Hunter Powell, 2, enjoys a seat on an antique tractor.
When you walk through Westland Mall this weekend, instead of being greeted with the scent of pretzels wafting through the air, your nose will be hit with a light whiff of grease from the 38 antique tractors on display by members of the Three Rivers Tractor Club.
Parked at the northern entrance is Wayne Dunham who drove 75 miles from Arbela, MO, with his three 1940s tractors built by Custom Corporation and Ward. This is a treat for tractor enthusiasts for only 1,800 Custom Corporation tractors were sold in the United States.
Before collecting tractors to show, Dunham pulled them as a teenager. In 1961, his father bought him his very first John Deere 4010, which he pulls and shows to this day.
John Deere tractors are displayed in the center of the mall, which Hunter Powell, 2, of Ft. Madison, found to be a particularly fantastic playground. His mother Kay Powell brought him to get a haircut and he was pleased to see the tractors on display. Hunter asked tractor owner Pork Beach, of Denmark, if her son could sit on one of his vehicles. Beach was more than happy to lift the young boy up to play the role of a farmer.
“If it’s got a wheel he can turn,” Kay said as she and Beach smiled at her son, “he’ll move it.”
Beach, an owner of 15 tractors, reminisced about the shows he has attended over the years. He listed many reasons why he enjoys rebuilding the tractors and showing them. As he sat down next to his friend Ed Seggerman of Mt. Pleasant, it became clear that the camaraderie plays a big role at tractor shows.
“There are a very nice bunch of people [at tractor shows],” he nodded. “Everyone gets along. It’s a very nice sport.”
Seggerman agreed, adding, “It’s a people thing. It’s not just about tractors.”
The antique tractor show will continue on Saturday from 10 a.m. — 7 p.m. and Sunday from 12 p.m. — 5 p.m.
