Minnesota Prairie Roots

Writing and photography by Audrey Kletscher Helbling

Farming of yesteryear remembered & celebrated at show August 30, 2014

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:28 PM
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

IT’S MOSTLY ABOUT THE MEMORIES, I’ve decided.

A snippet of the tractors displayed at the show.

A snippet of the tractors and more displayed at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show.

Past memories.

Spotted at the flea market...

Spotted at the flea market…

And building memories.

A sign along Highway 3 welcomes visitors.

A sign along Highway 3 welcomes visitors.

The Rice County Steam & Gas Engines, Inc., annual Labor Day weekend show, which continues through Sunday, brought back many memories for me as I wandered among tractors and flea market merchandise and more for nearly four hours Saturday.

The young and the older guide a John Deere toward the parade route.

The young and the older guide a John Deere toward the parade route.

Curve of a Surge milking machine. Putt-putt-putt of a John Deere tractor chugging along the tractor parade route.

Al and Marllene Sutherland of Country Junction, Tripoli, Iowa, pose with the replica small scale farm buildings Al constructs from memory. The corn crib in the foreground includes 400 pieces and sells for $200.

Al and Marlene Sutherland of Country Junction, Tripoli, Iowa, pose with the replica small scale farm buildings Al constructs. He taps into his memory to design and build the buildings. The corn crib in the foreground includes 400 pieces and sells for $200.

The agrarian lines of a corn crib.

Vintage oil cans grabbed my attention at the flea market.

Vintage oil cans grabbed my attention at the flea market.

A Midland oil can. An NFO sign. All so familiar.

Rows and rows of tractors, including these John Deeres, line the grounds.

Rows and rows of tractors, including these John Deeres, line the grounds.

As I paused to admire an aged, rusty John Deere, an elderly woman said the green machine brought tears to her eyes. It was exactly like the one her father drove.

Brothers William and Jacob climb atop a Farmall.

Brothers William and Jacob climb atop a Farmall.

Nearby, grandparents smiled as their two great grandsons climbed onto a Farmall. Building memories.

Several steam engines are part of the exhibition.

Several steam engines are part of the exhibition.

If you’re into farming of yesteryear and flea markets, then consider attending this event. Gates open at 7 a.m. Sunday and close at 5:30 p.m. A tractor pull is slated for 9 a.m. Admission is $8 with 12 and under free.

Ford tractors, including this one from Westbrook Ag Power (where my oldest brother is co-owner)

Fords, including this one from Westbrook Ag Power (where my oldest brother is part owner) were the featured tractor at this year’s show. This Ford is owned by a rural Northfield man.

The show grounds is located three miles south of Northfield on Minnesota State Highway 3. For more information, click here.

BONUS PHOTOS:

You can buy a chance to win a Golden Jubilee 1950s Ford being raffled by the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines, Inc.

You can buy a chance to win a Golden Jubilee 1953 Ford tractor being raffled by Rice County Steam & Gas Engines, Inc.

Checking out the Minneapolis Molines.

Checking out the Minneapolis Molines.

My favorite t-shirt of the day. The show presents a rural fashion statement.

My favorite t-shirt of the day. The show always offers photo-worthy rural fashion shots.

Every time I attend this show, I order a BBQ shredded pork sandwich from the Rice and Dakota County Pork Producers.

Every time I attend this show, I order a BBQ shredded pork sandwich from the Rice and Dakota County Pork Producers.

PLEASE CHECK BACK for more photos from the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show.

© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Oh, the things you see & hear at a vintage farm show September 6, 2013

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:00 AM
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

WHENEVER I ATTEND the Rice County Steam and Gas Engines Show in rural Dundas, I never quite know what I will discover, or hear.  Look and listen.

Displayed at the Friends of Minnesota Barns booth.

Displayed at the Friends of Minnesota Barns booth.

I noted the above sign at the Friends of Minnesota Barns booth. Then the guy manning the display shared a story from the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Show a week earlier. A man and his wife read the sign. The husband asked, “Will you take my wife in trade?”

She shot back, “You’re the INSERT SLANG WORD FOR MULE in the family.”

The Friends of Minnesota Barns guy and I laughed, oh, how we laughed.

Speaking of INSERT SLANG WORD FOR MULE HERE, EXCEPT IN PLURAL, look at this lawn art by opinionated Bob Michniewicz of Madelia. You never quite know what Bob is going to say or create.

"Quality Lawn Ornaments" from Michniewicz Sales.

“Quality Lawn Ornaments” from Michniewicz Sales.

I did a double take on this potty humor:

Brand loyalty and barn humor.

Brand loyalty and potty humor. Seriously, I could not believe I was seeing this. I grew up with John Deere farm equipment.

Let me show you something sweet and endearing:

Family time at the playground.

Family time at the playground on vintage playground equipment.

And patriotic:

Flags abound at the show.

Flags abound at the show.

This reminds me of my growing up years on the farm and the Farmalls my dad owned and I drove (a B Farmall to be exact):

Vintage Farmalls.

Vintage Farmalls.

Loren Fossum's corn picker. That is not Loren driving, though.

Loren Fossum’s corn picker. That is not Loren driving, though.

I was just plain giddy when I saw this vintage 1960s corn picker, similar to one my Dad used but not a Ford. Loren Fossum of Northfield recently purchased the combo tractor and corn picker for a bargain price, which I won’t reveal because maybe Loren doesn’t want that publicized.  He told a little story about overhearing a conversation among several young men trying to figure out what type of equipment they were viewing. They finally concluded that the blue monstrosity was designed to take down trees. Wrong. That would be corn, boys.

Another reminder of life on the farm, spotted at the flea market:

Oh, how I loved to twirl the handle on my dad's vise grip until I tightened something, maybe a block of wood, in place.

Oh, how I loved to twirl the handle on my dad’s vise grip until I tightened something, maybe a block of wood, in place.

And just because I found this Cropgard Farm Dryer interesting:

I spent many a childhood day playing in farm wagons, covered wagons in my western-themed eyes.

Apparently not just an ordinary vintage farm wagon.

This quartet was so engrossed in viewing photos of the homemade John Deere tractor that they didn’t even notice me. Sweet. I love capturing moments like this that tell a story:

Immersed in tractor talk.

Immersed in tractor talk.

Tractors everywhere:

Rows and rows and rows of vintage tractors define this show. For me the interest lies in the artsy aspect of these machines.

Rows and rows and rows of vintage tractors define this show. For me the interest lies in the artsy aspect of these machines. Just look at the front of this Massey Ferguson–the font, the grill…

More cool vintage:

Anything rustic and vintage has visual appeal.

Anything rustic and vintage appeals to me visually.

My parting shot, taken through the fence on the back of bleachers, says it all: Passing a love of tractors along to the next generation.

Passing a love of tractors on to the next generation.

To future generations of John Deere tractor lovers…

AFTER VIEWING THESE IMAGES, let’s hear from you. Do any of these photos spark memories or thoughts? Please share.

Copyright 2013 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A short photo essay of a tractor parade, rural Dundas, Minnesota September 7, 2012

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 6:44 AM
Tags: , , , , , , ,

The Oliver was the featured tractor in this year’s Rice County Steam and Gas Engines Show, rural Dundas, Minnesota.

They start ’em driving tractors young. Not to worry; an adult was on the tractor, too.

And younger…

And as young as six weeks old. Doesn’t baby Kelly/Kelli (not sure on the spelling) look just like her dad?

Tractor buffs of all ages, and with all types of tractors, join the parade.

The parade of tractors and other vehicles just goes on and on.

Copyright 2012 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

Reflections on Independence Day July 4, 2011

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 1:16 PM
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A flag and portrait of George Washington at the former District 20 Millersburg School, now a museum.

“I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

As a child, my school days began with that pledge. My classmates and I arose from our desks at Vesta Elementary School, turned toward the American flag in the corner, placed our hands across our hearts, fixed our eyes upon the stars and stripes, and recited the pledge in unison.

I doubt we ever thought too much about the rote words we spoke. They were simply part of our routine, something we did, although I do recall feeling a sense of pride in speaking those words daily.

So much has changed in the decades since then. The Pledge of Allegiance, in most cases, has been banned from public schools in the name of political correctness. We are no longer one nation under God. While the U.S. remains one country, we as individuals are certainly divided in our views of anything and everything. That’s as it should be in a democracy. Liberty and justice have managed to prevail.

As we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, it would be wise for all Americans to reflect on the Pledge and the words of other documents and songs that focus on the flag and freedom.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.—The Declaration of Independence, signed on July 4, 1776

Vietnam veteran Joel Kukacka's patriotic garage in the hamlet of Heidelberg, Minnesota.

Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?—The Star Spangled Banner

An American flag painted on a shed in Dundas in southeastern Minnesota.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.—The Bill of Rights, Amendment I

Weeks after a devastating Sept. 2010 flash flood in Hammond, in southeastern Minnesota, an American flag marked a ravaged business.

God bless America,
Land that I love,
Stand beside her and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above;

From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans white with foam,
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.
God bless America,
My home, sweet home.

Flags decorate a vintage tractor at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show near Dundas.

© Copyright 2011 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

The interesting faces and fashions at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show September 9, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 8:06 AM
Tags: , , , , ,

I TRY TO BE SNEAKY. Really, I do. But with a bulky camera slung around my neck or gripped in my right hand, I don’t exactly blend into the landscape. Still I attempt to go unnoticed, because I aim to capture natural images through my camera lens.

This past weekend, I attended the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show in rural Dundas. I knew this event would provide plenty of photographic opportunities, especially for photographing interesting people.

So I scanned the crowd, worked the crowd and walked the show grounds with carefree abandon. It helped tremendously that a few others carried cameras like mine, some even bigger and better. After awhile, attendees seemed not to notice us camera geeks or, if they did, they didn’t interfere or run away (except for one teenage girl in the summer kitchen).

That said, I want to share with you some of the people shots I captured. Next time you’re out and about, take time to study the individuals you meet. Notice their faces, their expressions, their mannerisms, their clothing, their interactions with others.

Everyone can be a photo, even a story, even a new friend if you pause in the busyness of your life to notice and celebrate the differentiating qualities that distinguish us as individuals.

Jason and his son Austin, 4, from LeCenter, captured my attention, and my heart, immediately. The loving bond behind the two is obvious. It shows in the way Austin watches his dad and in the way Jason takes time to share his passion for engines with his admiring boy.

I cannot get over how folks at the gas and steam engines show are so loyal to a brand. Product branding is everywhere, even on the back of this cap worn by a John Deere devotee seated in a golf cart for the tractor pull.

"We're a band of gypsies," Erik of Bloomington tells me as I watch him grill marinated beef tenderloin in his family's exhibit area. They are gypsies, he explains, because they travel from show to show. Although a city boy, Erik inherited his love of old engines from his collector dad, also a city boy.

I wondered how this man could nap during the noisy tractor pull.

This is one of my favorite photos. First, I noticed the determined look of the boy riding the tractor in the pedal tractor pull competition. Then, only after I had uploaded photos to my computer, did I notice the boy on the left in the World Wrestling Federation t-shirt standing with his green cap tipped to the side. Doesn't he look just like Spanky from The Little Rascals or Beaver from Leave It to Beaver? I smile every time I view this image.

One of the many memorable fashions worn at the gas and steam engines show.

This woman drives a tractor in the tractor parade. I love her face, her happy, happy face.

When it comes to driving tractors, age and gender don't matter. This determined girl vies in the pedal tractor pull.

Just because I like monkeys, I photographed this flea market monkey.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling

 

A mail order tractor and other oddities at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show September 7, 2010

Filed under: Uncategorized — Audrey Kletscher Helbling @ 7:25 AM
Tags: , , , , , ,

“STEP RIGHT UP! See the phenomenon that is attracting world-wide attention among pickle lovers—a gigantic bottled pickle.”

Yes, folks, if you had attended the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines, Inc., Show this past weekend in rural Dundas (like me), you would have discovered oddities and attractions worthy of a stop-and-look second look.

First off, we have…

…a peculiar overgrown pickle (or a cucumber) preserved in a slim-neck bottle and for sale at the flea market. Puzzled by this specimen, I asked another gawker, “How did that get inside the bottle?” He figures a small still-on-the-vine cucumber was inserted into the bottle and allowed to grow. Duh.

Next, we have…

…the black John Deere tractor. Again, I am puzzled. Why is this John Deere General Purpose Model B tractor painted black instead of yellow and green? Why is “MICHAEL” imprinted on the tractor? Is Michael the owner? And if so, can he answer my question?

For you toy collectors, we have…

…the amazingly expensive toy cow. Priced at $175, the rather forlorn-looking animal wasn’t flying off the shelf. Then Mankato collector/seller Steven M. Ulmen clued me in that the overpriced price was purely a joke. He would, he said, sell the miniature cow for a buck, or maybe even give it away to a kid. Steve also has a serious side. This former probation officer is an author. I left without a cow, but with two of his books, Blood on the Prairie: A Novel of the Sioux Uprising and his recently-published Bad Moon Arising.

Next, folks, we have a walk-through parts store on wheels…

…J. J’s Tractor Parts of Jackson stashes bins full of parts inside a semi trailer and travels to shows like the one in Dundas. The guy I talked to, who may or may not have been J.J., has been a traveling partsman since 1968. Three years ago he acquired the user-friendly semi trailer. I wanted to suggest, however, that he add a ladder to his inventory.

For all you hunters out there, impress your buddies without going on that big hunt by purchasing this flea market find…

…an antelope (I think) head. Need I say more?

Wait, sportsmen (and women), there’s more…

…try out this Ski Whiz from Massey Ferguson. This dual-seat snowmobile features a dual clutch steering system. No promises are made regarding speed.

And for those of you who prefer to order products from the comfort of your home, we offer…

…this 1949 Wards tractor found on page 250 of the Montgomery Wards catalog. Mail order brides, mail order tractors…

Finally, we advise you to read and follow this warning…

…on the back of a horse-drawn wagon: CAUTION POWERED BY OATS DON’T STEP IN EXHAUST.

So there, folks, you have it, just some of the many oddities I discovered at the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines Show.

CHECK BACK for future blog posts about the Dundas event.

© Copyright 2010 Audrey Kletscher Helbling