In My Opinion
By Don Arndt
It’s busy at Frontier Village
The men and women (and lots of kids) of
Western Missouri Antique Tractor and Machinery Assoc have been working almost
daily at the Village getting ready for their biggest and most anticipated
events of the year. It’s the 39th annual Steam and Gas Engine Show
held the 4th weekend of June. June 23-25 will see visitors from
parts of nearly all areas of the nation and exhibits from states away from
little ol’ Adrian. My favorite scene during the show is the grandpas holding
the hand of a little guy showing him “how is was” in the day as they wander
slowly around the hundreds of antique tractors.
Every year for those 39 shows we have cut the
wheat we grow with an old binder and load the bundles on wagons so during the
three day show we can run it all through the old thresher using a steam engine,
both machines built in the early part of the last century. That scene will play
out right after lunch during the event. We did have the best wheat crop this
year than we have had for over ten years so it will be great demonstrations.
It
would take a large book to describe what all happens during the three days, but
know that there are kids games for all ages, grownup games that will make you
laugh, large ag museum second to none available to tour, tractor pulls daily, a
real ice cream parlor working straight out of your childhood, Church service (including
a sign along Saturday) in a restored one room Church, one room school with
teachers describing how it was, several massive power engines, the likes of
which few people have witnessed running and showing off their power from the
past, A real and talented blacksmith working over his anvil and forge making
things just like they did in the 1800’s and before, an 1880 stone grist mill
grinding corn into cornmeal. Kids and adults alike will be amazed at the many
giant steam engines smoking and huffing around as the behemoths sound their
whistle while running our two saw mills. The engineers love for the little one
to get up on the giants and stand behind the levers and wheels. Some will even
let the kids pull the whistle cord!
Be
ready to be startled if you can at noon all three days as the men “shoot the
anvil”, an event that has to be witnessed to believe. Those are just a few of
things to see and what will happen, plus the National scale engine club will
hold their 10 annual meeting/gathering during our 39th show here in
Adrian. They held their first event here and they asked if they could return
for their 10th. These are truly marvels of engineering as they are
working models of actual engines and they will ascend on Adrian from all
corners of America to come “play” together.
If you are pressed for time not able to stay
for much of it, be sure and see the Great Potato Stab. This is just one of the
many games held Saturday afternoon and it will certainly make you laugh out
loud as contestants (open to anyone over 16 with free entry too) try to collect
as many tators a they can in about 30 seconds. There is $200.00 prize money
awarded in this contest alone provided by The Adrian Bank, Englehardt
Bookkeeping and Adrian Plumbing. There is $400.00 in prizes in all for the
contests. Contributors funding the other games are Del’s Appliance, Citizen
Bank and American National Insurance. All the games are no entry fee and open
to all visitors.
And
don’t forget the food! All the food! The women of WMAT MA will be serving their
very famous “all you can eat” breakfasts all three days plus many other venders
will be at various locations around the Village serving all kinds of lunches.
If you have never attended, or even if
you’ve never missed the event, come out and enjoy a very “family’ weekend of
entertainment. Oh yes, and bring that grandchild!
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