No Time to Spare

Read this editor’s letter on a new year of farm shows, including The Big Dig in Kansas

By Leslie McManus
Published on May 5, 2021
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Time is so doggone relative. That thought occurred to me at a big family gathering this spring. First time that group had been together in 15 months, and yet, as we sat down to dinner, all that time dissolved and it was as if we’d picked up right where we’d left off.

Then, today, I thought about a show that was to be held in Kansas in 2020. In March of that year, when I first wrote about the show, plans called for it to proceed as planned. Later, as was the case with many shows across the country, it was postponed. But when I thought of last March, and the frustration and disappointment experienced by show organizers all over the U.S. last spring and summer, it felt like years ago: long, worrisome years ago.

And now it is the spring of a new year, with most shows back on the books. You want to talk about time? I’m betting organizers coast to coast are already feeling a bit of panic over preparations for shows booked for August or September. Looking forward, looking back.

If the events of the past year have taught us anything, it’s that each minute of each day is a gift. Keep that in mind as you consider this year’s show season. Why not go to that show you’ve had your eye on for years? Why not take that dusty old piece from the far corner of the shed to your local show this year? Nobody cares if it’s been restored or not – and who’s to say what the next year will bring?

In that vein, I’m putting in a plug for our friends in Kansas. The Historical Construction Equipment Assn. International Convention & Old Equipment Exposition that was postponed in August 2020 is back on the calendar. Hosted by Prairie Plowing Days, “The Big Dig” will be held south of Concordia, Kansas, Aug. 27-29.

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