Mackenzie Allen / News-Register
Neal McCool and Suzanne Burkhart drive a mule-drawn carriage with Delaney Headley and the McMinnville Dance Team atop.
Marcus Larson / News-Register
Farmer Earl Force throws his hands up in the air, laughing, as he easily takes the "lead" in a slow tractor race against David Cruickshank. The goal is to be the slowest, and no one was able to match Force's Case 830 Comfort King.
Aug 22, 2012
By Mackenzie Allen Of the News-Register
Local residents were given the chance to return to a simpler time, courtesy of the Yamhill County Historical Society at its weekend Harvest Festival.
One of the society?s biggest summer celebrations, this year?s edition focused on the International Harvester bra nd of tractors and plows and the 100-year-old Peerless steam engine.?
Society President Carolyn Meeker estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people took part in the festival this year. She said only about 35 participated in the first harvest festival six years ago.?
?I think people are interested in their history,? Meeker said. ?People bring their kids because I think they get a little tired of all of the reality shows and video games.??
One such history buff was Christine Walker, who brought her family to get a glimpse of early 20th century life.
Her 2-year-old, Ethan, loves tractors. So she knew the harvest festival was something her family would enjoy.
?It was natural that we were going to hit this place,? she said. ?I knew that I had to bring (Ethan) out to see the tractors.?
Walker?s mother signed up for the watermelon seed spitting contest, while her father and uncle enjoyed a few rounds of horseshoes. It was a day of fun and games for the whole family.
Walker hoped it would be educational, too. She wanted Ethan and his older sister, Christine, to understand and enjoy their local history as much as she does, being McMinnville born and raised.
?More young people should know about their history, especially in such a small town like McMinnville,? she said. ?I?m really proud that we have a historical society that does things like this so we can keep the heritage.??
Proving an appreciation for tractors knows neither age nor gender, 11-year-old Kendra Malott and 14-year-old Kyle Malott listed the heavy machinery as their favorite part of the festival. They enjoyed some of the best seats in the house; perched atop their grandfather?s John Deere.?
?I was surprised how much of the old stuff they used to do and the stuff they used for farming,? Kyle said. ?I had never seen a 1910 John Deere before, and I thought it was really cool.
?I loved it. I?m definitely going to come back.??
In a field of green and yellow John Deeres, the distinctive red of Wade Miller?s International Harvester TD5 provided a sharp contrast.?
The TD5 was designed to grip the turf so it could work steep inclines. But Miller is more of a collector than a farmer, so uses his for less demanding tasks.?
A Harvest Festival participant from the beginning, Miller also owns a full line of orange-painted Allis-Chalmers machinery. For him, the draw is seeing ??all of what he calls ?the old iron? the way it was when he was a kid.?
Tractors, plows and other heavy machinery may have been the focus, but they weren?t the only things to see. Spectators were also treated to mule-drawn carriage rid es and demonstrations of blacksmithing and draft-horse harvesting.
An event to help educate the community on the history of Yamhill County, the Harvest Festival also served as a fundraiser for the historical society. Meeker was expecting to net somewhere between $4,000 and $10,000. ?
Source: http://www.newsregister.com/article?articleTitle=old-iron-appeal--1345659480--4420--
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