Steam and Engine Association preparing for 21st annual summer show
By Maryssa Mast
July 29, 2013
825
The Holmes County Steam and Engine Associations summer show is rolling into town at the Mt. Hope Auction Grounds for its 21st consecutive season on Thursday, August 1, and will continue through Saturday, August 3. The event has added some new features that will surely make this summers show a hit.
Weve added quite a bit of equipment to our association, said Carle Wyler, secretary. We own a couple tractor pulling sleds, and we now have our own sawmill. We keep getting bigger and bigger, and were doing more and more.
Wyler pointed out several aspects that make Holmes Countys steam show unique, one being the skid steer rodeo that will be taking place on Saturday. Wyler said he hasnt seen this particular rodeo at a lot of other shows. He also mentioned that during the halftime of the tractor show, Frisbees are thrown out into the audience, which always seems to please the crowd. This year will include a miniature pony pull, which will be taking place Saturday.
Among other events planned for this years showing are several horse and tractor pulls, threshing and machinery demonstrations, a tractor parade through town, a kids pedal tractor pull and race, a bale and skillet throw, tractor races and other contests for adults and children.
The big draw is the horse pulling and the tractor pulls. Those certainly bring in a lot of people, Wyler said.
As tractors are a big fan favorite, the show will spotlight two brands as the featured tractors of the event.
Each year we feature a different brand, just to kind of highlight some of the different models, explained Wyler. This year we have two lesser-known brands of tractors, the Cockshutt tractor and CO-OP tractors, followed with steam engines; but we have all brands of tractors.
The steam engines will be working consistently to power the sawmill, threshing machines, Baker fans, power-eater, games and spark shows at night. At 6 p.m. on Friday, the steam engines will hook up to a pulling sled, which Wyler said is interesting for the crowd to see.
Throughout the entire show, Corrine Horner is heading up an arts and crafts booth for children of all ages. This is an advantage for parents who want to observe the show and trust that their children can stay occupied at the same time, with no extra cost. The booth has certain activities for kids of various ages, such as stencil art, coloring and painting, and tissue art. Volunteers will also be present to paint childrens faces.
Food vendors will feature a variety of food all three days, including sub sandwiches, french fries, kettle corn, donuts, ice cream and lemonade.
The association began in 1993, with the summer show being held at an Amish farm near Berlin for the first few years. As it began to grow and space became limited, the show moved to its current location in Mt. Hope. Since then, the show has continued to be successful and expand in equipment and size. This year, with an expected attendance up to 8,000 and a full schedule of events, the annual show is sure to be a good time for all ages.
The show will be open 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. There is an admission fee, and children 12 and under can attend at no cost. Visit www.hcsea.com/summershow for more information and a complete schedule of events.
