[AT] Tractor club

[jahaze at aol.com]

Farmer,

I think your club sound like a great?idea, our local club keeps trying to bring in new members (i.e younger members), but every time I go to a?meeting, all they want to do is complain about the lack or participation.? If some of the younger folks make a suggestion or two, it always get's voted down by the "old" folks who don't want to change, so as you might expect, the young guys eventually stop coming and the cycle continues.? I am not a puller, but the pullers tend to be dominated by young folks who have basically separated from the rest of the group and hold their pulls at the opposite end of the show grounds, I think it's only a matter of time before they form their own club and have better control over the proceeds.

I always bring old rusty stuff to shows, you can only look at so many painted up JD's and IH's, after awhile they all start to look the same.? I also appreciate it when the owners stick around to talk about their projects and what they had to do to get them done, along with some of the history, the history is the interesting part that keeps us "younger" folks into it.? I think it should be mandatory that if you show a tractor, you need to be buy it between the hours of --- and? ----, I have a feeling if people knew that, the majority of visitors would show up during that time.

Enjoy, Joe


-----Original Message-----
From: Francis Robinson <robinson46176 at hotmail.com>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Tue, 19 Aug 2008 1:37 pm
Subject: [AT] Tractor club



     I have written about this before. I am still planning seriously on forming 
a local tractor club of a slightly different nature. We do have several good 
clubs here in surrounding counties (and a few counties without any clubs) but 
the local club in Shelby County really sucks eggs through a straw. It is 
comprised mostly of "pullers". Now I have nothing against pullers but here 
unless you are a puller you are an outsider. The local show has just gone down 
hill year after year. The pulling guys used to come and line their tractors up 
then as soon as they had their pull (they do have some nice pulls) they took 
them home. The last I saw they didn't even participate in the show at all except 
for pulling and that is away from the show area of the fairgrounds. Back when I 
was still in it they were complaining about the numbers being down so bad so I 
hauled a bunch of extra stuff in and lined it up. I had 5 of my better tractors, 
an Allis Roto-baler and several Gravelys. I didn't!
  just sit it there and leave, I sat with it and answered a lot of questions 
about it. For my efforts, some made fun of my rusty stuff and it got back to me 
that a couple complained about it. Those here that have seen my stuff know that 
most of it isn't fancy or shiny but it isn't junk. I joke about my "Trusty 
Rusties" and didn't mind them joking at all but the complaints kind of stuck in 
my craw. As the show continued to go down hill I finally just quit going. I 
believe the local engine guys still do fairly well and I think the pulling guys 
still do OK but a lot of the showing tractor guys have quit. They used to pull 
in maybe 250 to 300 tractors. The last time I went I counted about 45.
     My concept for a club is to be a much more member friendly and have several 
gatherings a year based more on member interaction and perhaps with workshops 
more important than showing. Maybe what I am trying to say is that gathering the 
tractors and implements together would be more for sharing than showing. Kind of 
like the Cubf
ests that George Willer originally started have been. Not that we 
wouldn''t be showing but not the kind of show where you come put a tractor in 
line and go home...   :-)   
     My concept would also welcome project tractors like non-runners or 
incomplete tractors so the owner could get a lot of input. The correct police 
would only be permitted to comment if they could muster a smile first and 
belittling would be a hanging offence.   :-)
     Between all of my tractors and son Scott's tractors and a few good 
neighbors, a relative or two and some friends I think we could have a decent 
starting show or at least a lot of fun... I have room for quite a few campers 
and that is something the local show never had was camping. Maybe if it had 
campfire "meetings" instead of one open winter meeting a year at the courthouse 
it would have done better. Directors are important but input needs to come from 
everybody.
     I have several things to do first. One is be sure I have my insurance ducks 
in a row. Another is to be sure I have a good date and lastly I have to spring 
it all on Diana...   :-)
-
     I saw a brother-in-law get into trouble just last weekend for "thinking 
without proper supervision".    ;-)



farmer

Francis Robinson
Central Indiana USA
robinson46176 at hotmail.com


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