The Prairie Land Heritage Museum grounds will be filled to near-overflowing this weekend as hundreds of tractors go on display as part of the museum’s annual Steam Show and Fall Festival Days.
“We’ll end up with between 300 and 400” tractors, said Dale Lair, who’s in charge of the antique tractors for this year’s event.
One of the highlights of the antique portion of the show will be a 1918 Case cross-motor tractor, he said. It’s one tractor Lair is certain will be in the show. Like most such shows, though, the rest will be as much as surprise to him as to those attending the event.
“You don’t know what you’re going to have until they get here,” Lair said.
Still, the event is popular enough that he feels confident in predicting that hundreds of tractors will be show. Case is this year’s featured tractor brand.
“We’re featuring Case tractors this year,” he said, adding that all varieties are welcome. “We run through a rotation” from year to year.
Along with Case tractors and antique tractors, large gas tractors and steam engines — as the event’s name implies — also will be featured.
“Steam engines are an entirely different category” from antique tractors, Lair said. “They’re built different. Steam tractors (were used for) busting up the prairie and that kind of stuff; they’re very big.”
The event kicks off with the museum grounds opening at 7 a.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Friday is Education Day, when student groups will be admitted free.
Events that run throughout the weekend include the tractor display, train rides, a petting zoo, food and craft vendors and a flea market. A ham-and-beans lunch will be served 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. daily, and a steam threshing and bailing demonstration will happen at 1 p.m. each day. Sorghum making will happen at 9 a.m. each day. A worship service will be at 10 a.m. Sunday on the museum grounds.
Lair declined to pick his favorite part of the weekend.
“I like it all,” he said. “I’ve been here for over 20 years. I like it all.”
Admission is $6 for adults, free for children under age 12. For a complete schedule, go online to prairielandheritage.wordpress.com.