582 West Lincoln Highway DeKalb, Illinois 60115
8,941 automobiles rolled through the gates of the Taylor
Marshall Farm on Plank Road North of Sycamore, Illinois on August
7-8-9-10 bringing thousands of spectators to the 19th Annual Steam
Engine Show and Threshing Bee, ‘The Sycamore Show’,
sponsored by the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club,
a-not-for-profit organization. This is not the largest of the steam
engine shows, but from the comments of those who come back year
after year, it is one of the best.
Starting at about 9 a.m. every morning there was a varied
program, under the supervision of Roger Baumgartner, providing many
things for spectators. The big steam engines were operating the
threshing machines with Leslie Petersen in charge; the saw-mill was
using steam power and President John Malsch was supervising work
there. An old corn chopper with a blower was cutting green corn
stalks demonstrating silo filling with cattle feed. Model steam
engines were working on the buzz saw cutting slab wood for the big
engines to burn.
Over 175 hit and miss gas engines of all sizes popping away in a
group by themselves powering simulated water systems, buzz saws,
generators, washing machines and some ‘Rube Goldberg’
contraptions with a lot of activated parts demonstrating how to put
the cat out for the night with out getting out of your easy chair
in front of the TV. . . .once you got the engine started!
Incidentally that Flink Fan draws a lot of questions. It was
built by club-member and director Gene Flink, patterned after the
Baker fan which was designed to test the efficiency of a steam
engine. Weights were applied putting more pressure on the brakes on
the fan, in turn, coal used to fire the engine is weighed and after
the fan is operated by the engine for half an hour, one can use an
abacus, computer, or a dull lead pencil and the back of a
politician’s poster and come up with the footpounds of energy,
per pound of coal per hour. . .I got lost someplace there’s
supposed to be water, steam cylinder oil, and a state boiler
inspector in there. But it really doesn’t matter. . .the fan
blows a nice breeze through the building where the 4-H Club
exhibits a petting zoo of farm animals.
Flour grinding with an old stone mill was busy all the time
grinding whole wheat and whole rye flour. This was sold at three
pounds for a dollar and the Wielert boys were busy for long hours
every day. Close by was the shingle mill demonstration where Chuck
Malsch sawed huge blocks of cedar into evenly tapered wood
shingles. This was in contrast to the hand method of splitting,
using hand tools, cedar shingle shakes, the thick heavy wood
shingles. The shake-makers alternated their work with
rail-splitting, gate and fence making, using antique hand tools and
old telephone poles for their stock.
Our big saw-mill was busy all four days sawing lumber from huge
oak, walnut, ash, and hickory logs. This is interesting to a lot of
people and consumes a lot of camera film (there is always an ample
supply of film in the Ladies’ Hobby Tent). President John
Malsch and director Charles Gould put in a lot of time on the
saw-mill. Different engines are used to power the mill taking turns
every couple hours.
On display throughout the grounds are many items of antique farm
machinery. . .hand potato planters, corn shellers, horse-powered
grain elevators, thistle cutter, plows, old horse-drawn wagons with
wood spoke wheels and steel rims. A full sized separator is on
display with cutaway sections that shows how the threshing machine
operates separating the grain from the straw and chaff. Rupert
Jordan, a qualified separator man, explains this operation to
groups several times a day. An old Case steam engine boiler is also
on display with sections cut out. The various components are
numbered and by referring to a large code-card one can understand
the purpose of all the vital parts of the boiler and how it
works.
Displays in the large antique tent have sleighs, buggies, the
country general store, 1890 farm kitchen, clothing on mannequins of
the 1809 period, wooden hand tools, blacksmith tools, harness, and
other farm necessities. A visual history of electricity on the
farm. . .early fixtures, bulbs and sockets, appliances and wire
make this tent a display of how things were in the ‘Olden
Days’. Mrs. Allan Wielert and Mrs. Burton Wielert are
responsible for this wonderful project and it improves each
year.
Several Flea Market booths attracted many visitors because the
selections were unusual and the displays attractive to bargain
seekers.
According to our registration book, which is in the Ladies’
Hobby Tent, people from eighteen states, Canada and the United
Kingdom registered. There were many things in this huge tent
including craft work demonstrations and sales, plants and flowers,
home baked goods, fancy work, novelties, white elephant sale
(including 14 gallons of Candy Pink paint to paint your white
elephant!, show buttons and memberships. Kathleen Levine, Lottie
Malsch, Pat Malsch, Mrs. Charles Drake and Mrs. Les Johnson were
steady workers in this tent.
Four days of beautiful weather in a nice grove of hickory and
oak trees to provide plenty of shade make this a site for pleasant
recreation for thousands of men, women and children. The turf is
heavy which keeps the dust down, threshing takes place in a natural
amphitheater so all can see and the camera fans get some excellent
pictures.
At 1:30 every day there is a parade of all the engines and the
antique tractors pulling the equipment that is movable on wheels. A
long circular route allows several thousand people to get a good
view of the over 100 pieces of antique farm equipment move by in a
panorama of nostalgia. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor Marshall, owners of the
grounds, lead the parade with their John Deere tractor pulling a
float with the Sycamore Kitchen Band. . .the Jolly
Kitchenettes’. . . a really fine musical group with a
repertoire of toe-tapping tunes. Clifford Elliot mans the public
address system and does a marvelous job of identifying the
equipment, the engineers and drivers as well as being on hand all
day for special announcements.
Northern Illinois Steam Power Club is a not-for-profit
organization. None of the officers, directors or members who work
receive any cash remuneration for their effort. For the 20
directors who are elected by the membership, the show is a year
’round task. . .one show isn’t completed before plans are
being made for next year’s show and work being started. Money
accumulated from admissions, after expenses are paid, is put back
into the show facilities to make a better show, with more equipment
and more convenience for people who attend.
Over the past few years improvements have been made for drainage
in the grove, heavy-duty wiring has been installed, sanitary vault
type toilet facilities have been installed and they are kept clan
during the show despite the tremendous amount of use. In 1974 a new
deep well was drilled that gives an ample supply of good, state
tested, drinking water. A daily policing of the grounds, and daily
removal of the garbage and litter keeps the. area in a neat, clean
condition all during the show.
Food, food tents and equipment are inspected by the DeKalb
County Health officer and regulations are enforced. This provides
no great problem because the Charter Grove Grange and Wilder
Fay’s Pork Chop and Chicken Barbecue have been regular caterers
of fine food at reasonable prices at this show for many years.
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Auxiliary takes care of Traffic
Control and Future Farmers of America handle the parking.
Next year’s show dates are August 12-13-14-15, 1976. . .our
20th Annual Steam Engine Show and Threshing Bee and Clara Schram
and Chuck Gould are already lining up equipment and making
arrangements for transportation to bring it in to a bigger and
better show.
Hope we’ll see you at ‘The Sycamore Show’!
