R. R. 4, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
Well here is the Northerner again to let you know we haven’t
froze to death up here yet but it has been very cold. I have had a
very busy and enjoyable year and I wish you all the best in
1974.
First off this past summer I was called upon by the Red Deer
Exhibition Assn. to assemble and manage a Pioneer steam show at the
exhibition. By the way it is the first steam show put on at the
fair grounds.
So I had to get into high gear as they gave me very short notice
to plan the show. However, I hollered help and in came some of my
steam pals and away we went.
We moved my 40 hp Case steamer, and my wife’s 16 x 48 hp
Rumely Double steamer, plus my John Deere and Wood saw and 28 x 48
Case threshing machine. We also had a ramp for steamers to climb.
John Kuill arrived with his three inch scale 32 Reeves Cross
Compound model and his Baker Fan. Don Jellison brought his three
inch scale 65 hp Case plus his model Case thresher. Stan Green
brought his British Loco models and his model Fowler traction
engine. Swede Fonnes moved in his 25 x 40 model X Rumely, and Floyd
Wrestling moved in his hp grain grinder plus a sulky plow for
display.
Fonnes used his large trucks and trailer to move some of the
engines and Max Armstrong, manager of the Case Company let me use
his company truck and low boy to move equipment. I must say that
Max and the J. I. Case Company have always bent over backwards to
help me.
We entered the 40 hp Case thresher and water tank in the parade
and were pleased to receive a large trophy for best entry in the
old timers section. My wife was Engineer and I was Fireman. The
people just loved the steamer and the kids loved the whistle. We
whistled our way thru the parade and arrived back at the fair
grounds and prepared for our show. We ran the show five straight
days from noon till about 8 p.m. Every hour we ran off events such
as threshing, sawing and giving children rides. Three times per day
we would climb the ramp with the Rumely steamer and I’ll tell
you we had a crowd of people. I had some very good engineers to
help me with the steamers. Some of them were Jack Prendergast,
August Kramer, Elmer Calkins, John Kuill, Swede Fonnes, Bill
Turner, Don Jellison and many more.
I have been asked by the Exhibition Assn. to expand my show to
about double the size for next year. Maybe we will have another
nice show of one week duration in the later part of July each year
in Alberta.
I have received quite a few letters lately from some of the fine
steam people in the States and I do appreciate the letters and wish
to invite anyone who is up here at Fair Time to come and enjoy your
self and bring your overalls.
