Threshing fest shows a long-ago era

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. -- The 55th annual Steam, Gas and Threshing Show will take place Aug. 13 through 17 at the fairgrounds in Pinckneyville.

Sponsored by the American Thresherman Association, the event begins at 6 p.m. Aug. 13 with horse pulls and mule relays.

It continues throughout the weekend with antique and hotrod tractor pulls; mule jumping competitions; steam train rides; antique automobile show; flea market; children's pedal tractor pull; petting zoo; and displays of vintage trucks, tractors, pedal tractors and lawn/garden tractors -- numbering more than 1,000.

Featured are demonstrations of horse-powered and steam-powered farming techniques such as wheat threshing, corn shelling, baling and plowing.

"We have a tremendous following for our show because we are a working show," Debbie Schrader, one of the organizers, said in an email to the Southeast Missourian.

"A lot of shows have gone to static displays, but we get our toys out and play with them. And we let exhibitors play with their toys, too. Our show demonstrates everything from when agricultural activities were done by hand, then to horses and mules, the invention of the steam engine and then the gas engine and tractors," Schrader said, adding attendance is in the 15,000 range and includes people from as far away as California, Florida and Pennsylvania.

Featured this year are the Ford and Fordson brands -- Fordson was a name used on mass-produced general-purpose tractors manufactured by Henry Ford & Son Inc. from 1917 to 1920, when it was merged into the Ford Motor Co.

The event also features the demonstration of a sawmill with a 54-inch blade and powered by a steam engine or tractor, shingle mill and a veneer mill

Eight bluegrass bands will take turns performing from 10 a.m. until 6:45 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The bands include Rural Kings, Tomcat Hill Social Club, The Gordons, Pickin' Chicks, Charlie and the Girls, The Storm Crows, Chris Talley Trio and The Worthing10s.

An outdoor worship and memorial service is scheduled for 8 a.m. Aug. 17.

The American Thresherman Association was established in 1959, and Pinckneyville was selected as its headquarters in 1962.

"The American Thresherman Association strives to keep the progress of power alive by putting this show on every year so that we educate the young attendees and we reminisce with the older generation who remember doing the farming that way when they were young. It is wonderful to hear the many stories from the people who come," Schrader said.

The show goes on, rain or shine.

"We throw down straw and sawdust on muddy areas, and people wear their boots," she said.

Daily admission to the grounds is $7, with a weekend pass available for $20. Children younger than 12 are admitted free. There is an additional charge for evening shows. Parking is free, and trams take visitors from parking fields to shows and to the plowing fields and threshing demonstrations. Concessions are available throughout the show. Coolers are allowed on the grounds, but alcohol is not permitted.

Pinckneyville is about 70 miles north-northeast of Cape Girardeau in Perry County, Illinois.

A schedule of events, directions and information about area accommodations are available at americanthresherman.com or calling 618-654-9474.