The 2019 California Antique Farm Equipment Show is set to kickoff at 8 a.m. Friday, April 12 at the International Agri-Center in Tulare. The event will run through Sunday, April 14 and feature antique tractor exhibits, trucks and other agricultural engines along with various vendors and multiple family-friendly activities.
“We go from World Ag Expo that’s very ‘business-y’ to kind of like summer camp with tractors and just really celebrating ag,” said Marketing Manager for the International Agri-Center, Jennifer Fawkes. “Not just the tractors and the work itself but the family lifestyle part of it and that is truly part of the fun of this and a good reason to come whether you’re a farmer or not.”
Friday will feature tractor pulls in the afternoon, followed by the Friday evening meal. Saturday morning at 10 a.m. the first tractor parade of the weekend will begin, the pedal pull competition for children will take place at Noon, followed by a pie eating and milk chugging contest and a hay bucking contest in the afternoon. Saturday will also feature bull and bronc bucking all day beginning at 9 a.m. There will be another tractor parade at 10 a.m. Sunday morning for the last day of the show. “This will be the day that’s kind of our transition day,” Fawkes noted, “It’s more that relax day, last chance to see cool tractors, and get that shopping with all that vintage stuff going on and just a great relaxed day to come out and hang out with the family.”
Along with various activities going on, the Agri-Center grounds will be home to a significant amount of agriculture equipment from all eras for attendees to admire and learn about. “I expect 400 tractors or so on the grounds that show various stages of tractors and some will be all painted up and some are what we say are ‘barn fresh’ and will look like they pulled it out of the barn yesterday, but that’s all part of the fun of it,” said the Chairman of the 2019 California Antique Farm Equipment Show Walter Watte. “We have all makes and brands of tractors here, a very big amount of older tractors, a lot of hit and miss engines…they’ll be a blacksmith demonstration going on, we’ll have some corn showing going on, we’ll have engines out around with water pumps hooked to them.”
Listen to Fawkes’ interview below.
Listen to Watte’s interview below.
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