15700 Santini Road, Burtonsville, Maryland 20730
Every year a large and well attended Apple Harvest Festival is
held in Adams County Pa., noted for its apple orchards. It is held
in Arendtsville, just a few miles north of Gettysburg. The group
which sponsors this festival at first requested four steam engines,
but after we checked to see what we had in the way of really good
and a large gas tractor were agreed upon. Also, some of our
engineers were becoming a little ‘shop worn’ after a hectic
summer, and we had lost one of our best, Joe Newton, due to school
having begun. The beautiful cross motor Case was provided by Mr.
Paul and John Sneeringer of New Oxford. The steam engines and
engineers were drafted once again from the ‘Swift Run
Steamers’ gang. This is a partially confused gang from
everywhere who own anything, if we can remember where we left it
last. The part that is not confused is just disorganized.
We managed to show up with Mr. Grant Laughman’s Geiser
‘S’, from New Oxford, Penna.; Mr. Earl Rohrer’s
Russell, from Hagerstown; and Mr. Tom Ackerman’s 20 hp.
Aultman-Taylor, which is stored at New Oxford, although he lives in
Waretown, N.J. Mr. Sam Osbourne, of New Oxford was sort of the
‘Straw Boss’ as we say, of the whole crew, and some of the
assistant engineers were as follows: Mr. Wayne Boerum, Silver
Spring, Md., Mr. Ray Rohrer, Hagerstown, Md., and myself Bill Hall,
Burtonsville, Md. There were also many more assistants to help us.
The Geiser was fired up and served more as a stationary display,
due to the large crowd and not enough room for all engines to be
moving around. The A&T was run as much as the crowd size would
allow, with the Rohrers doing the honors, pulling the kiddie ride
wagon. It is amazing and encouraging to see the large number of
‘Over grown kids’ with gray hair who enjoy the memory of a
ride as well as the little tykes.
I do not have any idea as to the number of antique cars
displayed each day, but I am sure the number Sunday alone, was 100
or more. The festival was scheduled for four days, October 10-13,
1974, but of course, the Saturday and Sunday were the main
days.
We also had an old time blacksmith shop, usually run by Mr. Fred
Starner, New Oxford, Pa., and quite a few antique gas engines
pulling an old cider press, grain mills, corn shellers, etc. We had
a very good time despite the handicap of lack of maneuvering space,
and a shortage of fuel, both for the engines and engineers. The
first was caused by a miscalculation of the engines appetites, and
the second by the appetite of the large crowd, who got in line
before we did. However, we were treated with courtesy and respect
by one and all, the Adams County JayCee’s and the tractor
trailor crews.