With moving parts and equipment, safety is priority at show

RANTOUL, Ill. — With a large grounds full of people and lots of equipment with many moving parts, safety is a priority for the Half Century of Progress show.

Craig Hill, the show’s safety officer, a retired sergeant with the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Department, heads up that effort.

“People need to be aware of the mobility that is all around them. Everything is moving, so be aware of that mobility around you,” said Hill, who is a tractor collector and a member of the I&I Antique Tractor and Gas Engine Club, as well as the Central Illinois Green Club.

Hill starts out with the moving part. No matter how many people a vehicle will carry on the show grounds and no matter what kind of vehicle it is, Hill requests that every equipment operator attend a brief safety presentation.

“What is supposed to happen is that everyone who comes to the show who operates a conveyance, whether it is a tractor, a Gator, anything with wheels on it that you are going to drive on the property, you are supposed to come to a safety meeting. I have a script that I have developed. We go through that script and talk about the safety issues at the airport,” he said.

The opportunities to attend that safety meeting are numerous — and Hill makes sure that everybody knows about them.

“The meetings occur four to six times a day during the show. On Wednesday, it could be four times. On Thursday, it could be six. On Friday, it definitely is six. Saturday, it is around four times. We schedule them every day and we post them every day and we announce it over the loudspeaker every day,” he said.

Upon completing that safety meeting, operators receive a ribbon that they are asked to display, that many wear on their caps.

Above all, Hill stresses to everyone working at the show to act if they see something amiss.

“If you see something wrong, you have got to do something about it,” he said.

This year, organizers increased the security presence.

“It’s a little different this time, we have hired and outside security source, which is going to have people there 24/7. We will have two full-time police officers on the property, from the start of the show to the end of the show, as just a little added security,” Hill said.

When it comes to health and physical issues, OSF will be on site, on the show’s midway, offering medical care from BandAids to blood pressure checks.

“They will have a one-stop shop there,” Hill said.

One of the primary safety rules is observing the 5 mile per hour speed limit while on the grounds during the show, no matter what kind of vehicle is being driven.

“That 5 miles per hour applies to tractors, golf carts, ATVs, people movers, all of those things and it’s because of the size of the crowds,” Hill said.

Another thing that is emphasized is for participants and visitors to be kind to the volunteers working at the show.

“One of the other things we talk about is being kind to the staff. Everybody in the place is a volunteer. I’m a volunteer. Russell Buhr is a volunteer. John Fredrickson is a volunteer. Nobody gets paid here. It’s not our job. A lot of us are from a bunch of different other clubs. We all threw into the I&I club with people and hours to make it happen. It takes a lot of hours and work to make these things happen,” Hill said.

The show will have volunteer field marshals who will be present at each of the separate working events.

“The field marshals are in charge out there. There around 10 of them out in the field, who are monitoring and organizing. When you are out in the field, whether they are plowing, combining, husking, shelling corn, the field marshals are in charge and whatever they say goes. I don’t have anything to say about them out there. They are in charge,” Hill said.

The field marshals give the signals for the separate events to begin, but their presence also offers a resource for guests at the show.

“You can go to the field marshal and say I am not feeling well, I have injured myself, I am lost, I can’t find somebody and the field marshals can help you,” Hill said.

Overall, Hill said the show has operated with very few serious incidents.

“We have had very few injuries in the nine shows at the airport. Most of those injuries have been trip hazards, where people were paying attention to tractors, conveyances, scenery and they tripped over something. We kind of think that we have been really lucky,” he said.

Hill credits that to the volunteers, as well as the people who attend the show.

“We are dealing with a group of people who are still good to the core. We have very little problem with theft. We have very little problem with disagreements. People are aware of how congested it is and that they need to move with caution,” he said.