GENTRY — With springtime here and crops being planted in the fields, 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 for the huge show.
The 20th 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.
Demonstrations are plannedfor the weekend, with a fully operational sawmill, farm tractors and machinery, old engines, household machines and gadgets, and much more.
Exhibitions will be held at 9 a.m., 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday in the blacksmith shop, with the Blacksmiths Organization of Arkansas giving demonstrations 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 set for 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Other engine-powered saws will be demonstrated each day at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
A parade of power, in whichclub members drive antique tractors past spectators at the bleachers, is planned each day at noon. Tractor games will be held at 2 p.m. each day at the bleachers.
A church service on the grounds is planned for 9 a.m. Sunday, with club chaplain Clyde Brummett conducting the service. Gospel singing for all who care to participate is planned for Friday and Saturday, as well, led by Clyde and Doris Brummett.
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 withan extra seat, clutch and brake pedal so that children can learn to drive a tractor under the supervision of a tractor-driving adult. Children, 8 and older, will be given free driving lessons on the tractor, with a special certificate and pin awarded to those who complete the crash course without crashing, of course.
The kitchen, operated this year by the Gentry Athletic Booster Club, will be open each day, with breakfast served from 7 to 10 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Drinks, chips and ice cream will be 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 in 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 736-2841 or by e-mail at [email protected].
News, Pages 1 on 04/18/2012