Box 111, Davis Junction, Illinois 61020
Cutting and binding golden grain with a horse powered binder was
a first during the 1978 show at Hedtke’s Hickory-Oaks Farm.
Seen here is Walter Skaar with his Belgian horses hitched to the
10′ grain binder after he demonstrated to the crowd of
spectators how it used to be done in olden days. The overflow of
the crowd on Saturday and Sunday caused car parking to take place
among the shocked grain. Walter is a good horseman, however, and
never scraped any fenders when driving between cars and the shocks
to do another round of cutting and binding.
Another first at Hedtke’s Hickory-Oaks Farm during 1978 show
was an antique tractor pulling contest, Friday evening. This
included all makes of tractors built before 1940 on steel or
rubber. Norman Wills and his family headed this fine contest which
lasted nearly four hours. Hedtke’s show grounds are
flood-lighted throughout the machinery area. Numerous tractor
owners entered this pulling contest which drew a large crowd.
Trophies and ribbons were awarded to the winners of the five
classes.
Davis Junction, Illinois: Steaming and dreaming is a great
pleasure at Davis Junction, that is if you can keep up with the age
and the pace now days, says George W. Hedtke, President, of North
Central Illinois Steam Power Show and the owner of Hickory-Oaks
Farm. It’s a lot of work, but it also is a lot of fun to plow
with steam engines, draft horses and mules, and to do steam and
horse power threshing. It is something the general public likes to
see year by year, knowing their forefathers worked in the
agricultural fields that way years ago and made a living for their
family. They come because they care.
The 1978 show at Hickory-Oaks Farm certainly drew a big crowd
daily and was a great success. Weather was ideal with four
beautiful days of sunshine. Visitors registered from California,
Oklahoma, Colorado, Washington, Arizona, Missouri, Kansas, Texas,
Michigan, New York, Ohio, Minnesota, Oregon, Massachusetts, Canada,
Netherlands, Australia, Mexico, and of course numerous from
Indiana, Wisconsin, and Illinois. Numerous campers and tourists in
mobile homes spent the weekend at Hickory-Oaks Farm.
Two firsts were held at Hickory-Oaks Farm during the 1978 show.
On Friday evening, August 4, an antique tractor pulling contest was
held for all makes of tractors built prior to 1940 on steel or
rubber. The new attraction drew a large crowd and participants.
Several trophies and ribbons were awarded to winners of the five
pulling classes. The other first at Hickory-Oaks Farm during show
time, was the cutting and binding of oat grain with a horse-powered
binder, using four draft horses daily for the field demonstration.
A large crowd gathered in the field to see this done. Those with
cameras found themselves busy taking pictures of the horse-drawn
binder. Others watched with great interest as not very often this
is seen at show time or any other time. The five acres of bound
grain is reserved by Hedtke for one of the added features during
1979, perhaps to be held in June as a threshing day.
The evolutions of plowing covering a span of 138 years was seen
in action by hundreds of spectators during the 1978 show. Plows
were powered by horses, mules, steam engines and old gas tractors.
Hedtke’s 110 HP Case steam engine worked so hard Friday
afternoon pulling the 14 bottom plow it blew its smoke stack off
the engine. Harry Woodmansee, the engineer, of Dowling, Michigan,
saw the smoke stack toppling to the ground, so quickly stopped the
22 ton engine before the back wheel got it. It was quick action,
and with the great help of John Schrock of Rives Junction,
Michigan, and Dennis Jerome, of Hoopeston, Illinois, the smoke
stack was welded back in place and the 22 ton iron giant never
missed a day of work. When not hitched to the 14 bottom plow, the
110 Case is generally seen powering, the big sawmill. Hedtke owns 4
other large steam traction engines besides the 110 HP Case that has
steam power steering. He also has four large old time gas tractors
and eight smaller tractors which are all put to work during show
time, as well as steam engines and tractors that are brought in at
show time by friends of other shows. All in all, its fun for
everyone, even though we all know its a lot of work to have a good
show.
At Hedtke’s Hickory-Oaks Farm spectators see a first quite
occasionally. Last year a large petting pen was put up for numerous
animals and pets of the farm life. Pictured here is Mrs. Larry
(Linda) Svanda of Oregon, Wisconsin, demonstrating how milking a
cow can be done. It appears the cow is gentle and likes to be
milked by hand. Linda was raised on a farm and from past experience
knows its best to hold the milk pail between her knees so the cow
wouldn’t tip the pail over if she decided to move.
The home talent show held Saturday evening, August 5, in
Hedtke’s big building drew a large crowd. It was well done by
Dawn and Rodney Hayenga of Kings, Illinois. There was a large
variety of talent, vocal and instrumental, ranging from the real
young to the old, and from country western to classical numbers.
Needless to say, all the numbers were well applauded. At the
closing of the show, George Hedtke announced and introduced Mrs.
Tom (Jeanette) Draus, of rural Davis Junction, as the 1978 Queen of
North Central Illinois Steam Power Show. The new queen received a
great hand of applause. Mrs. Draus is a annual worker with the
show, her husband serves as vice-president of the show.
On Sunday, August 6, ‘Queen Jeanette’ rode in the 2
o’clock parade, holding her bouquet of harvest color grain and
flowers. With her was her youngest daughter, Mary, age 3. The
queen’s float was decorated in red, white, and blue colors and
she was seated on her chair between two shocks of golden grain. The
large float was pulled through the parade by a Case tractor driven
by John Sandvik of Davis Junction. The Freedom Bell Float which
leads the annual parade at Hickory-Oaks Farm banked with seven
American Flags, was pulled in the parade by a nicely restored Model
L Case tractor, owned and driven by Clarence Eltz of Arlington
Heights, Illinois. The 810 pound bronze bell was rung daily by Emil
Svanda at parade time, proclaiming liberty for all. The bell rings
out against government controls, zoning controls, and such like,
which are rapidly turning our beloved America into the old world
kind of tyvanny from which our ancestors fled.
(R. to L.): 1967 – Mrs. Harry (Annis) King, 1968 – Mrs. Don
(Honey) Wolf, 1969 – Mrs. Herman (Elsie) Hintzsche (deceased)
(empty chair), 1970 -Mrs. Harm (Berniece) Hayenga, 1971 – Mrs.
Lester (Doris) Lindenmier, 1972 – Mrs. Menno (Ella) Hayenga, 1973
-Mrs. Emil (Ethyl) Svanda, 1974 – Mrs. Herman (Mary B.) Hedtke,
1975 – Mrs. Paul (Ethel) Hardesty, 1976 – Mrs. Floyd (Virginia)
King, 1977 – Mrs. Herman (Winnie) Baumez (standing). We salute the
young and the old.
The Joe and Richard Green threshing outfit in its
‘heyday’ -14 HP return flue Minneapolis Compound – this
engine exploded while shredding corn November 1913. Courtesy of
Gilmar Johnson, Route 1, Box 309, Frederic, Wisconsin 54837.
Threshing at home with 6 HP Huber steam engine and 20 x 34 Frick
hand feed separator. Courtesy of A. L. Heiland, 15323 C. R.
25A,Anna, Ohio 45302.
