Tractor show celebrates eighth anniversary

Seven years ago when Bill Ramsden first decided to host a gathering of antique tractor enthusiasts, he didn't know what to expect.

Ramsden had been collecting tractors for at least a half-dozen years before it was suggested he should try a "gas up."

"I didn't even know what a gas up was," Ramsden said. "I asked him, 'Who's going to come?' And he said, 'Try it. You'll be surprised.'"

That first antique tractor show in 1996 attracted 1,500 visitors. Ramsden estimates more than double that number will attend this year's event Aug. 16 and 17.

"In the last few years it has been hard to tell," he said, getting ready for the eighth show. "We don't have a counter at the gate. The last couple of years we've had 3,000-3,500 visitors."

Ramsden conducts the tractor show on his 10-acre property off Heybourne Road in northern Douglas County.

Between 250 and 350 exhibitors participate in the show, but Ramsden points out that is not an accurate count of exhibits.

"Some have two and three things each," he said. "It is a pretty good array of exhibits, most of which are running."

New this year is a 1,200-square-foot replica of a 1900-vintage general store, with a steep roof and a cupola on top.

"It is full of old things," he said. "We call it a store, but it is more like a museum."

Ramsden stresses that the tractor show is not just for men, but is a family event.

"It really isn't just something guys are interested in," he said. "Women who come to see it come back year after year and the kids love it."

More a tribute to the industrial revolution, the tractor show has come to feature all kinds of antique gadgets.

Carson Valley Sertoma sells refreshments at the tractor show and Ramsden said the group benefits from any profit made on ticket sales.

"We try to make it break even," he said. "But two years out of three we managed to give Sertoma a donation at the end."

This year Ramsden has an operating 1920 horsepower testing fan.

"Every year we have tractor pulls," he said. "Now we can have fan pulls. Tractors can belt up to the fan and see how many rpms they can turn the fan. "

Ramsden owns Central Sierra Construction when he's not working on the tractor show.

"We start five months in advance preparing for the show," he said. "It is the most rewarding work we do all year."

IF YOU GO

What: Antique Tractor Show

Where: 2838 Heybourne Road, off Stephanie Way, Johnson Lane

When: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 16, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Aug. 17

Cost: $3 for adults, children under 12 get in free.

For information: 267-4816