Staff writer
The temperature was more than 100 degrees this past weekend which deterred some from attending Goessel’s 35th annual Country Threshing Days, but those who braved the elements were not disappointed.
Dozens of turn-of-the-century prairie tractors were on display, towering over exhibitors and festival-goers alike.
There were musical performers, orators, food, children’s activities, and of course, threshing demonstrations.
In the midst of the heat Saturday afternoon, the monster tractors took center stage during the Parade of Power.
A stable of prairie tractors rumbled through the line-up, all owned by rural Goessel resident Jerry Toews and driven by various friends and fair-goers.
Other tractors in the parade were from bygone eras when tractors were not built for comfort with no cabs, no springs, and no power steering.
Exhibitors and enthusiasts were from the state including the towns of Meriden, Ness City, Nortonville, Manhattan, Hesston, Grantville, and the states of Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Texas.
The threshing demonstration proved the point that farming in the early to mid-1900s was not a one-man operation.
The demonstration showed that a minimum of six men was required for the threshing of oat stalks — one man to run the tractor which turned a large belt for the general operation of the threshing machine, two trailers with two men each to pitch stalks of oats onto elevators that fed the thresher, one man to monitor the dispensing of the oats into a wagon, and a sixth man to oversee the machinery.
Blacksmith and horse harnessing demonstrations also were available.
Kids’ activities included a pedal tractor pull, petting zoo, and activities at Uncle Milt’s Shed.