[AT] Bad tractor day :(

[Greg Hass]

Saturday I attended the tractor show at a town located about 20 minutes 
drive from here - Port Hope.
It's held on the grounds of the school, which has a large amount of free 
area.  However, the school itself only graduates about 14 students a year 
now.  I've been attending for 20 years or so, and it has always been 
attended by several thousand people.  Initially it featured about 300 
tractors and about 150 "hit & miss" engines, as well as various 
lumber-sawing demonstrations, shingle mill, and threshing machines.  For 
$1.50 you could buy a shingle which they branded with the name of the show 
and the date.  They also had 1 or 2 rows of flea market and very good meals 
were available (for fundraising).

About 5 years ago, the tractor part of the show was relegated to the "back 
40."  The front was then used for approx. 10 rows of flea market and a 
large part of the site was used for parking for travel trailers 
(RVs).  Three years ago the tractor-pulling track, which had been located 
east of the school building,  was moved south of the "back 40" abour 500 
feet from the flea market area.

This year I noticed they had about 20 semitrucks with aluminum dump 
trailers and pups parked along the whole length of the pulling track 
between the tractor display and the pullers.  In between the trucks were 
wood pallets or plastic fence, blocking the area between the trucks.  This 
all seemed strange and I couldn't figure it out, so I asked about it.  I 
was told that the people from the flea market area had complained about the 
noise from the tractor area and the pulling area and demanded that it be 
stopped, so the semis were used to block the sound.  I have to wonder how 
many complaints were issued that night when the 200+ travel trailers parked 
in the area all started their generators so they could watch TV and run 
their air conditioners.

Sadly, I counted only about 100 tractors there, and only 6 "hit & miss" 
engines, of which only two were run.  The shingle mill was there, but had 
only been run briefly and they were not branding as very few of the people 
attending were venturing out to the "back 40".  Also gone were the various 
other demonstrations.  I think the sawmill was there but was located a 
couple hundred feet past the last of the trailers in an area so 
inaccessible that no one was going back there to watch.  The tractors are 
what originally made the whole show and brought it up to what it is 
now.  Two thirds of last year's tractor area is now reserved for travel 
trailers.  I do not know what group is running this show, but obviously 
they have forgotten what made the show what it is today and care little 
about the tractors any more.  I am a big fan of the saying, "Never say 
never.", but at this time I cannot see wasting my time going there next 
year, seeing how little is left of the tractor end of the show.  In my 
opinion, a sad commentary on the times we are living in.

Greg Hass
Bad Axe, MI