First-ever tractor show in Boyertown
BOYERTOWN » The Boyertown Historical Society and Just Farm Kids, an organization of “just a bunch of guys and girls that love tractors,” hosted Boyertown’s first-ever Tractor Show in the Boyertown Community Park.
The Sept. 11 event drew more than 75 tractors that were organized by Just Farm Kids along with several vendors from around the community invited by the historical society.
One of the tractors at this event was a 1923 Fordson Model F built by Henry Ford. It was the oldest tractor at the event and the owner of the tractor has been the third owner ever of this piece of equipment. The owner obtained this all-original tractor that has never been repainted from the second owner, who bought the tractor from the family that originally bought it in 1923.
The man who owns this equipment has gone on to collect all Fordson relics including an old radio that Henry Ford built for two years when he tried to branch off from producing cars and tractors. Along with the Fordson relics, the owner has obtained original photos that came straight from Henry Ford’s factory when he tested the products or had other workers test them.
The owner stated, “It’s amazing to see that something almost 100 years old still runs.”
Some of the activities that people could do at this event include a kids tractor pull, a petting zoo (sponsored by Chestnut Knoll), hayrides, pony rides, food provided by the nonprofit group the Jaywalkers, and several other vendors that ranged from crafts to the Quigley Bus Service.
The Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit was also in attendance and started its concert at noon titled “The Star-Spangled Spectacular.”
The Boyertown Historical Society also invited the 4H Center’s reptile club to the event as one of the kids’ projects that they have to complete and also had a company called Powerco Inc., which is based out of Allentown.
Powerco had an excavator that people could operate and try to place specific shapes made of concrete into the matching hole in another slab of concrete. The winners of the competition received a cash prize for competing.
The Boyertown Historical Society also promoted its Metal Detecting Unit, which many people didn’t know exist. The man who runs it has been metal detecting for 15 years and around five years ago, he proposed the idea to the historical society and got turned down, until the current president, Rachael Kehler, revisited the idea and got it approved.
After getting the proposal approved, the group decided to hold an event that had 110 people show up and the people came from all over the country to attend. Once they realized that metal detecting was a big deal, the unit decided to branch off and create a Metal Detecting Club, which will be holding an event in the fall. All of the money raised from these events go right back into the Boyertown Historical Society.
Organizers were pleased with the turnout at the inaugural event and expect to bring it back next year.