journey.
The club's first shows were held on a member's farm near Alvin,
Illinois.
After a few years attendance dropped to the point it was no longer
worth
the time and effort to continue. The club then began serveral
years
of nomadic existence exhibiting at local fairs, centennials and other
celebrations 
and
shopping mall exhibits in the winter. In 1986 the Club 
had
a chance to participate in a joint enterprise with the Champaign County
Forest Preserve District. This led to the renovation of a
District
property at the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, 5 miles north of
Penfield,
Illinois and the birth of the Historic Farm Days event in
1987.
The Club now had a focus for it's activities and had nine very
successful
shows at that location. All was not perfect however, we were
outgrowing
the space available, expansion would have been difficult, and as always
when you are a guest on someone else's property, you have very little
control.
After the acquisition of the present grounds in 1996, the show "moved
to
town", and has been growing ever since. The development of the
Penfield
grounds has been progressing nicely, and we hope, in a well planned
manner.
The most recent major additions have been the shelter over the Sawmill
, the new Blacksmith Shop, a machinery storage building, the
entertainment
pavilion, the grandstand roof at the pulling track and the food
pavilion near the Club Hall. That first
show at Middle Fork was a challenge as the Club had less than 20 active
members. Today our membership stands at over 500 strong, and we
still work just as hard to present the best possible show to our
guests.
Attractions -- Things to See and Do
When visiting our show you will have a wide variety of activities to
take in. Of course the tractor and equipment displays are the
heart
of the show with a fabulous variety of machines on display including
numerous
rare and one of a kind machines. The demonstration areas are
always
busy, with many old time farming activities taking place. Out in
the field, the 1928 Avery Combine will be harvesting wheat; this
machine
belongs to the Urbana, Illinois Park District and has been on loan to
the
club since 1988. We are lucky to have this machine, as very few
of
it's type have survived in operable condition. Also, out in the
field
they will be cutting some wheat with a binder for the threshing
machines
to separate. There will likely be some combines of the featured
brand
operating as well. Following the combines the balers will be
picking
up the straw. In short order the plows, disks and other tillage
machines
will be turning under the crop residue.
Meanwhile back at the main grounds, the sawmill will be busy turning out stacks of lumber from piles of logs. This is the second sawmill the club has owned, the first was a smaller portable type mill that was replaced by the current unit. It is believed to be a Krabb brand sawmill, probably built around 1900, and originally was powered by a steam engine as it often is during the show. The corn crib crew will be filling the crib with ear corn, then shelling it. Sure is a lot more work than running a combine through the field! The threshing machines will be busy threshing the wheat harvested with the binder in the field. A stationary baler will be baling the straw from stacks by the threshers.
Over in the valley by the creek, the pulling track will be the center of activity each afternoon, first with the daily parade of power at 1:00 PM, then later with daily afternoon tractor pull. It's all just for fun, and they really enjoy themselves. The only prize is bragging rights -- at least until the next day! Just north of the track, they will be testing tractors on the dynamometer to see how many horsepower they actually have. As you head back into the heart of the grounds, visit one of our food vendors in the food court near the school, they always have something good. The kids get a chance to show off their pulling ability every afternoon after the parade finishes with a pedal tractor pull in the Pavilion just east of the food court. Around supper time each evening there will be live entertainment on the Pavilion stage.
In the former Penfield School you will find our museum of primitive farm items, a number of vendors, and the I&I Ladies household exhibit featuring the latest in laborsaving devices for the home of the 1920's. On the west side of the school you will find part of the Flea Market area, and a little farther under the trees the Gas Engine display will be popping, banging, blowing smoke rings, and generally having a good time showing off their antique engines. These small and a few not so small engines were the main source of power before electricity became available.
Penfield is easy to find and get to, just 11 miles east of Rantoul, Illinois on US Route 136. If you have some extra time during your visit, check out the Octave Chanute Aerospace Museum on the former Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul. There is an excellent collection of vintage military aircraft and millitary aviation memorabilia.
Come and join in the fun, there's lots to see and do, great food and
fun for all.
Follow this link to learn more
about area attractions and lodging information.