Event Coverage Off Topic - antique tractors @ Old Threshers Reunion in Mt Pleasant, IA - with pics

Did a search and there seems to be some interest, here, in old tractors and equipment.

Been going to this almost every year since I was born and now my sons look forward to going almost as much as they love Christmas morning.

I'm pretty sure this has to be one of the largest gatherings of this sort in the US and I can't imagine you can find more antique tractors in one place than you can see here.

It's always 5 days ending Labor Day and it is very well attended. In addition to the tractors (including steam), there are some trains and trolleys and just a lot of cool demonstrations, using antique equipment, of how things used to be done.

I have a few pictures from last year and will be taking a lot more this year. We leave tomorrow morning.

 

Very cool pics!! Thanks for sharing!

 

A few yrs ago Willie Nelson played there. I missed it but I'm only 45 mins right up int 27 from it.

 

http://www.oldthreshers.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.home2

 

If you're still there on Sunday, maybe I'll see ya there. Lots of stuff going on in eastern Ia this week-end.

1. Old motorcycle swap meet and flat track racing at Davenport, Ia (fairgrounds) See ya Friday
a. Fishing Friday evening on some of the back waters of the Mississippi

2. Antique airplane Fly in, Blakesburg Ia See ya Saturday
a. Fishing Saturday evening on the Des Moines river

3. Thresher reunion at Mt. Pleasant, Ia See ya Sunday
a. Fishing again on the back waters of the Mississippi river

4. Car show--- wine and cheese festival, Nauvoo, Ill, across the river from Keokuk, Ia I believe is Monday
a. Fishing at lake Bracken in Illinois



HellRaiser

 

Hey Breeder, If I get one of those kids harnesses to put on you so you don't wander off, ya want to go as father and son on Sunday???


HellRaiser

 

We have one in Newport, MI in mid July. The old hit n miss motors, old trucks, even old yard tractors. The really kool part is the flea market. Lots of really neat shit everywhere! Old tools, car parts, old machines, I've even seen old telephones! But what really gets me is the overall atmosphere. I went there for the 1st time last year and I'll never miss it now. This year's show theme was Minniapolis Moline tractors. If any of you ever go to one of these, you'll see that there's almost nothing "O/T" about it. I'll take pics next year.

 

I gotta a dog leash but it's for evening fun only! Doubt shana would lemme use it. Car show I'n navoo is on Sunday btw!

 

Ohh I misread Dallas. If ur buying, then I guess ya can drag me around, but I wanna corn dog! I'll b at the grape festival on Sunday bud. I think. Haven't talked to shana yet.

 

Very cool. I was a engine/tractor guy before I became a hotrodder. We used to go to atleast 10-12 big shows a year, but know it's only 1 or 2 because of work and money. Oh well....All my stuff is just sitting in the garage collecting dust. 1961 Wheel Horse, 1937 Briggs WMB and a mini steam engine display. WOuld like a John Deere too, but I can't drive that to school, so a hot rod is my outlook right now.

 

Love it when they have the tractor pulls....

 

Haven't been to this since I was a kid, but I'm sure it's still fun and worth doing.

 

I've heard that show is a real big deal

 

They took the lugs off that tractor. It's only going to be good for extremely low speed burnouts or sparkouts as it would be.

The Threshers Reunion was quite a deal when I went to it years ago. I can't seem to make it anymore.

 

as far as i can tell, it's about the best there is. my first year would have been 1970. only missed 4 or 5 since. over the past 15 years, they've really upgraded buildings and displays.

i'll definitely be taking some pictures and video and will pollute this thread with them, next week, after we get back home.

 

I have a friend who has bought a lot of car parts and oil & gas signs there over the years so it is not really off topic.

 

i misread,i thought you wrote: "ill be at the GAPE festival"
damn my moma was right ,you go blind....eventually

 

Hey, I've been looking for restoration parts for my vintage International Harvester concubine. Ron

 

Was there today, damn it was hot will go back all 5 days, lots of good stuff in the swap tent, got a set of rusty old west coast mirrors for the 41 dodge.

 

Love the Model UB Moline, I spent many hours on one of those as a kid. Kinda partial to "prairie gold" thou, my Dad was a MM dealer in the 40s/50s.

 

Orange here.

I still own and pull on occasion (antique pulls) with a 54 Allis WD45

I went through the head, put a set of much later model allis 170 pistons in it for increased compression, jetted up a bit, running a dry filter, no exhaust and a tweaked governor.



Those antique pullers are sneaky rodders fo-sho.

 

Dang. It WAS hot. We will also be there for the next 4 days. Some guy in town has a collection of 1959 cars.....about 9 or so. I'll post pictures next week.

 

Bill, where's the pics bud?

 

i forgot my memory card yesterday but brought it with me today. just been busy getting work caught up and will hopefully get to post some later this afternoon.

there were close to 900 tractors registered this year. love walking up and down the rows of them parked almost wheel to wheel.

 

Cool.

I still have my grandad's 1950 John Deere AR, that I restored back in 1992 (it needs a refresher now). Showed it, paraded it and pulled with it.

Gotta love a 321 ci two cylinder.

 

last year, i think i remember this guy having 1 or 2 cars out in his front yard. looks like he went on a buying spree in 2011. his house is right on the main drag (old hwy 34). we drove by it several times during the weekend and there seemed to always be someone there checking the cars out.

 

i'll get to the tractors/trains/trolleys in a bit. it's pretty cool to see these old cars just running around the fairgrounds.

 

I go every year. My wife and kids love it also. I skipped Friday because of the heat but I was there Saturday afternoon when the cold front hit (along with the rain and wind).

Did anyone else see the Motorized Crosly sign driving around! Hands down the coolest thing I saw this year!

Carmak
Riverside, Iowa

 

YES! my fiancee and i were sitting in the gazebo at the north station when that Crosley deal passed by. before i could get the camera out, he went behind the ground train and i never saw it again.

we were at the town square when it started sprinkling. hopped the bus back to the southwest gate and, by the time we got there, it was raining pretty hard. we stayed in museum A until the hard stuff passed and then headed to the hotel until later that evening. funny that the temp dropped about 25 degrees in less than half an hour.