WALTON - The Catskill Mountain Antique Engine and Machinery Club will showcase vintage tractors and equipment at the 135th Delaware County Fair. The 110 member club began in 1991 with the mission of preserving and promoting the integrity of the power of the past in the Catskill Mountain region.
The annual exhibit will take place at the antique tractor barn near the 4-H and art buildings. The Delaware Valley Agricultural Society, commonly referred to as the fair board, owns the building, club member Ed Budine of Walton said, but members of the club constructed the building. The barn and silo were completed in 2014.
The pristine building is used by the fair board each year for the annual press luncheon.
This year’s exhibit will include the usual antique tractors and farm equipment, a running saw mill - possibly with a drag saw - a corn sheller, corn blower, a buzz saw and sawmill with hit and miss engines.
There will also be stationary engines on display - those that were used to run milker pumps, washing machines, and thrashers, as an example, Budine said.
There will be old-fashioned and antique hand tools on display, including chisels, chains, scythes, and old drill bits, among others. They are a great example of the tools that were in use prior to the introduction of power tools, Budine said.
There will also be unique displays including an old-fashioned milker, used before farmers began using automated machines, and a vintage hay loader.
A blacksmith’s shop will also be featured and there will be a couple of blacksmiths on site, making horse shoes, signs and “trinkets.”
Budine has been attending the Delaware County Fair since 1964, he said. He was raised on a farm and worked at the fair, disinfecting the barns in his youth. “The older generations know a lot about farming and tractors,” Budine said. “This,” he said waving his arm toward a barn-garage showcasing various tractors, “will be lost, in time.”
Budine does not consider himself a tractor collector, though his collection of vintage and new model tractors belie that statement.
He considers himself a “John Deere” man, favoring the manufacturer’s famous green tractors and equipment. He restored a 1950 John Deere MT model, which he actively uses for raking, tedding and “bring in” hay.
Farmall red punctuates his collection with a 1944 Farmall H model and a 1945 Farmall BN model, which he uses to rake and mow 383 acres of hay each season - and for parades.
The reason he became a member of the club, Budine said, was because he was born and raised on a farm. He likes farming and he likes old equipment. It’s also the reason he “does” hay each year. “I get to take my old equipment out and actually use it.”
Budine’s wife, Janet, is a member of the club and its secretary. She joined the club, she said, because she is a farmer’s daughter. Like her husband, Janet has a desire to preserve history and promote the club.
During the fair, there will be free activities for kids at the barn, including a barrel ride and a corn pit.
The club raises money by raffling handcrafted items. This year, raffle items include a garden shed, a miniature covered bridge, a painted saw blade, an antique peddle tractor, a blacksmith item, a wooden tractor lawn ornament/flower box and a quilted purse.
The club also donates a jacket to the Sidney, Walton and Delhi FFA chapters each year. It’s a way to promote and celebrate the preservation of agricultural, Budine said.
Each year, except 2020 - the “year that wasn’t,” Budine said, the club presents vendors and fair board members with small plaques commemorating the year. The practice of gifting the plaques began in 2007, the year Budine joined the club.
Budine looks forward to senior citizen day each year at the fair, he said. That’s a big day for the club. The older population, he said, recognizes the tractors on display from their own past. A vintage tractor takes center stage in many “courting” stories, he said.
There are different levels of membership in the club - individual and family with an annual cost of $15 and $20 respectively. For more information, or to join the club, stop at the antique tractor barn at the fair, call the Budines at 607-865-7207 or send a private message to the Catskill Mountain Antique Engine and Machinery Club Inc. on Facebook.
