I broke in the show season right by going to the Le Sueur Swap Meet in Minnesota April 28-May 1.
Everyone is just ready to kick off the season no matter what the weather predictions, which really weren’t too bad; vendors and attendees alike take it all in stride! It just wouldn’t be the Le Sueur Swap Meet without a little mud.
Club members of the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Club made use of the loaders and tractors to pull a few people out of the mud, but both Friday and Saturday when I was there still had their moments of sunshine and comfortable weather, after the rain and wind went through.
David Bogenrief of Sioux City, Iowa, and Zach Northway with Maytag Engine Parts of LeMars, Iowa, sat by a fire to warm up and browse through the 2011 Farm Collector Show Directory.
The Seat Man, Cory Anderson, and New & Rusty Parts, Matt Peterson, were set up together selling seats and parts.
Most of the time the loaders are used to help people all over the grounds load and unload heavy pieces of equipment, engines or iron. I don’t think the orange loader that club member Dave Preuhs was operating, ever stopped running!
According to Dave, around 875 vendors set up this year on the 110-acre grounds and attendance was approximately 15,000 for the three days. I saw cars parked for miles, it seemed, past the entrance gates.
This year I drove a golf cart to motor around up and down the aisles of vendors to find everyone, meet new people and give an occasional ride or haul a small part or two back to a friend’s truck. Even in the golf cart I got a few “watch out, woman driver!” comments. What’s up with that!? (On that note, I visited Worthington Ag Parts, www.worthingtonagparts.com, office in Maple Grove, Minn., the day before the show and locked the keys in the car, oh brother! But that’s another adventure story for another time!)
The flea market section is full of antiques, glass, signs, yard art, clothing, just everything imaginable, and the swap meet area seemed even more full than last year with tractor and engine parts, decals, gauges, signs, tires, seats, manuals … you can’t believe the amount of iron that shows up on trailers. Every year I see something I’ve never seen before.
Which reminds me, you gotta check out the food vendors too. The Pronto Pup had some new items to try. I went with the Egg Pup! A boiled egg dipped in corndog type batter deep fried on a stick. Then there was the Austin Pup, which was Spam on a stick. Since the Spam Museum is on Austin, Minn., hence the name. (On a side note, I visited the Spam Museum in Austin last year – Fun stuff!)
Several area tractor clubs held raffles for tractors and I am still waiting for the call that I won one!
The Le Sueur County Pioneer Power club also has a summer show. This year is will be held August 26-28 and the features are: Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company, Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Company, Moline Plow Company and the beautiful Prairie Gold tractors from post-merger Minneapolis Moline Power Implement Company.
The website is www.pioneerpowershow.com.
See you down the road!