About Us
Our Purpose
The club endeavors to educate present and future generations about the uses of antique tractors, steam engines, trucks, trains, implements and equipment, and to show them at work. Although the primary emphasis has been on farm tractors and related equipment, the interests of the club also include garden tractors, walk-behinds, associated toys, books, manuals, articles, and the like.
Club Meetings
The club holds monthly meetings, April through December, where matters pertaining to the club’s administration are communicated, discussed, and decided, if necessary. These meetings also provide the opportunity to discuss topics of interest related to club members concerning tractors and the like, to raise ideas for continuing and enhancing our mission, and to enhance our ability to both present and demonstrate key elements of past agricultural machination that would be of interest to both young and old. The club also leverages these monthly meetings to incorporate working sessions prior to the meetings to assist with the upkeep and maintenance of the grounds.
Antique Tractor & Steam Show
The cornerstone of the club’s use of the grounds is the fall Tractor Show, held in conjunction with the Nappanee Apple Festival. At this show, local and distant tractor and implement owners exhibit their equipment for the public to see, hear, and feel. Demonstrations of equipment include belted threshing, baling, sawmilling, shingle making, and apple pressing. Additionally, multiple stationary power testing equipment is available for use on belted pulleys, including multiple types of fans and a dynamometer. Further, the club harvests ear corn on an adjoining 11-acre field using older equipment and then shells the corn using an old sheller driven by tractor PTO on all three days of the show, and then utilizes the field to allow exhibitors to plow using their exhibited equipment. The show also includes a daily parade (Thursday and Friday) of steamers, oil pulls, and tractors, a non-competitive antique tractor pull (Friday), a steamer sparks show (Friday night), and fireworks (Friday night).
Guests of the show also have access to a toy/model show, a trading post that includes manuals, crafts, and food items that are available for sale. Multiple food vendor options are available all three days of the show, including a pancake and sausage benefit breakfast Saturday morning, benefiting area schools.
Other Events
The club also sponsors multiple events throughout the year, including tractor pulls and UTV/ATV drags utilizing its own track that was specifically designed for this purpose, and a tractor drive in May to benefit Fallen Heroes. Additionally, the club holds a wheat harvest in late July/early August that results in the shocked wheat used for the threshing and baling demonstrations at the show.