Giants of the Prairie on parade

Members of the Central N.D. Steam Threshers Reunion are breathing new life into old buildings on the show grounds and have more new events planned for the 65th annual reunion set for September 15-17.

The annual reunion has been held in New Rockford since the first show at the airport in 1958, and it was moved to the Eddy County Fairgrounds in the 1960s.

For many years the steam show drew crowds upwards of 5,000 to New Rockford and the surrounding area. Although interest in the steam engine hobby and preservation of the past has waned in recent years, show organizers continue to plan events to pique the interest of people of all ages.

"Plan events for the kids, mom and dad will come. Grandpa and grandma still remember using the old equipment and enjoy seeing it all. Pretty soon other family members are added to the mix and reserving a block of camping spots. For a family weekend you can't beat the gate admission and camping prices," stated Lance Straabe of Hope, N.D., a board member and active member who donates the use of much of his personal equipment for projects on the grounds before and during the reunion.

In addition to the long-standing full schedule of events, including the daily parade at 2 p.m. which is the highlight of each day, new events are planned to attract the younger adults and the youngsters.

An outdoor concert with beer garden was held last year and is back again this year. Kids of all ages were able to learn to drive some of the unique antique tractors featured at the show and have the opportunity to do so again, all three days.

This year an inflatable bounce house for kids was added to the lineup of activities planned for Saturday. In addition, the daily craft and vendor show has added new participants, offering attendees a broader variety of shopping opportunities.

Booth space is still available for those interested. In the past the craft and vendor show has been one of the highlights of the event, and future expectations are to fill two buildings to capacity with a large variety of items available from across the region.

Former New Rockford resident Joyce Gortmaker, a retired public high school cook, will be participating this year. She has been weaving since she was a kid and she and her extended family owned more than 15 looms.

The gals call themselves Kangas Weaving and are located in South Dakota, Arizona and Nebraska, as well as North Dakota.

"From a young age we kids helped with making rugrags. All materials had to be in strips so any fabric that is used must be cut or torn and then sewn into strips. The actual process of weaving is simple and there are a lot of fun ideas available today on the web," Gortmaker said.

Although her mother and aunt have passed away the family does have a fourth generation now weaving.

The feature this year is Giants of the Prairie which includes close to 30 rare, many one-of-a-kind gas tractors. Every one of the tractors is operational and will be featured in the daily afternoon parade.

The list includes Twin City, Gaar Scott, Nichols & Shepard, Russell, Townsend, Mogul, Case, Holt, Reeves, Aultman Taylor, Avery, Hart Parr, Imperial, Minneapolis and Rumely tractors, all manufactured more than 100 years ago.

Many of the tractors are being brought in from the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion at Rollag and have never been on display at the reunion in New Rockford.

"We are excited. It is great to be able to bring these engines to our show. We have a lot of miles to put in hauling them in for the show, but it will be worth it to see all of them in the daily parade," stated Lucas Jury, co-organizer of this year's feature with Dakota Marsaa.

Both Jury and Marsaa are younger active members who also serve on the board of directors and have organized the feature the past few years. More information about the 65th Annual Central N.D. Steam Threshers Reunion can be found online at http://www.cndstr.com or on their Facebook page.