1025 S. W. 2nd Street, Faribault, Minnesota 55021
The hard work was over and now it was time for the fun.
Everything was in order for a big day and a big show. The wood was
stacked, the engines lined up, the steamers were steaming and the
crowd was getting bigger by the minute. The 4th Annual Rice County
Steam and Gas Engine Club threshing bee and exhibition was
It was a very hot Labor Day, 1978, in Little Chicago, Minnesota,
and there wasn’t a breeze to be found anywhere. To the 1,000
plus people who attended this year’s show, the weather was not
a factor. This exhibition is the best in the area and the largest
ever for Rice County.
The members of the club had worked for months planning and
dreaming for this one big day. Frank Malecha and his sons, Larry
and Butch, put forth an effort matched by none in readying their
land for the event. Their cooperation and their large exhibit of
tractors and equipment all helped to add to the show’s success.
They displayed a number of separators, including a 1914 36 x 62
Minneapolis wooden wing feed; a 1914 Nichols and Sheppard wood, and
a 22 x 38 International. Also, the Malecha’s displayed a 16-30
Hart Parr tractor and 15 other tractors of various makes, several
gas engines, and a very large walking plow exhibit.
C. E. Purdie had his two 50 HP Case steam traction engines
running the separators. His engines are in tip top shape and he has
reason to be very proud of them. They have been perfectly restored
by Mr. Purdie himself with assistance from Smoky Cross, Vern Juaire
and Terry Cross.
Lloyd Wolters had a chance to display the 1914 20-60 Case steam
engine that he recently purchased. He’s a very happy man with
his new ‘toy.’
Smoky Cross and his son, Terry, had a fine display of gas
engines. The hard work they put into restoring all of their engines
really showed though in the quality of their exhibit. Especially
interesting in their display was the 5 HP vertical steam engine
that was belted to the lathe mill, and run by Joe Cross.
Butch Waskosky and his son Mark, daughters Nancy, Karen, and
Kathy, put forth a tremendous amount of effort in their display of
many beautifully restored gas engines, tractors, and old time
implement seats. Butch also has an arrowhead collection that is
second to none. His is one of the finest collections in the state.
The 1979 show will see this unique family displaying one of the
last of the lightweight Rumely Oil Pull tractors in working
condition.
Clem Hammer had a very large and unusual display of animal
traps; from the smallest mouse trap to a huge bear trap, plus a
pelt from each of the animals the trap was designed for. Clem is
also our publicity and promotions manager, and what a fine job he
does!
Olaf Torkelson has a perfectly detailed working miniature saw
mill and a huge steam whistle that he displayed. This whistle is so
large that even the 60 HP Case of Lloyd Wolters could not put out
enough steam to fully blow it. It is about 16′ in diameter by
40′ tall.
Bud and Jim Cate had a nice display of very old farming
equipment the likes of which one rarely sees today. They even
offered many of the items on display for sale.
As usual, the ladies attending the event all enjoyed the large
flea market. It is also a favorite with many of the men, as they
often find some piece of equipment or some small tool that was just
what they had been looking for.
Skip Voge and her mother, Betty Cross, had a busy day at the old
fashioned pop corn stand. They used old fashioned crank type
poppers and the corn was great!
Terry Cross set many an old timer on their heels when his engine
developed a leak in the tube. Everyone thought he was done steaming
for the day, but he was wise to the ways of the old timershe simply
found a chunk of stove wood and hammered it into the tube and was
steaming again in just a short time. It really made the old timers
shake their heads, cause Terry is only 29 years old. I guess they
didn’t think the younger generation knew about their old
tricks.
Mac Machacek is always a favorite with his 1/3 scale model Case
engine. Mac is a real showman and his engine is truly a work of
art. 1979 hopefully will bring Mac a little competition in Joe
Cross. Joe is a fine engineer and an excellent machinist and he is
in the final stages of assembly on a 1/4 scale model Case tractor.
Joe is a perfectionist, so his engine should be a beauty.
Curly Schreckenberg is responsible for the antique cars that run
around the grounds. Curly is a Plymouth man and his cars are the
finest around.
Tom Voge also had on display his 1951 Chevrolet that is in the
process of being restored. He said that he is looking for
transplants for the surgery that he is performing on the car.
Ron Salaba displayed a large amount of equipment. The crowd
enjoyed his plowing exhibition.
Walter Graham is our stack man and the grain stacks that he made
could easily be called sculptures instead of stacks. A picture of
his work could be the centerfold of a farming magazine.
The Rice County Steam and Gas Engine Club is a non-profit
organization that hopes to further the interest of antique and
classic farming ideas of the past. It is the hope of the members to
preserve through the young the ways of the old. The 1979 show will
be a bigger event than ever. It will be a two-day long show and it
is hoped that it will draw people from all over the upper
midwest.
