a 2 hp New Holland belted to a New Holland grinder and a
1 hp Aeromotor running a butter churn. Stanley has a bad back.
Engines are a very unusual hobby under these conditions.
While I’m on engines, I’ll mention a few that struck me
as unique:
7 hp Abenaque, 1903 owned by Dave and Frank Angle;
A Brown Engine owned by Ross Pino, Pennsylvania;
A Fairbanks Morse diesel which ran on kerosene and fired by hot
tube which was owned by Norman Youngman, Williamson, New York;
A Weaver Hardware engine;
A 1-1/2 hp 1924 Nova, 1 hp 1910 Root and Vandervoort, 2-1/2 hp
1920 Galloway, all owned by Charles Morriss;
Carl Brown’s 6 hp Domestic, 1908;
An Arco engine owned by Thomas Jensen;
A Plix, 1 cylinder engine, upright with radiator;
Ed and Stevie Heald’s Friend engine;
Hines & Cook’s, Edwards, 2 cylinder, 3 or 6 hp;
A Fairbanks Morse Eclipse owned by Frank Snavely;
A Detroit (or) Sandow, owned by William Simbeck;
A Witte pump jack engine by Jack Kennedy from Olean;
1-1/2 hp Manard;
July of 1973 a Threshing Bee was held on the John Quincey Adams
Farm. Pictured is a Case tractor and a Rumely tractor that
participated in the event.
John Ritters, 1-1/2 hp Rumsey and Larry Schundachts, headless,
Witte, (2 hp)
Almost all of the engines here this year were unique, so this is
just a skeleton of what I thought were the best. There just
isn’t room enough to name them all. We had over 200 running
engines in the three day period.
We had 41 tractors including Oil Pulls, Massy Harris, Best,
Allis Chalmers, McCormick 10-20, Farmalls, a T 20 Crawler, Rumely
6, Rumely-Do-All, Caterpillar 10, Cases, Hart Parrs, Avery, Hubers,
John Deeres, Titan, a couple of homemade. We also, had a large
assortment of garden tractors, mowers and a roller.
We had more trucks this year, with one in particular strutting
its stuff. There was a 1935 International Harvester Dump truck with
a McCormick 10-20 on the back.
All in all, we had a pretty nice show in spite of the weather
and the summer jam festival at Watkins Glen, that clogged our
Southern members from making it to the show this year. My apologies
for any errors I may have made and a special thanks to those that
helped put on our Reunion ’73.
These pictures were taken at Prairie Village Show – Aug.
26,1973
Left photo shows Harry Chapman of Oblong and Frank Samson of
Tolono posing with Frank’s 6 and 4 HP Monitor engines at the
American Thresherman Show in Pinckneyville, Illinois. Frank always
finds a nice spot for his engines – with plenty of shade.
Center photo is Walt Townsend of Henry, Illinois and his 20 HP
Superior engine. The engine was nick-named ‘Leroy Brown’
after the popular song. This engine was used in the oil fields
until 1971.
Right photo – I. to r. Leo Stodden, Walt Townsend holding Jon
Townsend, Albert Stodden and sons, Warren and Stanley, and Ruthie
Townsend. Engine is a 15 HP Fairbanks Morse hot tube oil engine
owned by the Stoddens. All three pictures taken at the 1973
Show.
Visitors inspect some of the old gas farm tractors on display at
the 1973 Tennessee-Kentucky Threshermen’s Show in Adams,
Tennessee. [Photo By Bill Hill].
Photo is a Sears Farm Master, 2 HP, same as Cushman Cub, about
1933. These snaps were taken at Charlton Park, Hastings, Michigan
Reunion 1973.
