By CINDY LADAGE
Illinois Correspondent

CARLINVILLE, Ill. — Tom Lichtemeyer traveled all the way from Belleville, Ill., to attend the annual Macoupin Agricultural Antique Assoc. tractor show in Carlinville.
This year he brought his newly restored Allis Chalmers tractor that the Jansen Brothers from Sigel, Ill., recently finished restoring. Lichtemeyer, an AC block man in his youth, is always glad to take out one of his Persian Orange beauties when he gets the chance.
“The Jansen Brothers do beautiful work,” he said.
His AC was one of the only tractors left on display the afternoon of June 8. June 7 had dawned pretty dry in this rain-soaked area, but Sunday brought more unneeded and unwanted rain to the central Illinois farm fields that were already deluged.
Lichtemeyer held out and kept his tractor on display, along with another AC buddy, Dan Hauter. Hauter also had his two-wheel drive tractors at the Strawberry Festival that occurs every Memorial Day weekend.
His tractors were newer models; his Allis Chalmers 7060 power shifts were originally purchased to be used on the farm. One of his ACs was manufactured in late November 1977 and was purchased new in April 1978. The other AC power shift was manufactured late in 1981, near the end of production, and purchased in May 1982.
“I purchased the first one, and my dad the second,” Hauter explained. “We bought them at an AC dealership, Archer Equipment Company, in Shipman, Illinois.”
He farmed with his father, Harold, who also raised cattle and worked at Prairie Farms Dairy.
“We used them when I was farming full-time, then later when I worked full-time,” he said. “I work off the farm now.”
Even though Hauter no longer works on the farm these days, he keeps his AC tractors and still has deep agricultural roots.
Clarence Kaiser was also at the show and worked alongside his wife and other friends. This year, the show was a bit damp, but spirits were still high.
With strawberries and rhubarb pie and chicken and noodles, visitors were able to enjoy a good, if damp, dinner. Vendors packed up and went home, or tightened up their tents, and everyone called it a show a bit early – and will try again in the fall.