By DAWNE LEIKER
Special to the Hays Post
BIRD CITY — When the first “official” Antique Engine & Thresher Association show opened in 1953 at Roy and Leone Kite’s farm northeast of Bird City, it’s doubtful that its organizers could imagine that 70 years later, the show would continue to entertain and amaze crowds.
But there they were, more than a thousand people from all over the country, enjoying the festive spirit of the Antique Engine and Thresher three-day event on the last Saturday in July, accompanied by the sounds of engines chuff, chuffing, and whistles piercing the air.
This year’s event, which ran from July 27 to 29, was highlighted by the Central States Hart-Parr Oliver Collectors, boasting exhibitors from Colorado, Nebraska, Missouri and Oklahoma. Granddaughters of Charles H. Parr were on hand to discuss the history of their family business. Charles Parr, along with Charles W. Hart, is credited with starting the farm tractor industry from their Charles City, Iowa, factory in 1901.
Seventeen operating steam traction engines chugged to life on the showgrounds. Along with the engines, events included tractor pulls, kids’ activities, sawmill and blacksmithing demonstrations, and much more.
For Riley Neff, 16, Emporia, operating his great-grandpa and great-uncle’s 1908 steam engine is just part of his identity.
“I love it,” he said. “It’s just fun to build a big old fire in there and show everybody. Giving people rides is probably my favorite part.”
Riley’s engine is dedicated to the memory of two individuals passionate about steam engines: Riley’s grandfather, Mike Smith, who passed away in 2005, and John B. O’Neal, who died in a grain elevator accident at age 22.
Riley prepared to give 6-year-old Kaiden Lauer of St. Francis a ride on his steam engine during Saturday's show. Kaiden said it would be his sixth ride on one of the machines.
Kaiden’s grandfather, Roger Orth, St. Francis, said Kaiden lives on a farm, is obsessed with steam engines and watches YouTube videos about engines whenever possible.
“He gets to experience the old times as well as the new times,” Orth said. The engine whistle interrupted their conversation, and Orth smiled at his grandson. “You’ve heard that before, haven’t you?”
Kaiden nodded “yes,” happily.
Maintaining an antique steam engine is a year-round effort, said Will Clark of Oakley. He serves as an engineer for a 1910 75-horse Case steam engine owned by Ben Brent of Colorado.
“Basically, the most important things are water level and oiling,” Clark said. “If there’s water left in it over the winter, it creates ice problems and you have broken metal parts from ice contraction and expansion.”
Brent’s engine has been stored on the Thresher Show grounds for seven years.
The love for the antique machines is contagious for many of the show’s participants. Lynn Osburn, Denver, who gave a steam engine talk during the day’s scheduled activities, said his interest in steam engines began at age 11 when his dad brought him to his first show in Bird City.
“It made an impression on me,” he said. “Here was a chance to play with fire and not get in trouble.”
Fast forward 25 years, and Osburn decided to reconnect with the Bird City show’s organizer, Gerald Wright, to learn more about steam engineering. Wright put Osburn to work, telling him that the best way to learn about the engines was to work on them.
Since then, Osburn, a computer consultant, has been coming to the show every year.
“If you think about it, this (steam engine) was the highest tech thing going on 120 years ago,” he said. “I kind of like to think that if I was born 100 years ago, this is what I would have done. It was the highest high-tech available. There’s more to it than meets the eye.”
For Kris Oldsen, treasurer of the Tri-State Antique Engine and Threshers Association and economic director of Cheyenne County, the rewards of the show can be seen in the faces of the community members who attend.
“Seeing everybody here because they love tractors or steam engines is great, but some of them just love to be here because it’s a good day to spend with the kids,” she said. “The whole reason we do it is to see everybody out here happy, having fun.”
As many of the association’s volunteers begin to “age out,” Oldsen said, finding enough volunteers to make a successful show is challenging. Typically, 30 volunteers during the three-day event are needed to assist the nine volunteers who work year-round to plan and facilitate the show.
The Thresher showground is like a little town unto itself. With 31 buildings displaying various aspects of tri-state history, the grounds also house a 4,000-square-foot museum, which recently underwent remodeling.
In addition to the thresher show, the association hosts two other annual events. A Mule and Draft Horse Show will be presented during the first full weekend of October. Then during the last weekend of April 2024, a Military Show with a reenactment of WWII will occur on the grounds.
Looking ahead to the year 2025, the Tri-State Antique Engine and Thresher Association will host the annual Rumely Expo. This expo is hosted at various engine clubs throughout the U.S. and Canada and displays a comprehensive collection of Rumely Company artifacts. The show is anticipated to bring more than triple the attendance of the annual Antique Engine and Thresher Show.
More information about the Tri-State Antique Engine and Thresher Association is available on the association’s website: https://threshershow.org/
