The Sycamore Show

5N330 Peters dorf Road Bartlett, IL 60103

The 31st Annual Northern Illinois Steam Power Club Show was held
at the Taylor Marshall Farm, which is located northwest of
Sycamore, Illinois on August 23-26th. Twenty-seven steam powered
engines, one hundred fifty tractors and over two hundred fifty
stationary engines and equipment were on hand for everyone’s
enjoyment. Despite over ten inches of rain in about a twelve hour
period and temperatures in the upper 90’s, a good time was had
by one and all.

As usual, the saw mill powered by massive steam engines was the
main attraction. Charlie ‘Butch’ Malsch of Pell Lake, WI
and John Ross of Hebron, IN can be credited for turning logs to
lumber. The sights, the sounds and the smell of those huge steam
engines as they powered the separator, singing the song of
yesteryear, brought back many memories to the old and amazed the
young. The Flink Fan told the truth about how much horsepower their
unit really had, as it made some sad and some glad. We were able to
watch silo filling, corn shelling, wheat grinding, baling and even
shingle making.

In honor of the 150th Anniversary of John Deere, Bob Johnson of
Hampshire, IL and Bruce Johnson of South Elgin, IL arranged a
special display of John Deere tractors with one from every decade
starting with the club’s Joe Dain through today’s modern
4450.

In the John Malsch Building, one could hear old time tunes
provided by ‘The Antique Notes’ while looking at old cars,
the country store, the living room and kitchen as well as other
items of days past. In the Ladies’ Tent, woodcarving, rug
weaving, broom making, chair caning, basket weaving and rope making
were of great interest.

A new twist to this year’s event was the Ole Time Style
Show. Volunteer men, women and children modeled the fashions of the
past dating back to the late 1800’s, including swimwear. The
collection was provided by Neva Granstrom of Wheaton, IL.