Mt Pleasant Show thoughts!!!

A friend and I went to the Mt. Pleasant Iowa's annual Threshers Reunion yesterday. They have a very nice grounds with a great permanent train displays, both steam and electric ran trains. I was actually disappointed in the rest of the show. This is the second time I have went, the last being three years ago. Now I will admit my area of interest is mainly the antique wheel tractors and this forms a bias towards them. I have little interest in the steam engines and or trains.

I like looking at old trucks and there where very few there. They are regulated to a small area behind the small gas engines. I can see why few would come back with the trucks and cars being in a low traffic area. There may have been 8-10 trucks and maybe 5-6 cars. So very small showing.

Then the old farm tractors have a LARGE display area in the middle of the grounds. Zero refreshments within easy distance and no shade. Which maybe why not many where around the tractors as it was hot this week. There where rows of tractors. I would bet around 200 or more. There where less than 8-10 owners around their tractors. So the only difference walking these tractors rows and going to the salvage yard is the show tractors have better paint jobs. LOL The tractors had ZERO things to do during the day. I was there before lunch and back mid afternoon an it was DEAD!!!! They have a tractor driving area for people to drive a tractor. It is stuck in the north corner away from the main tractor area by maybe a 1/4 of a mile. Put it with the tractors so it is more visible.

We had found it to be this way 3 years ago when we went to the show. We had went on a Friday and many stated that there would have been more going on during the weekend. So this year we went Saturday. The only difference was larger crowds of people.

I think the show has became captured by its grounds and owned machinery. It takes a massive effort on the volunteers part to maintain the permanent displays and machinery. So there is little will power left for anything else in the show. How much time and effort does it take to keep the steam engines in a safe working order??? How much training does the operators have to have to run them these days??? I know you have to have some sort of certifications and tests on the boilers every so often. Then how much time and effort does it take to keep the trains and the needed tracks in order???

So even with all of the volunteers they have it is becoming a larger issue just holding what they have let alone doing anything else. The newer shows have an advantage in that they do NOT have the older and valuable stuff to keep up. Also most of the newer shows are NOT in town either. So they can have the area for field activities that older shows like the Thresher's Reunion just does not have.

While it was a good day I will more than likely not be back for 4-5 years. I try to make different shows each year. That makes them more interesting as they change a little over a period of time.

So my hat is off to the hard working volunteers at the Thresher's Reunion. It just was not my cup of tea this year so to speak.

P.S. Some one below posted about how we should volunteer to make the show better. IF I was not 125 miles away and an old man I would. What I can do is give some free advise or ideas to try.

1) Change the tractor display area with the activities in the CENTER of the display area. This will draw people through the static tractor displays. So therefore the traffic count should go up around the tractors. This way the owners would be encouraged to stay around their tractors more.

2( Activities for this display area:

A) You have dyno put it in the center. It just takes a water supply. That can be a large tank.
B) You have a teeter totter make one just for the tractors. it does not have to hold a steam engine.
C) Egg breaking contest. You tie an egg on the drawbar of a tractor and you back up to an object as close as you can. The goal is to crack the egg but not break it. Cost?? A couple of a dozen eggs and a fence post. ( for real fun you use a few ROTTEN Eggs LOL I know a fellow that used to organize one at a show in Ohio. He kept the left over eggs from one year for the rotten ones for the next year. Man did they stink. LOL)
D) Four wheel wagon backing. This can be for owners or even the spectators to try. I have seen contests where you back through a coarse an are timed, the fastest wins. Cost? A wagon and some bales of straw for a boundary.
E) Tractor slow race. Which tractor can complete a 100 feet in the longest time.
F) Fasted hand starting contest. You start in the tractor seat. Start your tractor and get back into the seat. Fastest wins.
G) Blind tractor race. Tractors have to be in low gear. The driver blind folded. A rider telling the driver what to do. Usually go straight around a object and back again. Fastest time wins.
H) FFA restored display area. This is becoming a BIG event at the state fair so lets have it at the more local level. We all talk about how we need to get younger people involved. This is a fine way to do it. You not only are getting the kids but also their parents.
I) Get a tent set up by the activity area so people can get out of the heat or rain and visit.
J) Get refreshments in by the activity area as well. Currently you have to go way out of the display area for refreshments.

These are just a few ideas I have seen elsewhere that worked. Some of them are just knowing human nature. The current display almost seems to be designed to drive people away rather than attract them to the tractors area.

It is not just the Mt Pleasant show. I did talk to a few tractor owners at the Findlay Ohio show. At the Wauseon show they should have had a boat section!

?

I have never gone but it sounds very impressive. I didn't mean to come across as angry or anything in the other post, I was just trying to suggest a way that could be more constructive. The game ideas are neat and I have watched some of them but some are new to me.
The show sounds like it would take all day to see so it cancels out checking out the show in the morning and helping in the afternoon, even if it is to officiate the tractor games or something such thing. One issue with help is trust worthiness however just your guaranteed help needs to handle money, but most people are honest.
Like I said below I have been on the inside of the volunteer organizations and realize some of the issues, however it seems to get my attention when people complain about how bad the gravel roads are maintained but won't apply for the job to run them. The earlier post was not that bad but was kind of along those lines.

Forgot to mention that I like to see tractors and equipment running also. I like that more than walking through rows of tractors but it's all good.

Greg,

It is a very impressive collection, no doubt about that, and it has been around at least 50 years another impressive thing.

As a presenter, I was disappointed in the lack of published information and scheduled activities. The show seems to have one major activity at a time with everyone participating in that activity. It takes 2 hours for the noon parade, that is just too long. I think it would be more exciting to break down the activities into sections with clearly published schedules and information for each section. There is no reason several activities could not happen at the same time and allow the spectators to spread out a little more. The spectators would read the programs if the information was meaningful. Attendees could also research the presenters and plan their visit.

There is a parade area going around the entire site, you could have a parade every hour with specific equipment that only lasted about 15-30 minutes. The attendees could select what parades they wanted to attend, and see things on the off times. The parade announcer only had time to tell the year, model owner and operator, a little commentary would make it interesting.

A tour of the specific sections with information (bio) published on each entry and a chance to talk with the presenters. The owners would know they had to be with the equipment during that period and the attendees would know someone would be there to answer questions. If you had the section specific happen at different times, that would allow the presenters to go see the other sections. I really like to know if equipment is passed down, or bought. I also like to talk with the restorers about what they learned.

Just a few of my thoughts.

For those who don't care for the egg mess I made a replacement that has a light and horn. Tractor is backed up so the drawbar hits a metal strap on a hinge and pushed until the light comes on. Go a bit too far and then the second switch turns the horn on..

I am not sure about the cranking contest, I have to zip mine over for the computer to figure out timing, do not think I can crank it at 200 RPM.

I was there yesterday also, and agree with your remarks. Actually, I was a little disappointed in that a threshing reunion had very little threshing, r anything else going on except the displays and of course all the vendors! I actually think the show at Antique Acres N of Waterloo is a better show. Not as many tractors but they have more going on.

I have gone to Mt. Pleasant all my life and have only missed two years since I have been born. However, I must agree with many of your comments. The Mt. Pleasant Reunion is no longer a show. It is an "attraction". I has taken on the elements of a fair (mostly bad) and no longer is faithful to it's roots. I will still go as I do it to uphold a tradition and honor my dad and grandpa who faithfully attended since it's inception. But I will admit to being disappointed every year I go anymore. It breaks my heart to see it "go Hollywood" and leave the once proud heritage it had behind. Mike

My father and I made the 5 hour trek to Mt Pleasant this year. This is the first time visiting, and really only knew what little I saw on the website prior to visiting. I will admit, I was impressed. We were there two days, and it took both days to get thru everything. The amount of tractors was impressive...as well as each area. Each area (tractors, small engines, etc) could be almost be a show in itself.

My negative takeaways: No schedule. We were there for several hours the first day and had no idea there was a parade going on. More communication needs to happen, a schedule posted, something to let people know what is going on. We wondered around aimlessly the entire time. While we did get to see most things, I am sure we missed a ton. (We saw where there had been threshing but no idea when they actually did it) More demonstrations in general would have been nice, though I do realize it takes room.

Positives: This thing could very easily out do our state fair. I know the amount of people is a "drawback". Honestly I was impressed how it drew the entire family. Most tractor shows I am used to only bring out the "old famers". You don't see too many families...and you sure don't see teenagers helping with it. Talking to a 30's guy...he wanted to own a steam engine!?! Really...I never once thought about owning a steam engine. I have only ever known them to be owned by groups. To even think owning one being a possibility blows my mind. Seeing young people want to be involved was very impressive. The content was great. Yes, it was a little "fair"ish. I am ok with that, as it brings attention to the subject.

I am not sure if we will go again right away next year. I would like to come back again sometime, but it will be with the family as well. My kids (all younger than 10) would love this show. I took quite a few photos just to show them.

Overall, for not having any expectations prior, I thought it was a great show. There are always things to improve, and we took away some good ideas as well (Love that trading post idea!) Today I tore down and starting repainting a JD hit & miss purchased at the trading post yesterday. Next year we may try to find a show that is more of a "working" show rather than a "fair" show just to change things up.

I had a booth there for the 2nd time this year. I do like the show but I was impressed with the people attending the show. I spoke to people from Nova Scotia, New Foundland, and New Brunswick Canada, South Africa, 6 countrys in Europe, New Zeeland, Austrela, and 41 of the 50 States. They were (Austrela and New Zeeland) city people who enjoy steam, pig farmers from France and Sweden (they do not want to be called hog farmers), bulb farmers from Holland, vegie farmers from Germany, grain and livestock farmers from Ireland and England, Grape Growers/wine producers from south Africa.