Tractor Winter Conventions – Good for the Collector's soul
March is here and the snow is finally beginning to melt and thoughts of spring don’t seem quite so ludicrous as they did a couple days ago. One bright spot in the midst of the winter doldrums were a couple of winter tractor shows that Keith and I hit. The first one was during the midst of a winter snow storm, the Hart Parr Oliver Collectors (HPOCA) that was held February 27, 28 and March 1st at the American Farm Heritage Museum. When we first walked in the door we had a deja vu moment when we saw Marvin Stinebaker he and Keith had been at another place and time recently and it took us a minute to place the cool lawn and garden collector who had his Oliver beauties on display.
The show had an array of neat tractors and vendors set up. We stayed for the banquet that evening, but hightailed it before the speakers so we could get home before the snow piled higher than Keith’s four-wheel drive could maneuver. The next day was our 35th anniversary and we heard Kurt Aumann had a bit of fun with our date during his portion of the presentation.
This past weekend over we headed north and attended part of the Red Power Winter show to get a bit of Farmall Red fun. The show was put on by Chapter 33 and we stayed at the Blue Chip Casino where the event was held. It was quite a sight to see International Harvester tractors outside the casino/hotel doors. From our window we also got a glimpse of the nuclear tower as the sunset offering another surreal view over Lake Michigan.
The winter show offered up and auction and banquet where we heard the stars of Small Town Big Deal and enjoyed the truth behind the stories of real people and real towns. The show is family friendly and that in itself is a miracle these days. The tractor shows are family friendly events that bring families and friends together and allowed us a bit of scenery besides our farmhouse walls.
Spring really is around the corner, and the winter shows made us ready for summer and tractor show after spring planting is done!
