Three generations gather to celebrate history and prepare firewood. We think of Grandpa as we buzz wood yet again. Years have gone by but the old 1938 Allis Chalmers WC still hums the buzz saw from Grandpa’s gravel pit.
More than machines and more than winter fuel, we celebrate memories and shared love. As sweat drips and limb wood is trailered, we feel accomplished and content. To be with those we love, to feel hard work with your hands, to see machinery running smoothly, we feel alive.
Put-Put (as we affectionately refer to our tricycle tractor) will support its first parade this October. Come see the debut, along with over 60 other classic tractors, on Oct. 11 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. in Cooperstown at the Fenimore Farm & Country Village (formerly Farmers’ Museum) Tractor Fest. (See fenimorefarm.org/event/tractor-fest/2025-10-11 for more information.)
We honor masterpieces of innovation and engineering from a time of beginnings. Gas engines were making their mark on small farms and industries were finding their niche in manufacturing. Explore the human drive to create and to optimize as inventions were introduced through agriculture. See the very first PTO models or the introduction of power steering.
Be sure to capture the nostalgic spirit of autumn as you witness not only the rugged cast iron equipment wheel by but also the drivers. Each person carries a story tied to farming, just as we all hold stories dear to our families. Learn how our past generations earned a living, kept a farm running and maintained equipment so well that it continues “put-put”-ing its story forward today.
by Zeke Miller
Featured photo: by Zeke Miller
