Every year around the first of August there’s a big show in a little town. It’s called The Northwestern Pennsylvania Steam Engine and Old Equipment Assn. Since the first show back in 1963 it’s been a gathering place for all sorts of people and their interests. It has come a long way from when the first tractor parked on the hill and registered as tractor #1. As long as I’ve lived in this town I’ve gone every year and volunteered to do whatever I could to get out of the house. I’ve been a member for at least five years now.

I could tell you hours of what goes on here at this show but I won’t. Instead I want to challenge you to be apart of a local organization such as this. I can tell you that these shows need help more than ever. If you can remember back a few years when a steam engine blew up in Ohio; killing a couple people. Ever since then these kinds of places have had a terrible time. The biggest part is insurance. No agency wants to insure and what would they insure if they could.

They need all ages of help. They need young blood to do laborious chores like mowing grass, garbage duty, sawmill help, parade help, and kitchen help. Yes, most of it is volunteer work. If you ever went to a show outside your county or even state those people behind the scenes aren’t there for themselves. They are there for you to make sure you have a great time and enjoy all there is to offer at their show.

They also need tractors and operators. Even if the old John is a little rusty or the Farmall has carburetor trouble bring it in. A good show grounds won’t turn down an ugly tractor; especially if it’s a rare one. Remember there’s a good chance of a tractor pull on a Friday or Saturday afternoon. The parades also need tractors. There’s a history behind every machine that is out there. There’s also job’s at the shows that need PTO or belt pulley power to run things like a sawmill, hammer mill, apple press, shingle or handle maker.

Most shows have an exhibit area or building which has all sorts of displays and collections of tractor memorabilia, wood working, or old tools of every trade out there. And if you’re lucky you might find a couple displays of toys somewhere. Usually the displays reflect what the show is featuring. Generally they feature a tractor or equipment manufacturer. Most shows follow a list of companies that attract the most people. There’s always a spot somewhere on the grounds for your “thing” or “interests”.

There is always some kind of flea market where old retired people are trying to sell there junk to you. As the saying goes-“One person’s junk is another person’s treasure.” If you’ve ever wanted to sell that old tractor or box of stuff that’s been collecting dust and taking up space well here is the place to do it. You only have to pay for a spot to sell. Every flea market I’ve been to I’ve found toys. Whether it’s a toy vender or local townsperson you can manage to get a good bargain. It’s always nice to not have to pay shipping or sales tax either on that kind of buying. If you go to enough shows you might become friends with the toy dealers and get a discount every now and then or they might show you their box of “goodies”. That is always a where I find my treasure.

The food is not your quick city fast food deal either. It’s more like grandma’s cooking. Nobody can beet a homemade hamburger or hot sausage. The best part is desert time and you can eat homemade ice cream on a cone or in a dish you want for a cheap price. There’s plenty of work to do in a kitchen if you can take orders and stand the heat.

There’s a new awaking at shows with tractor pedal pulls. It attracts the young kids and makes the parents proud to see their child participate in something easy as that. These events gather kids and bring them to an atmosphere where there are no drugs, no violence, and no negative actions to take place. It also gives them a chance to interact with other children like them while playing together in the big sandbox. There is something to take part for the whole family.

Membership is cheap to join and there’s some place or office you can check that out at the shows. We have monthly meetings in the summer and non in the winter. The tractor pullers have their own club and use the grounds to pull almost every Saturday through out the summer.

Now the big event that draws the crowd for our summer show is the “King of the Mountain Pull”. All Tractors are welcome to hook up for free. There are no weight restrictions. The tractor pulls a dead sled 20ft. and advances to the next round. Each round a ton of concrete is added. The tractors must be no newer than 1957 and no engine or transmission modifications. This year the final weight of the sled was almost 27,000 lbs. The tractors themselves (a group of five) weighed anywhere from 22,000lbs to 40,000lbs. Remember a stock tractor straight from the dealership weighed around 5,000 to 8,000 lbs. The picture should give a good example of the magnitude of this pull. I won’t tell you that the winner of this pull this pull has don it twice in a row. The same color has won for the past three years and this year was the closest by 4ft. I don’t want to advertise this show but you just have to come see it for your self to understand the King of the mountain. All it is, is bragging rights. I don’t think our founding fathers of tractors or even the Nebraska Test labs would even imagine putting all that weight on a tractor and driving it.

I hope this got you excited and interested in becoming a part of a local function or organization. It makes you appreciate what all there is to offer in this world. You also can meet new friends, see things never saw before, catch up on old times, and learn some history of how things used to be. I know I wouldn’t trade any minute of the time I spent over at that show. I know antique shows aren’t the only thing to do out there. I have and know people who are involved in Scouting, FFA, hunting, 4H, toy shows, and many more… The world would fall apart with out these gatherings. I help I don’t live long enough to ever see that happen. Let’s keep things such as these going for our children and generations to come. Thank you for your support!

If you would like to come and visit the Portersville Steam Show here is our website.

http://www.catfish-hollow.com/Portersville