In response to the changing profile of visitors to Milton
Steam-Era, this year’s show is offering more entertainment all
day every day to appeal to young families. The ‘Second
Stage’ was added last year and proved very popular, drawing
parents and grandparents with young children for games and contests
like kids’ tractor pulls. Fashion shows, musical performances,
augments the busy entertainment schedule that has drawn visitors
from hundreds of miles away for the past 38 annual Steam-Era shows.
Twice-daily parades of antique tractors chug their way past the
grandstand and around the V4 mile track at the Milton Fairgrounds.
Antique tractor pull contests roar on Saturday and Monday mornings
of Labour Day weekend. Demonstrations of threshing, and a working
sawmill and shingle mill, continue throughout the day. All the
while, visitors young and old get to examine hundreds of working
antique tractors, up to 90 years old; gas engines (used for
everything from washing clothes and pumping water to grinding
grain); and dozens of classic cars, too.
This year, Steam-Era is promoting itself with the slogan,
‘The best of the past, preserved for the present for the
pleasure of the future!’ For many, the most entertaining and
informative part of Steam-Era is the chance to talk with the
collectors who have lovingly restored this historical
equipment.
‘Each tractor has its own unique history the type of work
it’s done, where it was made, where it was found and
rescued,’ explains Brad Clements, a director of the Ontario
Steam and Antique Preservers Association which runs Steam-Era.
‘Our members take pride in sharing that history with the
thousands of Steam-Era visitors who share their interest. For kids
and families, it’s a great way to make our Canadian farm
history come alive, and we see many grand parents reminiscing with
family about the memories Steam-Era reawakens.’
‘It’s fun too, to see the new mix of visitors coming
equally from city backgrounds as well as rural roots.’
All the activities and entertainment at Steam-Era, which is
featuring John Deere equipment this year, are offered at one
comprehensive low admission price of $5 for adults and $1 for
children under 12. The Milton Fairgrounds open at 8:00 a.m. daily
Saturday, Sunday and Labour Day Monday, September 4-6, 1999. (There
are limited activities and reduced admission on Friday.) Saturday
night winds up with a foot-stomping Country and Western Talent
Contest. Sunday concludes with a Variety Musical Program. Both
shows start at 7:00 p.m. Besides the entertainment, demonstrations,
games and activities scheduled all day every day, visitors can
enjoy the crafts show and sale, the bargain hunting at the trading
post and flea market, and the selection of home-style cooking on
the grounds, in the buildings and under tent.
Steam-Era ’99 is the largest show of its kind in eastern
Canada, and with its ever-changing program of events, this year
promises to be one of the best.
