2017
Half Century of Progress
Collectors Edition Show Book
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It really all started in 1953. While the Half Century of Progress wouldn’t come along for another 50 years, 1953 was the first year of the Farm Progress Show. The organizers of that event, as they met in their offices at Prairie Farmer Magazine in Chicago, had the foresight to know that farmers would love to watch equipment actually working in the field at a show. It is doubtful, though, that those magazine editors and advertising executives ever imagined that 64 years later the Farm Progress Show, with its permanent sites and huge crowds, would be the splendid event it is…with farmers still lining up to watch machines at work. The concept was so good that we decided to copy it as the Half Century of Progress got its start 14 years ago to build interest for that 50th anniversary of the Farm Progress Show. It was there at Henning, Illinois where we really first realized that old combines and corn pickers, moldboard plows, draft horses and even manure spreaders operating out in the fields could turn heads and make memories that folks would forever cherish. Then there was the power. Hardly anything has been more jaw-dropping at this show than the powerful tractors with their noise and smoke. Year after year those machines have drawn remarkable crowds out to the fields at Rantoul. And not unlike the founders of the Farm Progress Show, those of us who conceived of that first Half Century show at Henning never imagined that it could grow to become something like this. Mr. Darius Harms, our founder, mentor and friend, while peering over the cluttered dash of his red pick-up truck at the lines of vehicles streaming into Rantoul would say, “Do you think anybody will come? I don’t know if we’re gonna have a show or not.” As Darius watched from above what transpired in 2017 on the Illinois Prairie not far from his Earthly home, we are quite sure he grinned with approval as tears ran down his cheeks. He gave this event such a mighty push. And under the leadership of co-directors John Frederickson and Russell Buhr…who knew precisely what Darius wanted to see happen here…teams of volunteers again gave of their time, energy and money to make sure that this show was just as unforgettable as the first seven were. To those of you who were at the eighth edition of this grand spectacle we want to thank you for attending. It meant so much to have you there. We hope these colorful pages will warm you on some chilly winter nights as you see what these farmers and their buddies made possible for the rest of us. And for those of you who could not make it to Rantoul, please plan now to see the wonderful circus unfold again in the summer of 2019. Then you too will be able to say, “Oh yes, I saw that at Rantoul!” Max Armstrong This Week In AgriBusiness-Farm Progress President, National Association of Farm Broadcasting
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Welcome to the 2017
Steering Committee Max Armstrong Dave Berbaum Larry Barry Russell Buhr Debbie Deremiah John Fredrickson Derek Harms Dirk Harms
Craig Long Barry Maury Mike Perrine J.C. Reitmeier Chuck Stelter Ray Uken Carl Vandevender William Wilken
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Table of Contents Page 5...................................Remembering Darius Page 7....................................................Registration Page 11...........................................................Parade Page 17..................................................Fire Brigade Page 21............................................Monster Trucks Page 23...........................................................Parade Page 31.................................................Field Demos Page 39..............................................Pedal Tractors Page 45.................................................Field Demos Page 53.................................................Tractor Pulls Page 67.......................................Kiddie Pedal Pulls Page 69........The Half Century of Progress Offers Up Unique Brands Page 71..................................................Flea Market Page 73.....................................Entertainment Tent Page 76................First Responders & Agriculture Page 77................................................Army Trucks Page 79.................................................Field Demos Page 80.................................................Flag Folding Page 81...........................................................Parade Page 83...............................................Tractor Drive Page 93.......................Keck-Gonnerman Reunion Page 101.......Field Demos (Steel Wheel Tractors) Page 103....................................Aerial of Show Site Page 108..............................................Corn Picking Page 110.........................................................Parade Page 112...............................................Field Demos Page 127............................................Darius Harms Page 129...............................................Field Demos Page 147............................Happy Birthday Darius Page 149..............................................Field Demos Page 151.........................................................Parade Page 156..............................................Field Demos Page 159................................................Loading Up
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Half Century of Progress Committee Russell Buhr & John Fredrickson Co-Chairs Max Armstrong Publicity Director Mike Perrine Marketing Director
J.C. Reitmeier Advertising Director
Barry Maury Vendor Coordinator
Ray Uken Treasurer
Debbie Dereman Food Coordinator
Carl Vandevender Farm Coordinator
Dave Berbaum Tent Coordinator
Farm Operators
William Wilken
Derek Harms
Dirk Harms
Activity Chairman Russell Buhr
Directors Russell Buhr
John Fredrickson
J.C. Reitmeier
Chuck Stelter
Carl Vandevender www.halfcenturyofprogress.com
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Remembering Darius Harms
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By Cindy Ladage The 2017 Half Century of Progress which Darius Harms always said is the world’s largest working vintage farm show, this year was dedicated to his memory. Darius D. Harms, who served as the Chairman of the past seven Half Century of Progress shows passed away on July 21, 2016. With the first Half Century of Progress Show s held on the weekend before the 50th anniversary Farm Progress Show near Henning, Illinois, in 2003, from the beginning the show profiled equipment from 50 years ago. The beauty of this show is it offers a chance to see antique farm equipment in the field and offers the opportunity for visitors to watch the equipment harvest, plow and work the ground. Each year, Darius Harms worked tirelessly with others like the 2017 co-chairs Russell Buhr and John Frederickson along with farm broadcaster Max Armstrong and an army of volunteers to bring the show to the fruition. Darius moved people to bring their best, and he had an effect that made them want to please him and do what they could to help make this show a success. After his death, it was unthinkable that the show he worked so hard to bring about would not go on. Not only did the show go on, but Darius and his family in 2017 were recognized for their efforts. On Saturday August 26th, that afternoon during the Orion Samuelson and Max Armstrong show, the Rantoul Mayor Chuck Smith offered Lois Harms and her family a Citizen Proclamation to Darius, a founding member of the show. Mayor Smith proclaimed that “August 25, 2017 was Darius Harms Day.” Besides the Proclamation, on Sunday, which was Darius’s birthday, he was honored during the daily Parade of Power. On the grounds there was a stone in memory of Darius. The stone was surrounded by some of the equipment Darius so loved. The story though that makes many think that Darius was watching over the show happened on Thursday, opening day. Max Armstrong led a tractor drive through the countryside and during the following days, a story came out that this happened during the drive. The story went that when the tractor drivers passed the cemetery where Darius is buried a sudden breeze came up and knocked Max’s hat right off his head. Max Armstrong confirmed the story saying, “Yes it happened! We were about 22 miles into the 30 mile ride and were about 70 yards from Darius’ grave when a wind gust came up and whipped the hat off and onto the ground. I knew better than to stop.”
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Operators at the Half Century of Progress again this year attended a safety briefing to obtain their “operator” ribbon. Retired deputy sheriff Craig Long from Kankakee County conducted those briefings for us once more. Craig does a superb job, and we are very appreciative for what he does to keep everyone safe. For this year’s show Craig briefed 772 operators. On Wednesday, August 23rd, he had his largest group....291.
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FIRE BRIGADE By Renee Deuth Twelve pieces of antique fire fighting equipment were on display at the Half Century of Progress Show. Being present at the show has brought awareness to the collections that different districts have and the ability to share equipment for displays in the future. The twelve pieces are a mixture of owned by individuals and owned by fire departments. Fred Butt has spent 28 years with the Crescent-Iroquois Fire Protection District. Fred shared “It has been interesting to have people stop by to learn about the history of fire protection and safety.” Many firemen and fire fighting enthusiasts were drawn to the Half Century of Progress Show to see the fire equipment on display. An interesting piece of equipment on display was the 1890 fire cart; originally single horse drawn. The oldest truck on display was a 1932 truck from Sublette, Illinois. Seventy percent of the firemen in Illinois are volunteer. For many of the volunteer they are in rural areas and serve the agriculture community through fire protection and safety. Fred shared his gratitude to Max Armstrong as he is a great advocate for firemen and volunteer fire fighters.
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Monster Trucks
By Renee Deuth
The Raminator and Tim Hall didn’t have to travel far to the 2017 Half Century of Progress Show. Thomasboro, Illinois is the home of the Raminator and Hall, a whopping five miles from the Chanute Air Force Base. The craze of monster trucks began about 30 years ago and Hall has been working on monster trucks much of that time. Hall wasn’t always a Ram man; he started with Ford when he began building his own monster trucks. In 1999 he made the switch to Ram. Hall gained small sponsorships in his early years, but the partnership and factory support from Ram he gained in 2002 made his big dreams more of a reality. The Raminator team has seven trucks that make approximately five hundred event appearances a year. The Raminator team is made up of nine individuals who take the seven trucks around the United States. The Raminator trucks can be found at races, dealership events, car and boat shows and anywhere vehicle enthusiast gather. For the Raminator team, Half Century of Progress Show was a great event. “People treated us with amazing, genuine greatness,” Hall shared. Attendees of the Half Century of Progress Show had the chance to sign up to win $45,000 toward a new Dodge Truck! The Raminator wasn’t the only monster truck on display at the Half Century of Progress Show. BIGFOOT was there too. BIGFOOT trucks are known for their speed and success in monster truck races. The twenty-three trucks on the BIGFOOT team have won a total of 43-point championships and 39-world championships. The BIGFOOT line started in 1974 and shows no signs of changing course now.
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PEDAL TRACTORS By Renee Deuth
We saw countless tractors at the Half Century of Progress Show, but Larry and Shirley Wiley’s display of pedal tractors could not be missed along the runway. The display included 240 pedal tractors and there were 30-40 more at the Wiley’s home in Union City, Indiana. The pedal tractors are displayed beautifully on a trailer that houses the tractors year round. The trailer signs read “Shirley’s Toys” but the collecting hobby belongs to both Shirley and Larry. There are no two alike in the collection. The Wiley’s have been collecting pedal tractors for 28 years. “We started with one, which led to three, then led to five and then it got out of hand,” Larry chuckled. The pedal tractors are displayed at four to six shows a year within a 200-250 mile radius of the Wiley’s home. The Wiley’s don’t typically attend a show more than once to display their pedal tractors, but 2017 is their third return to the Half Century of Progress Show. Two tractors were added to the trailer just for the Half Century of Progress Show. The Wiley’s have eleven grandchildren and each has at least one pedal tractor of their own. Their oldest grandchild is a junior in high school and put an extension on one of the pedal tractors so he could ride it to school for agriculture day. There is also a pedal tractor on display that was their late grandson’s. 39 ◆ Half Century of Progress 2017
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The Half Century of Progress Offers Up Unique Brands By Cindy Ladage Each Half Century of Progress offers up seldom seen antique tractors and implements and the 2017 show was no exception. While there were many out there at the show, there were two tractors that caught a lot of attention. One was Justin Click’s Bryan Tractor. Justin Click is a professional tractor restorer from Hobart, Indiana and he has a business called J.C. Tractor Restoration. Justin’s tractor came from Illinois and it was owned by Faye Orr. “It generates steam; it’s a steam tractor that is how it was promoted.” The history of the Bryan tractor goes way back. It was built in Peru Indiana, by the George Bryan Company, and the company is still in business today. They make Bryan Boilers using the same flexible water tube that George Bryan invented for his stationary boilers. “Nobody knows how many were made, we think one hundred or less,” Justin said. Bryan still has information on their website http://bryanboilers.com/history/. Company history states, “In 1916, a locomotive engineer and steam power enthusiast named George Bryan founded the Bryan Harvester Company, a small manufacturing firm which produced cars and steam powered tractors. The rising popularity of the gasoline engine forced Bryan to abandon those concepts in 1922, but it was not forgotten. The bent water tube boiler which powered these vehicles was extremely rugged, impervious to thermal shock, compact, and easy to service, making it ideal for other applications. Bryan Harvester became the Bryan Steam LLC and began refining and marketing the original boiler for an array of uses. Today, Bryan Boilers continue to incorporate many of the features found in the original. Applying the advantages of past experience to projects for the future has made Bryan the leader in the production of flexible water tube boilers.” Justin Click was kind enough to show how this steam tractor works. He said that in 16 minutes the tractor after igniting can reach 600 pounds of pressure. The number is staggering! The tractor heats up and steam pours out. The Bryan tractor is built on the same premise as the Stanley Steam Car. A second tractor that was quite fetching belonged to Peggy and John Curtis. The couple, who hail from Mt. Vernon, Ohio, brought their Orchard O6 tractor that had just finished being restored around the first of July. The tractor was restored by a family friend, Jason Boyd who hopes to never restore orchard fenders again!
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The story of John’s 1949 O6 begins when it was bought new by Bogardus Orchards, a local apple orchard that sold out to Glenn Hill. John said that today the orchard is still in business. He bought the O6 two years ago. This was the first Half Century for the Curtis family that heard about the parade and the Half Century of Progress through RFD TV. From their reaction though, this won’t be the last they attend. These two are just a few of the many special brands that could be found at the Half Century of Progress! www.halfcenturyofprogress.com
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First Responders & Agriculture
By Renee Deuth
Near the display of antique fire trucks at the Half Century of Progress Show, you could find the Dave Newcomb with the Illinois Fire Institute visiting with show attendees about tractor rollover accidents and farm safety. The Illinois Fire Institute trains first responders for their safety so they can better help the individuals in accidents. Well-trained first responders can evaluate the patient and situation for the best outcome. The Illinois Fire Institute takes pride in the training they provide for firemen and women on how to handle agriculture accidents. The agriculture training program trains over 1,200 firemen through thirty classes each year. Roughly 80% of the trainings done by the institute are done off campus at fire departments. Newcomb expressed, “the fire institute helps drive changes and positive influence to how firemen do their jobs.” Seventy percent of fire service is made up of volunteers in Illinois and nation-wide. When first responders arrive at an accident, they secure the machine, secure the scene and secure the patient. Trainings carried out by the fire institute are made financially possible through grants, contracts and the Cornerstone Program. The Cornerstone Program is funded by 1% of fire insurance premiums. The Illinois Fire Institute’s goal is to fit the needs of fire departments and train their first responders for real-life situations. Newcomb was able to speak to families attending the show who have lost loved ones in agriculture related accidents. The Illinois Fire Institute is located in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. 75 ◆ Half Century of Progress 2017
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ARMY TRUCKS
By Renee Deuth
Four army trucks were on display at the Half Century of Progress Show. The truck belong to Ken and Ellen Field of Florida, Bern and Sheila Field of Massachusetts, Lamar and Jule Rowland of Alabama and Paul “Beefy” Beilfeldt of Illinois. The Fields and Rowland trucks began a convoy shortly after the Half Century of Progress Show. Every two years the Military Vehicle Preservation Association honors veterans with a convoy. This year’s convoy had sixty-five army vehicles traveling together on Route 66 and departed September 16 th from the DuPage County Fair Grounds. The convoy will travel for approximately one month at a 35 mile per hour pace and will conclude in California. The sixty-five trucks are owned by individuals, and they each pay their own fuel, lodging and meals along the way. Many of the convoy participants have military background, but not all do. A military history is not required to be a Military Vehicle Preservation Association member. Towns along the route know the convoys is passing through and many times local veterans will be along the route to be recognized. The four trucks on display on the outside look like your typical army truck, but on the inside two are retrofitted for housing. On the inside you think you are in a RV. Ken Field shared, “the goal is to keep the military look on the outside and keep the camper look hidden.” Ken Field expressed the appreciation for the hospitality and friendliness of everyone they have encountered at the Half Century of Progress Show. “Midwestern people are fantastic and we look forward to coming back in the future!”
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KECK GONNERMAN REUNION
By Cindy Ladage
At this year’s Half Century of Progress, a special group held their reunion, the Keck Gonnerman group celebrated their history in Rantoul! Alan Barbe, a collector and member of the Keck-Gonnerman Antique Machinery Association, Inc. out of Mt. Vernon, Indiana explained, “The Reunion is a get together of Keck-Gonnerman collectors. We have reunions every once in a while. We have had them in Wauseon, Ohio and at Mt. Vernon, Indiana, a reunion in the Midwest at the Half Century of Progress gave us exposure we have never had before.” Part of the draw to this iconic show Barbe said, is the huge crowd and great combination of tractors. “As far as I know there has never been any KeckGonnerman equipment at the Half Century, and we thought this would be a great chance share our equipment.” Many may not know the history of the Keck Gonnerman Company so Alan shared a bit of information about their past. “Keck Gonnerman was founded in 1883 by John Keck and John C. Woody. That company was called Keck and Woody. They were a foundry that made just about anything from the Civil War on up. John C. Woody sold his interest in 1884 to Mr. William Gonnerman and they relocated from Evansville to Mt. Vernon where they eventually built their large foundry and began making wheat separators and steam engines. They also began to make mining equipment for the local coal mines in Kentucky and Indiana. In 1901 the business was incorporated as the Keck Gonnerman Company. Then in 1917 they introduced their first tractor.”
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Keck- Gonnerman in 1926 started offering their modern gas tractors including the models ZN and ZW. “Then in 1930 they discontinued their steam engine manufacturing and then in 1955 they went bankrupt,” Alan said. “The threshing business and steam engines sales had plummeted and as a short line factory they weren’t able to break in with companies like John Deere and International Harvester.” Before filing for bankruptcy in 1953, they were bought out an engineering company out of Stockton, California called Spencer and Rowe. The factories that built the Keck-Gonnerman line of machinery are all gone, but the Keck-Gonnerman Antique Machinery Association, Inc is beginning to build a small museum in their show building on the Posey County Fair Grounds. As far as the Half Century of Progress, Alan said about the club, “We were excited to be there”. Along with their tractors and steam engines, separators, water wagons and some memorabilia the group also profiled a Baker fan. Alan said the fan, “Allows you to work the tractor, it is a big fan belted up to our tractors and engines.” Alan has his own Keck- Gonnerman history. “My grandfather ran a wheat separator and worked with a threshing crew that ran a steam engine back in the early teens and twenties.” As far as collecting Alan added, “ We picked up our first Keck Gonnerman tractor 30 some odd years ago. This is a family hobby, my dad Elza and I started collecting with that tractor and I continued after he passed away in 1998.” Alan, along with the group of collectors loved sharing their equipment and their history “My joy is introducing the young kids to this equipment, so there is generally a bunch of kids around. They love it and enjoy it. Kids don’t get the opportunity to drive or be around this kind of stuff that often. It is great to get the opportunity to share with the younger generation.”
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Photo Contributors Max Armstrong Sheila Busboom Chad Colby Renee Deuth Anita Kerkhofs-Haesen Hendrik Kerkhofs Cindy Ladage Keith Ladage Linda Yearsley Article Composition Renee Deuth Cindy Ladage Graphic Design & Layout Abby Coers Thank you to everyone whose participation with the Half Century of Progress VIII Show has contributed to its success. If through human error, we have failed to list your name, we sincerely apologize. We value each of you and appreciate your participation and support.
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