GREENVILLE — Farm machinery enthusiasts young and old turned out to the Darke County Fairgrounds to take in new sights and greet familiar faces as Greenville Farm Power of the Past staged its 19th annual reunion.
With cooler temperatures and clear skies predicted over the weekend, Greenville Farm Power of the Past President Von Oswalt said he expected attendance at this year’s four-day reunion to at least match, if not exceed, last year’s turnout.
“Last year we had so much rain on Thursday and Friday, and we had to cancel almost everything on Friday,” he said. “This year it looks like we’re going to be able to do our tractor pull and everything, so it should be a lot better.”
Featured tractors at this year’s show are Case and Oliver tractors with Farm Power hosting “The Buckeye Oliver Collectors Summer Show.”
Featured antique farm machinery includes Michigan-built gas engines and Oil Field machines with members of the Oil Field Engine Society gathering to display their wares.
“A lot of it is old farm boys, and girls, who grew up on the smaller farms, and they just want to reminisce,” Oswalt said. “These people put a lot of money into these tractors, so they bring them, display them. But we have all kinds of things here, most of it farm-related, not all, and people work and fix up this equipment.”
Oswalt said for the exhibitors and attendees, seeing the old machinery up close brings back fond memories.
“People say, ‘We had one like that, grandpa had one like that,’” he said. “It’s the second-biggest event at the fairgrounds [other than the Great Darke County Fair].”
The reunion hosts tractor exhibitors and visitors from 18 states as well as enthusiasts from Canada, who all come to see the tractor and horse pulls at the track, as well as buy and sell parts and enjoy the delicious foods, among other attractions.
Farm Power Treasurer Nancy Linebaugh said approximately 7,000 to 9,000 attendees visit the show annually, with guests ranging in age from newborns to those in their 90s.
“There are some really good stories out there,” she said. “To me, it makes it all a lot more real, not necessarily the tractors, but the memories.”
To stay abreast of the reunion and other happenings, visit Greenville Farm Power of the Past’s Facebook page or go to www.greenvillefarmpower.org/.
