Yesteryear’s farming equipment comes alive

PENFIELD, Ill. — Take a step back in time to a place where stories are shared of bygone days — simpler, yet harder times — and see the iron that drove American agriculture.

Historic Farm Days, hosted by the I&I Antique Tractor & Gas Engine Club, will be held Thursday through Sunday, July 9-12, where visitors can see up close restored working farming equipment from yesteryear.

Step into a log cabin, one-room country schoolhouse and museum. See daily threshing, a blacksmith plying his trade, corn shelling, sawmilling, potato digging, threshing and field demonstrations with antique equipment. Visit with Abraham Lincoln on the grounds July 10-11.

Youngsters can take a ride on the I&I train, check out the kid’s play area, play bingo at 11 a.m. July 11 and compete in kiddie tractor pulls at 2:30 p.m. July 10-11.

The annual event kicks off July 9 with an opening ceremony and flag raising at 9 a.m., an antique tractor auction at 10 a.m., a 1 p.m. tractor parade and antique tractor pull at 6 p.m.

Events on Friday, July 10, include tractor games, a farm succession program, bingo and Illinois Tractor Pulling Association-sanctioned pulls.

Tractor games will also be held July 11, along with Illiana Pullers Association-sanctioned tractor pulls, and concludes with fireworks celebrating the United States’ 250th birthday.

Penfield Day is on tap for Sunday, July 12, honoring the host community’s 150th anniversary with events throughout the day.

Preserving History

“Our club and our members feel it is very important to have events like the Historic Farm Days to preserve agriculture’s past,” said Chuck Stelter, I&I president.

“Nowadays, you’re seeing less and less people actually involved in farming. You’ve got a lot of generations now of families that have never had anyone involved in farming.

“People need to see how farming was done years ago and understand where we came from, to where we are today. If you look at things now, you’ve got some families that have three and four generations that have not had a farmer in the family now.

“A lot of people say, ‘I get my groceries at the grocery store.’ That’s how they understand things. They just need to understand this is what it takes. This is where we were many, many years ago.

“A lot of people, even though they don’t farm, they may see the newer farm equipment running up and down the roads or in the field, and they just don’t understand these older tractors up to the modern-day stuff.

“Years ago, all families basically had a farmer in the family or multiple farmers. But as the farms get bigger and there are less and less farmers, and you’re getting less and less families that actually have a farmer in the family.”