Forty-one Years of Tractors, Trades and History

By ETHAN WALLACE 

CMU Journalism Intern 

HARRISON – The Twenty Lakes Antique Engine and Tractor Club held its 41st annual tractor show June 18-21, and the show drew in a crowd to enjoy the tractors on display, to grab a bite to eat at Mel’s Diner or watch the sawmill demonstration.

There are a lot of volunteers and collectors who put in the hard work to put this show together said Dan Dysinger, former tractor club president.

One of the annual attractions is the blacksmith hut which was run by Don Robinson this year. He sells various handmade items and has demonstrations on how he forges some of them. Robinson said his interest started after watching his wife’s uncle, Ludwig Lavarovich, make fence posts with round roses on them. Making the metal twist and creating that pattern was one of the things that attracted him to being a blacksmith.

“Just about everything I made has it twisted,” Robinson said.

After a class was suggested, Robinson took one and has been doing the trade for over 14 years with the tractor club.

During one of Robinson’s demonstrations, he said that while it looks hard, it’s like driving a car –  but with tricks – and once you learn them it’s easy. For example, he showed that twisting steel can be easy by clasping a wrench and turning it around a metal rod while it’s still hot.

“It’s easier than it looks," Robinson said.

He also said it can be hard trying to get people to come to the show and keep everything alive.

Dysinger said the tractor show offers a way for members of the group to gather together and show off to the public. It’s a community event that brings people from all over to Harrison.

“I'm sure that if you went out here and you talked to everybody that owned one of those tractors, almost every one of them would have a little history attached to it,” Dysinger said.

He said that every year is a different crowd, and it’s never the same except for the rich history that is always brought by the people who come to the show.