To all of those who have not visited our website before, welcome. To those of you are visiting again, welcome back.
Let me start off by saying, “enough with the rain already!!” Last year started the show off with a great day of sunshine and warm weather. There were a lot of people and plenty of tractors ready to venture out on the annual tractor caravan. With approximately 70 tractors in line, they set out into Lambton County and made their way to Arkona Fairways on Townsend Line for lunch and returned back in the late afternoon. According to all reports a great time was had by all and this event will definitely be included in future years. Thanks to all who helped and those who participated. We hope to see you again in 2011. We had an exciting day back at the grounds of returning back to the early 1900’s and bringing back the memories of all that has been lost from modern technology. The smell of wood smoke and heated up cylinder oil from the steam engines made eyes misty. The smell of gasoline and diesel from the tractors brought smiles to many faces. The smell of fresh cooked beans and corn made your mouth water. I tell you, having the history of farming in your backyard is amazing – it doesn’t get any better than this!! The evening brought even more fun and excitement. The Mini Hot Rod Pullers lit up the night and made your ears ring with the echo of V8 engines roaring down the track. What a great end to a great day!
As the sun came up on Saturday morning, all I could hear was the pattering of rain drops on the roof of the trailer and my heart sunk. “Oh no, here comes the rain – oh well.” With a misty rain coming down, we did the only thing that we could do; we carried on. With smiles on our faces and an answer to all questions, we carried out the days’ events to the best of our ability and as drily as we could. Even as the rains came down harder, we carried on. And even with all the moisture, I think we had a great day. Who couldn’t say it was a great when we had the opportunity to celebrate and share history with one and all. When the rains finally tapered off in time for the antique tractor pulls, it became all too obvious that everyone was ready to carry on with the show. The pulls went late into the night and everyone had a grin on their faces as they went to bed.
We awoke on Sunday to another soggy day and more determination to carry on. We kept the public entertained with all that we do and have to offer at our show. Parents, grandparents, children and all alike had a great day. It is always a bonus to hear the laughter of those returning and those that are new to the show. All in all, I believe that the show went over very well despite the weather that Mother Nature graced us with.
Now for the 2011 show. It is going to be a very exciting and different year for several reasons. We are going to be highlighting Allis Chalmers/Rumley Oil Pull as our feature tractor. Along with seeing all these unique items, we are going to be having another unique event take place. We are having a wedding on Saturday afternoon. Last year we were privy to a wedding proposal during our Parade of Power and now another couple is going to celebrate their love at our show. What a great place to be!!! You never know what is going to happen here!! We are going to have the Mini Hot Rod Pullers again on Friday night along with the beer tent to keep your whistles wet while you cheer on your favourite tractor. There’s nothing like hearing raw horse power charge down the pull track!! Please come out and enjoy at least 2 hours of full pull power. The vendors and flea market will be back in full force to satisfy your shopping needs. For the ladies, we will be having an exciting and expanded program which will of course include the fashion show. Of course there will be all the activities we normally have to keep you entertained including our kids games and competitions. You will have to come out and see what we have in store for you this year – I’ll bet there is something new that you haven’t tried before. We might even be able to rouse some memories of days gone by and hear some great stories about how hard yet satisfying the work was.
The directors are hard at work once again. This young group is trying their best to keep the spirit of days gone by alive and to show everyone just what it was all about. It is a very daunting task to keep the public interested in us and our show and to keep them coming in the gate. To put on a show of this size takes a considerable amount of time and commitment. When I say the word commitment, the first thing that comes to my mind is that of the members. It always amazes me how many volunteers and members come out of the woodwork to make this show the best that it can be. These people not only work at the show, they help to bring the public to us to help us achieve our main goal. We want to share something we love with the public. Simply put, we want people of all ages and from all walks of life to come and share our love of history, farming, folklore and family. We are all eager to answer any question, demonstrate the operation of our equipment, and listen to the tales from people who actually used this machinery to make a living. Oh the things you can learn!! In my mind, steam shows are the best place for hands on learning in a fun and exciting way.
In closing, I encourage one and all to come out and support the Western Ontario Steam Threshers at our 2011 show. Without the support of the public and the membership, we could not go on. We take great pride in being the oldest show in Ontario and only you can help us go on. Thank you for visiting our website and please spread the word about us. When you come to the show, just look for the tall guy with “President” written on the back of his shirt. Please do not hesitate to walk up to me and say hi and let me know what you think.
Thanks again and I hope to see you August 19-21st, 2011.
Your President,
