Show hit record numbers

Twenty-five years ago this week, the Tri-State Antique Engine and Tractor Show was being referred to as the best and biggest ever.

The Aug. 26, 1996, edition of The Commercial Review offered a look at the size and scope of the annual show at Jay County Fairgrounds.

Through Saturday of the show, unofficial numbers said there were 650 of the featured Iowa-built engines at the show along with 2,099 other engines. As for tractors, there were 299 featured International Harvesters and 582 others.

“I think we’ll set a record on every area of our show,” said Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association president Ken Doherty as he and other club members worked to clean up the fairgrounds.

In addition to the engines and tractors, there were 32 antique cars and trucks on display. Visitors came from 35 states, with both Hawaii and Alaska represented on the club’s map. Canada was also well-represented.

And, there was a group of about 30 visitors from Australia who visited as part of a tour for antique machinery enthusiasts.

“They were just amazed,” Doherty said. “This was the highlight of their tour.”

The one blip in the event came on Friday night when overloaded wiring in a building on the west side of the fairgrounds led to a fire. Power was interrupted for much of the fairgrounds, but no one was injured. Show exhibitors offered the use of their portable generators to help service clubs keep refrigeration equipment running.

Power was restored about 2:30 a.m. Saturday.