Sun Ag Antique Tractor Show depicts ag history in machinery

 

[June 19, 2024] 

Darren Haberland, a Sun Ag employee was a very gracious host for the Antique Tractor Show held at Emden’s Sun Ag parking lot.

Darren has many different shows that he aids in organizing all across Central Illinois that cater to young FFA members, older folks who just collect tractors, and others who use their tractors as a workhorse. Saturday’s turnout was good considering the warm weather and extra activities happening around the county.

A frequent participant at tractor shows is Jon Wibben from Hartsburg. Jon ‘s hobby of collecting old engines started as a youngster while playing in a family member’s old shed with a dirt floor, he recalls. This old engine was a Maytag washing machine family heirloom that was handed down to him and started an over 40-year hobby of collecting various types of engines. Since it was given to him, Jon has the old washing machine running and has it displayed in a special room at home. While staring at all these old engines that were bolted down on his trailer, he remembered and told a story, bragging just a bit, that his late wife would travel around with him as he displayed his engines and she could talk about and tell the history of each one, just as well as he could!

Keep your eye out at the Logan County Fair or the Apple & Pork Festival for Jon’s tent full of old engines or his bright red truck that says “Grumpy” on the tailgate. However, never fear, Jon is the sweetest, most polite gentleman who is full of history, family stories and loves to show off his love for antique engines.

Another couple that was enjoying showing off their lifelong collections was Mike & Chris Dahms Allis-Chalmers (AC) lawnmowers.

They had two of the six mowers they own with them at Saturday’s tractor show. They proceeded to explain that each of the six tractors all have a different job. One mows, one plows snow, one digs up potatoes, one is used for plowing the garden and the last one is just for fun!

Mike got into AC mowers because of his father who bought a new AC in 1970. He has been collecting them more seriously since he retired 15 years ago, and Chris admits that it’s a good way to keep Mike entertained. Chris teased that she always has Mike wear bright-colored shirts so that she can see him coming, or going back and forth, back and forth, and back and forth….plowing and playing. This lovely couple from Lincoln enjoys working together in their garden and showing off their pristine-looking golden-yellow garden tractors as much as they can.

If you want to see a collection of beautiful old tractors and learn a wealth of history, Darren will be at the Logan County Fairgrounds' west gate on June 29th for the Logan County Charity Tractor Drive at 8 am. Please contact him if you are interested in attending any of the Antique Tractor Shows that he has coordinated.

[JA Hodgdon-Ruppel]