The 45th National Farm Machinery Show (NFMS) in Louisville, Ky., was held Feb. 10-13, 2010. You need your map handy when you are navigating the aisles and halls of the Kentucky Exposition Center, where the show is held.

Indoors, it covers 27 acres! I think the shoe companies have to profit from shows like this too! My strategy was to weave through the sea of visitors carrying goodies in their bags and to dodge the occasional yardsticks tapping a trail, as I made my way from one end to the other.

According to Sandra Kendall, media manager for the Kentucky Exposition Center, it has been a tradition for the businesses and the attendees for years. Many of the businesses who set up there started out a small “mom and pop” and attribute the NFMS for their growth into a 100-plus employee company. There is a long waiting list of vendors to get into the show.

The weather, as we can all attest to, hasn’t been too travel-friendly lately, but neither the snow nor the economy seemed to slow down here. Over 300,000 people made the trek to see what the vendors had to show off. And right in the middle of it all is Freedom Hall, which at night is covered in dirt and clouded with smoke during the Championship Tractor Pull – a real crowd pleaser.

At the Farm Show you will find up to date ag services and products from trusted name brands to visit. From new equipment, tractors and parts, grain bins, fencing, buildings, mowers, seed, livestock, and more. And that includes items specifically for you antique equipment enthusiasts too.

I saw some familiar faces to Farm Collector there. Like John Harvey of Classic Tractor Fever, Steiner Tractor Parts, the I&I Antique Club booth, Oliver Heritage/Heritage Iron, All States Ag Parts, Bates Corp., and Max Armstrong signing autographs in the McCormick booth. I also saw some other nice displays who offer products for both worlds. Worthington, Bootheel, Rock Valley and A&I Tractor Parts, Buzzard Gulch, Drill Bit City, K&M Mfg., T.H.E. Company, and Toy Tractor Times. And I am sorry if I missed anyone – the booths were all crowded by visitors at one time or another, and it was just a matter of timing to see everyone. I thank everyone I talked to for your time.

This show is a little different than most of the antique shows and swaps I travel to, but the new technological ag industry definitely has a connection with the nostalgic collectibles.

For more information about the show, go to www.farmmachineryshow.org.

See you down the road!

Hello all you ‘show-goers’!

OK, I don’t know if that’s even a word, but I’m in advertising, so I don’t have to be editorially correct, right? Most of the people I have been talking to around the country are contending with the cold temps and digging out of all this white stuff called SNOW.

Even in these frigid temperatures, our old iron hasn’t been forgotten in its hibernation. On Christmas morning, my husband had our WD-45 Allis-Chalmers busting drifts in our driveway. It was my dad’s tractor and has an old homemade blade on the front. The ice under the snow in one spot won out over the tractor tires and the Allis wasn’t going anywhere, so my husband fired up the Case 600 and hooked up both tractors to the chains.

He asked, “Which one do you want?” Since I grew up driving the Allis, I picked that one and jumped on. Now, take into consideration the freezing temperature and blowing north wind, the Case has a cushion seat and the Allis seat is metal, and the fact that my husband was wearing coveralls and I wasn’t.

Well, let’s just say I’m glad it didn’t take too long to pull the tractor out! But we dug out and were able to spend Christmas with all our families, and the old iron saved the day.

All this cold will soon be a memory when we are walking down the dusty lanes or wading through the mud holes at the summer shows.

My next show is actually indoors when I get a jump on the show season at the National Farm Machinery Show in Louisville, Ky., in February. They say over 350,000 people attend. Some of you will be heading south for the Florida Flywheeler’s show. Wherever your plans take you, I hope to see you at the many fun events and shows the antique tractor clubs have in store this year.

See you down the road!

Day 23

All five tractors pulled out of the RV park at Goodlettsville at 8:30 a.m. heading for the  Land Between the Lakes  near Golden Pond, Ky.

Unfortunately all the RV parks along this popular strip were booked out or belonged to the National Recreational Forest authorities who have rules which make it difficult to book a group only one day in advance. The park we eventually booked into was at Grand Rivers and it was disappointing that we had missed most of the campsites on the water.

A drive to the nearby Kentucky Dam however was an unexpected bonus — we were just in time to see a barge being guided into a loch, a very interesting experience. The dam is enormous and power is produced through a power generating station at the dam site.

An interesting sight was a cement circle built up in the water to enable fishermen to avoid the very fast flowing waters. The catches appeared quite sizable — fish nearly a foot long were being thrown back unless they were skipjack, which are used as bait for larger fish. A group BBQ finished off the day.

Day 24

First stop was at Paducah, Ky., to visit a quilt museum, but our early morning getaway was halted when it was discovered that the museum did not open until 10 a.m.

Time is never wasted however — George had a flat tire which needed repair, and Carolyn needed to type the web notes from their trip to Memphis, so the hour was well spent. Others wandered around the town or enjoyed the Ohio River which ran behind the museum’s large buildings.

Once entry was gained, the museum was quite amazing, housing quilts dating back to the 1800s and showing every “Quilt of the Year” for many past years — all very worthy winners. Some of the exhibits, while looking exacting like their sewn counterparts, were actually made from wood — quite inventive and very attractive.

Today was the day when everyone was to rely on their GPS for instructions on how to get to the designated spot — no more concerns about whether we were on the wrong road, no more frayed nerves! Famous last words — by the time we had all left the city of Paducah, not one vehicle was on track.

Allan’s RV and the tractors headed up Route 45 instead of down Route 60, and Ron and Kerry in their RV found themselves in Metropolis, Ill., in no time flat which was not on the itinerary either! Never fear “Mary” would find the way — and find it she did for us, via dirt roads not even in the map book! Meanwhile the tractors did a scenic tour of a town called Vienna, Ill., and were led back to the chosen path by Curt, a helpful local.

A highlight of the day was traveling over the almost new bridge spanning the Mississippi River at Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Bill E. Emerson Memorial Bridge, named for a past congressman.

Not far out of the Cape, we were met by Bob Schmidt and guided to Altenburg, Mo., arriving by 3:30 p.m. Several people assembled to greet us, including Bob who had offered to be our host for the overnight stay. We were made very welcome by Carla Jordan, director at the Lutheran Heritage Center and Museum and offered accommodation at the fairgrounds, a very pleasant, shady area with good facilities.

Then, once everyone had arrived by 6 p.m., we were advised that dinner was to be provided at the local “Mississippi Mud” Tavern and that breakfast was organized at Dib Deli for 8.00am Tuesday morning. These wonderful Americans never cease to amaze us with their friendliness and generosity. The meal at the “Mississippi Mud” was really enjoyable and we were able to chat with Bob and his wife, Diane.

See photos and read more on Ron’s website,  TransworldTractorTreks.com .

Day 19

Today was planned as a sightseeing day, so everyone was up early and away at 8:30 a.m. to visit the Mammoth Cave.

The two-hour tour was extremely well organized and the cave quite spectacular — the longest cave system in the world. The two motor homes were used to convey the group, leaving the tractors at the RV Park in Cave City, Ky.

Cumber and Jeff had arrived into the park by the time we returned, so after a quick lunch we all headed off to Bowling Green, Ky., to meet up with Linda Dickerson who has kindly offered to host us for a dinner and overnight accommodation at the Kentucky University Department of Agriculture facilities. We arrived at 3:30 p.m. and were enthusiastically welcomed by Linda. The tractors were parked in the Equestrian Arena where quite a few local residents visited and then the mayor of Bowling Green, Elaine Walker, visited and made us very welcome. She presented Ron, on behalf of the group, with a “Key to the City.”

A sumptuous dinner followed — melt in the mouth steaks and an array of veggies and salad, all beautifully presented with floral arrangements and hay, making the table very “country.” Two of the local ladies had made a special treat for us — fried apple or cherry pies, served with homemade ice cream from Chaney’s Dairy Barn.

Another visitor was Christi Marksbury, from the Kentucky Agricultural Development Fund, who gave us information about the subsidies paid to encourage local agricultural producers from tobacco industry levies. All in all, a really enjoyable meal and event.

Day 20

We were indeed fortunate this morning to be invited to have breakfast at the Chaney’s Dairy Barn, a family run business which is the brainchild of Carl and Debra Chaney.

Carl’s family have farmed this diary property for generations, but only in recent years has he ventured into the Dairy Barn with Debra, making copious quantities of many different flavors of ice cream in their well-appointed kitchens and selling many locally produced items in a charming setting with lots of family and historical photos and mementos. The breakfast was delicious and we are learning that our “scones” are their “biscuits” and our “biscuits” are their “cookies”! If we all stay in the USA long enough, we will become experts in the correct terminology.

Bowling Green is proud to house the National Corvette Museum, so the opportunity to visit this facility could not be missed. The Corvette is America’s only true sports car and what a wonderful display of Corvettes are amassed there, from the first designs in the 1950s to today’s streamlined beauties. All these cars are shown in elegant settings with many scenes depicting various stages in the development of this motor vehicle. Also on display are the driving suits and paraphernalia of some of the great racing drivers in American history.

We were sad to leave Linda and Darrell and the welcoming people of Bowling Green — we have made some really good friendships during this trek.

Then it was down the Route 31 West again to Nashville and we booked into an RV park at Goodlettsville, Tenn. Eight of the crew took advantage of a short break in the itinerary to travel to Memphis, while the others made various arrangements to take in the sights. The day for those who remained in Goodlettsville was rounded off listening to a county and western singer, Paul Hill, entertaining in the RV park.

See photos and read more on Ron’s website,  TransworldTractorTreks.com .

Day 17

We were packed up and away from the campground at 7:20 a.m. Monday after four memorable days at the Penfield Historic Field Days.

After the crowds and the many stalls and exhibits, it was strange to see the area almost completely desolate, just tracks where the parade had traveled and the few like ourselves who were making their departure.

Travel arrangements do not always go to plan — it had been decided to “make some miles” to allow more time for sightseeing in Nashville, Tenn. All was progressing more or less to plan when the traffic turned into a car-park as a result of a fatal accident some mile or so in front of us. For two and a half hours the only progress was to replace those vehicles which had turned around! When the road was eventually reopened, our group was separated and the front-runners continued on to Bedford, Ind., while three vehicles diverted to Heltonville, Ind., where we had a RV park booking at a picturesque national park forest. To end the day off, one of our tractors had a flat tire!

The good news of the day was that Jeff’s 9G had made a full recovery and was heading toward us, expecting to catch up in a day or so. Wendy and Jeff Fordham and Jeff Smith arrived from Australia near the end of our stay at Penfield, and Jeff and Cumber were able to organize a lift back to Stryker where the tractor had been undergoing repairs. We look forward to having a full contingent of five tractors again very soon.

Day 18

Those of us who had stayed at Heltonville made the trip into Bedford to catch up with the balance of the crew at the Wal-Mart store.

Morning tea seemed like a good idea, and soon it was 10:30 and we were late getting underway. A quick trip to Paoli and a chance to check out the best route options with Joe, a local sherriff. This conference resulted in the choice of Route 150 which was a two-lane road with fairly heavy traffic. This necessitated many stops to prevent the backlog of traffic and the day was suddenly behind schedule.

The route was scenic down 31 West, but the weather was very hot and we were all very glad to reach our chosen destination of Cave City, Ky., quite late in the day. Word from Cumber and Jeff was that they camped up for the night and should catch up Wednesday.

See photos and read more on Ron’s website,  TransworldTractorTreks.com .