By CINDY LADAGE
Wrenching Tales 

Architectural beauty was found among the parts at the Portland Tri-State Gas Engine & Tractor Assoc. Antique Engine & Tractor Show, which celebrated its 50th year this August at the Jay County (Ind.) Fairgrounds.

The show opened with "The Star-Spangled Banner," Canada’s song and a prayer.

The show wrapped up the summer antique tractor show season as Labor Day ap-proached. Lawn art and one huge wooden bear posed in the parts area.

Ford conversion kits were available to change one thing into another honoring Henry Ford.

Erick Wilke from St. Marys, Ohio, was selling traditional swap meet items along with art he created. One wind-driven sculpture was what he called, "My attempt at steampunk."

A dinosaur he called Scrapasaurus stood chest-high and gazed at showgoers with one "eye."

Sometimes the beauty was in the packaging – like Corey Bell’s Lunkenheimer fuel mixer display encased in an oak frame.

Beauty in pink, raising awareness of breast cancer, was found in a 1928 hit-and-miss Maytag engine donated and restored by Kevin Fischer. A generous collector at the show was selling this on eBay, with funds going to cancer services.

Then, add in metal furniture from Norman Quay of DeGraff, Ohio; a friend of the family had purchased a rocking chair made of tractor parts and this inspired Norman to build his own.

"I made this with new material; the others were made with used parts," he explained. "I’ve been making these for three years and made 10 in the last 2.5 months."

He created both International Harvester and John Deere versions, and had made a few Case and other brands, as well. The cost of the chairs was $450 at the show, but Norman said the price usually depends on the cost of metal. Besides the chairs, he makes battery boxes, steps for tractors and more.

"It all started out," Norman recounted, "when a farmer that lived close to me wanted a battery box. I had two different welding businesses. I have worked with metal all my life." For more information on his art, call him at 937-585-6475.

Other structurally beautiful items were found in Tim Adkins’ booth. Tim hails from Silver Lake, Ind., and his business is called Twin Lakes Tractor. In his booth he had an amazing metal elevator model that he bought from a gentleman in Iowa.

"It has been around; it came from a co-op elevator. It is probably from the 1940s. It had an electric motor at one time, and it will run with an electric drill. It is a very neat piece," he said – and one that drew in several admiring passersby. "I get a lot of neat stuff," Tim said, surveying his booth. "I have been selling items for 25 years and coming here to Portland for that long. I try to find rare and unusual things. I have a John Deere moisture tester probably from the 1950s that has the four-legged Deere symbol.

"One of the rarest pieces here, though, is the Norwich Automatic Exerciser and Feeder that was patented in 1910 or after," he noted. Besides selling at Portland, he sells tractor parts on eBay.

Rare and unusual is what the Portland show is known for. Art can also be found in the colors of everyday items like appliances. Lonnie and Barb Gannon shared their JD refrigerator in one vendor booth. Scotty McLaughlin, who has a body shop, was responsible for the beautiful paint job on the green-and-yellow appliance.

Advertising and promotional items are the backbone of many collections. At this show, one seldom-seen promotional item was a child’s Ford circus tent from the 1950s. Tim Meister, of Bucyrus, Ohio, the vendor selling the item, said he had never seen another.

These were only some of the eye-catching items at the show. Deere was the featured brand and many beautiful tractors were on display, along with the parts and huge vendor area.

Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication.