The Westlock Agricultural Society celebrated a long running tradition by hosting the 34th annual vintage tractor show.
The two-day event featured a parade of vintage vehicles, tractor pulls and demonstrations of various equipment at the Agricultural Society grounds on June 7 and 8.
The main event featured a parade of vintage tractors and vehicles led by a Minneapolis-Moline Model Z. The Minneapolis-Moline tractor company was the result of a merger between three companies in 1929 (Minneapolis Steel and Machinery, Minneapolis Threshing Machine Company and the Moline Implement Company). Minneapolis-Moline manufactured tractors until the 1960s until they were acquired by the White Motor Company.
Event announcer Dave Hilman noted how there had been 166 tractor manufacturers in 1920 which decreased to 38 by the end of the decade due to various mergers. Despite this decrease in the number of manufacturers, overall tractor production increased during the decade as industrial manufacturing became more efficient during the 1920s.
The vintage parade also featured tractors from John Deere, Massey Ferguson, Farmall, Ford and McCormick.
The show featured several foreign models from Romania and a Lanz Bulldog from East Germany, which announcer Dave Hilman joked was “stolen from the commies.” The Lanz bulldog series began production in 1921 in Mannheim, Germany before being purchased by John Deere in 1956 and going under the name “John Deere Lanz.” The Lanz name was eventually discontinued in the 1960s.
The show featured other vintage vehicles including a classic 1950s GM pickup and “lumber packer” vehicle which was used in smaller lumberyards.
The equipment demonstrations included a tractor-powered sawmill and threshing machine.
Another popular event was a blind driver competition where tractor drivers were blindfolded and tested on how close they could drive to a stop line with another driver assisting with steering.
