Fun at Tristate Tractor & Gas Engine Show!

How fun it was to attend a tractor show this past August. Thank you to the Tristate group for allowing me to attend the show and write about it!

The first thing I saw at the Tristate Tractor and Gas Engine Show this past August 26-29, 2020, was a van. But, not just any van, a van with my maiden name Disque on it. The owner said that the van had belonged to a man that cleaned carpet out of Brownstown, Indiana with the unusual last name of Disque. Only he pronounced it disc rather than Discway like our family did. They got new vans so this one was for sale! It is always a shock to see our family name anyplace so this was so neat!

This year was the 55th show for the Tristate Tractor and Gas Engine Association. It was wonderful that they were able to have the show while so many of them have been cancelled. Chris Englehardt the president of the show shared that they worked in conjunction with the Indiana Department of Public Health and that made the difference. While vendors, camping and engines were down, tractors and visitors numbers were up.

There were lots of cool things to see at this show. My favorite tractor was Tom Nixon’s homemade machine. You can read all about him finding and obtaining the machine in an upcoming issue of Red Power. The vehicle has a Cadillac car front, International truck rear end and F12 or F14 tractor wheels.

While there were many other things to see, another piece DE resistance was the Wooden Bronco they called “Cherry 77”. This Bronco is made of cherry wood and was quite lovely! I’ve never seen anything like this.

Massey Harris was the featured tractor at this show. There were many lovely tractors but I could identify Tom Jansen’s Massey Harris Model #2 Serial No 1156 with just a glance!

Part of the fun was just riding around and seeing tractors and people. We kept our distance and just enjoyed the beauty of old iron and the enigma of actually being at an antique tractor show!

Note that the October 8-10 the Tristate Gas Engine and Tractor Association is planning their fall swap meet.  Check their website for the latest information and make sure to follow COVID-19 guidelines if in attendance. Read about fun in Dunkirk, Indiana too!