Quite a place to have a show! I had never been to this one so, accompanied by Farm Collector Editor, Leslie McManus, I got to experience the sights and sounds created by Steve and Sylvia Bauer at the Little Log House Pioneer Village Antique Power Show in Hastings, Minnesota, July 27-29, 2012. The Bauer family has created a restored pioneer village to display some of southern Minnesota’s most prized artifacts, and it is a perfect setting for an antique tractor and engine show.
Here is what you are greeted by at the gate; does he stay up there all day!?
There is quite a hodgepodge of vintage iron across the grounds.
Walking through the displays, you can’t help but feel like you really did walk through a time warp. The 1950s Drive-In diner called Porky’s, surrounded by classic cars is one sight that pushes you though that time door. (By the way, the cheese curds and burgers were awesome)
Up the hill, you can check out a working quarry.
Then walk across the old spiral bridge, which is a replica of the Hastings Spiral Bridge that was torn down in 1951.
If you go, you have to enjoy the beauty and serenity of “Sylvia’s Garden.” A nice floral addition to a tractor show!
And right beside that is the old flour mill and water wheel. Lots of photo ops there.
There is a main street setup with many impressive specialty displays, like a telephone building, a dress shop, a saloon, an old jail, and the Land Office, which had many pieces of history, photos, and survey equipment that helped build this land.
There was also military encampment with several different eras portrayed by the reenactors. When we walked though the army Quonset hut, they were polishing their boots, cleaning their guns, drinking out of old fashioned Coke bottles, and eating their MRE’s. There were even pin-up girls on the walls! It really made you feel like you had stepped back into time, or at least into an old war movie!
There was a 1912 Big Four “30” gas tractor there with the self-steering device that was an exclusive feature of this tractor. A giant on the prairie, for sure.
This show is held the last full weekend in July. Mark your calendars for July 26-28, 2013, to visit and enjoy some history along with old tractors and engines, good food, music, and stop to smell the flowers in the garden along the way!
See you down the road!
