Showcasing a Unique Region in Shelton

By Leslie C. Mcmanus
Published on September 10, 2019
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courtesy of Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Assn., Branch 245
When Ken Christensen, Westport, Wash., bought this Fitch Four-Drive 20-35 tractor, the gas tank was completely rusted out. To preserve the original look, he put a new tank inside the old one.

If members of Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Assn. (EDGE&TA) Branch 245 told you they were planning to build a state-of-the-art amusement park with an antique engine theme, you’d be inclined to put the opening date in your calendar, because these people are can-do people.

Branch 245 hosted the Northwest Regional EDGE&TA show in July at their Old Iron Showgrounds outside Shelton, Washington. The club acquired the grounds in 2008 and held their first show there a year later. Previously, the annual show was held at a nearby facility, but the rent was high and growing fast. Today, with a home of their own, the group is going strong.

“When we started here, there was a little pasture and a lot of brush,” says April Campbell, the club’s newsletter editor and treasurer. “We started having work parties to clear the land. Then we started having rock-picking parties and gathered up 15 yards of rock. Everything has been a group effort. Then the members go out and talk about what we’re doing; they tell their friends.”

In addition to 56 tractor and 157 engine displays, the July show’s lineup included demonstrations by a wheelwright and blacksmith. Nearby, in another demonstration, babbitt bearings were being poured as a just-completed antique sawmill was being put through its paces in its debut performance. A shingle mill, which produced shingles for the sawmill and announcer’s stand, was also running.

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