Tractors and engines go with fair time

[August 03, 2013]  Halfway between the indoor exhibits at the south end of the fairgrounds and the livestock show barns on the north end, there is a big tent with lots of tractors. And beneath that canvas you will always find a friendly group of people enjoying each other's company. They are just waiting for someone to come in and ask a question about something on display there.

The tractors are brought to the fairgrounds each year by members of the Land of Lincoln Antique Tractor and Engine Club. Stine Seed sponsors the display that usually features 25-30 tractors.

Dorothy and Bob Cowan coordinate the group that takes their tractors and engines all over central Illinois, from Lacon to Mount Auburn, Mattoon and Penfield. They mostly go to festivals, county fairs, and their big event is the Illinois State Fair.

Individual members of the club own and transport the various antiques that are put on display. They take great pride in the items they show and want to share their value with others at their own expense. Dorothy said they want to keep these parts of our history in front of people.

The owners have gone to quite a bit of time and expense in maintaining their treasures and bringing them to show. The finishes look like brand-new.

But each item or tractor on display is so much more than what you see. There are stories. Just take a moment to talk to their owners, and you, too, will begin to appreciate these yesteryear workhorses as treasures. Most tractors are on second ownership, which says something in itself

Bob Presswood has his mint-condition 1949 International Harvester Farmall C on display. His grandpa Claude Lowery, the Lowery of Lowery curves on the Chestnut-Beason blacktop, bought it for Bob in 1950. Grandpa Lowery paid about $2,000 for it to Turk McCann in Chestnut. It could cultivate, plow, disk and could be used as a seed planter.

Down at the other end of the display is a 1941 Case. Bob Cowan bought it in 1959. He was the second owner. The first owner's wife dropped a gas can on the upper chassis, leaving a ding. When Cowan purchased it, the previous owner offered to have the ding taken out. Cowan said to leave it. And though it's barely detectable beneath the newer paint, he smiled fondly and softly circled where the ding is still there today.

The Cowans had livestock -- cattle, hogs -- and farmed up to 1,500 acres of corn, soybeans and wheat.

The tractor was used as a baler. It is a four-cylinder with 45 horsepower, making it lean on fuel but a little short on power with the heavier loads.

During the offseason, members of the club keep in touch, having dinner about once a month. The club roster has 125 members and is open to anyone who would like to join. Membership is only $5 a year.

"We're pretty nice people," Dorothy Cowan says. And, they must be, as about 100 of the members are active in the group.

"Old iron makes the best friendships" is the club saying.

If you would like to join this group, you can contact Dorothy Cowan, 277 2000th Ave., Mount Pulaski.

[LDN]