Talking Tools

Dave Steven Hays, also known as Gas Can Steve, of St. Marys, Ohio, leans on a toolbox while chatting about tools with Mason Bryan of Cridersville, Ohio, on Friday afternoon during the Tri-State Gas Engine and Tractor Association Fall Swap and Sell meet at the Tri-State grounds in Portland. Hays took a break from telling tales of tools to share that Tri-State organizers who he met at a flea market in Decatur tried for years to talk him into coming to their shows in Portland. He insisted that Portland was too far to travel, until making the drive one year to discover the difference distance — 1 mile — between his trip to Decatur and his visit to Portland. He’s been a regular ever since. (The Commercial Review/Ray Cooney)