GENTRY - Now that spring weather has finally arrived, it's time once again to crank up those old engines and tractors at the Tired Iron of the Ozarks show grounds for the three-day show which begins Friday.

Old tractors are being lined up. Sawmills are being readied for operation. Buildings to house displays and demonstrations are being set up now for the huge show.

The 21st Annual Spring Crank-up and Swap Meet will be open all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday, from 8 a.m. until about 5 p.m. A church service will be held on the grounds Sunday morning at 9 a.m.

Demonstrations are planned for the weekend, with a fully operational sawmill, farm tractors and machinery, old engines, household machines and gadgets, and much more.

Exhibitions will be held in the blacksmith shop, with the Blacksmiths Organization of Arkansas giving demonstrations on Friday and all day Saturday. The shop - outfitted just as small-town blacksmith shops across the country were a century or more ago - will also be open for visitors on Sunday.

Sawmill and band saw demonstrations are planned for Friday and Saturday, and other engine-powered saws will be demonstrated each day.

A parade of power, in which club members drive antique tractors past spectators at the bleachers, is planned each day at noon.

Club chaplain Clyde Brummett will again conduct the Sunday morning church service. Gospel singing for all who care to participate is planned for Saturday, as well.

A mini-tractor pull is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday.

As usual, the spring show also features displays and demonstrations each day in the home antique building, where old sewing machines, washing machines, water pumps and other antique household items will be on display. Children can try their hand at rope making, corn grinding and sewing a stitch or two on a treadle sewing machine.

Again on the grounds during the show will be the club's “driver’s ed tractor,” a 1945 B Farmall tractor outfitted by Glenn Smith with an extra seat, clutch and brake pedal so that children can learn to drive a tractor under the supervision of a tractor-driving adult. Also, there will be the pink breast cancer awareness tractor.

The kitchen will be operated this year by the Gentry Athletic Booster Club and will be open each day, with breakfast and lunch served in the morning and at noon, and drinks, chips and ice cream available all day.

As always, admission to the show is free and ample parking is available. Everyone is invited to come out and learn about rural life in the region during the first half of the 20th Century.

The event is located at the club’s show grounds, between Gentry and Siloam Springs at 13344 Taylor Orchard Road. Signs mark the way.

For more information, visit the Tired Iron of the Ozarks website at www.tiredironoftheozarks.com or contact Glenn Smith at 903-2764 or by e-mail at [email protected].

News, Pages 1 on 04/17/2013