PIERCE — The 48th annual Pierce County Threshers Bee will be held at the Pierce County Fairgrounds in Pierce on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13 and 14.
This year’s features are Minneapolis Moline tractors and equipment featuring all gas engines; however, all brands are welcome to attend. All exhibitors and vendors are also welcome.
Tractor Drive is Friday
The 19th annual tractor drive will be held on Friday, Sept. 12. It will start at the Pierce County Fairgrounds and go to Perry Jones’s near Carroll. The drive is open to all brands of tractors. Interested persons may contact (402) 860-5104, or email [email protected].
Saturday’s Schedule
On Saturday, Sept. 13, the FFA tractor driving contest will be held at 8 a.m. An antique auction is scheduled for 9 a.m.
A pedal tractor pull will be held at 12 noon, free, for girls and boys from ages 4 to 12. The Parade of Power starts at 2 p.m.
The annual banquet will be held Saturday night at 6 p.m., and reservations are required by 12 p.m. that day. The featured speaker is Philip Fett of Lennox, SD.
Sunday Events
On Sunday, Sept. 14, Prodigal Sons of Ponca will perform during the church service, which begins at 9 a.m. Leroy Holman Music will perform at 10:30 a.m.
The Parade of Power will be held at 1:30 p.m., followed by the children’s money scramble.
There will be a raffle tractor drawing for a 1951 Minneapolis Moline BF after the money scramble.
All Weekend
There will be demonstrations both days of oats threshing, wire tie baling, dyno testing, and corn shelling. Also on both days, there will be displays of antique cars, historical displays, flea markets and crafts, and barrel train rides and inflatables for the kids.
Reenactment Demonstration This year, after the Parade of Power on Sept. 13 and 14, there will be a reenactment of the front-wheel assist (FWA) demonstration that Minneapolis Moline did in the early 60’s to try and promote their new front-wheel assist tractors because farmers did not see the need of spending the extra money on the FWA over the two-wheel drive.
The promotion was first started at Foland Imp. in Sydney, NE, and one of the last demonstrations was at a show in Lennox, SD, in 2002.
The demonstration consists of two Minneapolis tractors of the same size, the only difference being one is FWA.
They will be hooked together by a cable that is connected to a bulldozer via a set of pulleys.
The tractors will take off, side-byside, having the bulldozer in tow. Then the bulldozer will slowly start to apply a load and after so long the 2wd will begin to slip and the FWA will pull ahead proving the advantage of the FWA tractors.
Christ Lutheran Church food stand and Tinker’s Concessions food truck will be on hand Saturday and Sunday.
Oats threshing, wire tie baling and other demonstrations will take place at the threshing bee.
