The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
It looks as if you can go from one fair or summer festival to another. This week as the La Harpe Summerfest ends, and the Maple City Street Machines Friday evening and Saturday morning's La Harpe Classic Car show begins, residents will also be able to travel to Hamilton and attend The Western Illinois Threshers Bee and Antique Show.
It begins Friday, Aug. 3, near Hamilton, and continues with three days of demonstrations and activities.
This year the show will feature the Rumely Oil Pull line of tractors from many collectors. So those at the La Harpe car show can drive on to Hamilton and see this fine Rumely antique tractor line leading the daily parades at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The parades will include other antique cars, trucks, tractors and steam engines, which are in action and on display during the show.
Maytag is the featured gas engine line. Southeast Iowa towns will get a preview of the 44th annual Western Illinois Threshers Show on Thursday, Aug. 4.
Members of the Wayland (Iowa) Tractor Club will drive their tractors to the show, from north of Mt. Pleasant, through Fort Madison, Iowa, across the Santa Fe/Mississippi River Bridge at Niota and come south to the show grounds north of Hamilton.
Events begin Friday with tractor games at 9 a.m., an antique tractor pull exhibition at 11 a.m., kids pedal tractor pull at 3 p.m., at 6 p.m. ribeye steak supper begins. A Bald Bluff sanctioned antique tractor pull in the grandstand begins at 6 p.m..Saturday starts with a pancake and sausage breakfast from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. The draft horse pull starts at 8 a.m. See tractor games at the grandstand at 1 p.m. and a horse plowing demonstration in the field at 1 p.m. The antique car and tractor parade is at 3 p.m.
Pork chop supper begins at 6 p.m., with entertainment by Silver Streak at 6:30 p.m.
7 p.m. Jim Wiesemeyer will speak, senior vice president of policy and trade issues for Informa Economics, Inc.'s Washington D.C. office. A handmade quilt will be auctioned at 8 p.m. and music continues into the evening.
6:30 to 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning biscuits & sausage gravy for breakfast,
8:30 a.m.-Morning Worship Service
9:30 a.m. Antique tractor pull exhibition begins
11 a.m.: Heartland garden tractor pull
1 p.m.: Horse plowing
1:30 p.m.: Games for kids by WCAZ radio
3:00 p.m.: second antique tractor and car parade.
Large collection of rail motorcars is exhibited, and rides will be available on the extended railroad track which now makes a circle around the grounds.
Steam engines will be used to operate threshing machines and the large and small saw mills.
Smaller gas engines are exhibited, this year featuring Fairbanks Morris engines.
A growing village on the 80-acre grounds includes a post office where a special Western Illinois Threshers cancellation will be available Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The gas station with antique pumps serves as headquarters for the antique car exhibitors.
There's a large museum building, a blacksmith shop, two rebuilt log cabins, a schoolhouse, printshop, general store, country church and two renovated TP and W depots.
Men and women work in the log cabins, school, blacksmith shop and print shop to show jobs of the past.
A large craft display with demonstrations and a flea market are open throughout the show.
This year the Mississippi Power traveling display will be at the show all weekend with photo of the construction of the power house and dam 100 years ago.
In addition to the nightly meals, food and cool drinks are served continuously at many food venders found throughout the grounds.
Primitive and electrical camping facilities are available on the grounds. Golf carts are allowed, but owner must get a permit from the tractor headquarters before operating on the grounds. Extra carts are not offered for rent. Pets must be on leashes and bicycles are not allowed.To find the Western Illinois Threshers show, turn north at the signs in Hamilton at North 19th Street, and continue on the blacktop two miles north to the old-fashioned windmill.For information, call President Ed Hartweg, 217/845-3041 or at the Western Illinois Threshers grounds, 217/847-2572. Go to www.westernillinoisthreshers.org.