OREGON, Ill. – A. J’s Garden Tractor Jamboree is a lawn and garden tractor show that takes place in Oregon. One of the first of the summer shows, Andy Hinrichs and his wife Lisa open their collection of barns filled with collectibles and garden tractors to the public. The opening of the May 18th show began with a sentimental tug as Andy recognized those who had passed on over the past year. One mentioned was Andy’s late father Arlyn Lee Hinrichs, who passed away in November 2023.

John Deere lawn and garden collector Dave Carton’s friend John Derue passed as well. Carton heads up the Vintage Farm Equipment show in Geneseo, Ill., and shared a bit of advice with the crowd. He and Derue had planned to restore some tractors and ran out of time. “Don’t put things off because friends are gone too soon.”

Carton had his friend’s restored tractors on display at the show. Along with Carton, also at the show was another John Deere collector, Gary Pankratz, a retiree that worked for Deere and who hails from Davenport, Ill. Pankratz had a beautiful 1964 John Deere 110 garden tractor that he restored. He brought along his son Bryce, his wife, Becky, and his granddaughter Kinsley, who is 8.

Tyler Elschide, from Lake Village, Ind., had his 1962 Suburban 725 that was made by David Bradley. Several David Bradley tractors were at the show. Dave and Debbie Carlson, from Terre Haute, brought their David Bradley tractors that have their own names, Brutus and Miss Brutus. “Brutus is a modified tractor, modified by a guy in Ohio. It is a 1951 David Bradley Suburban with a modified 10 hp motor, electric start, and electric 3 point,” Dave said.

Miss Brutus is a David Bradley Suburban 1951.

Cliff and Sharon McNames, from Millstadt, Ill., had their 1931 Centaur 2G on display. The antique tractor was originally used on a truck farm, Cliff said.

Fiction author and collector Rick Shaw, from New Berlin, Ill., had a lineup of Shaw Du-All tractors at the show. He had his 1954 N5, 1951 R12T, and a 1947 R8 Shaw Du-All models. Sisters Leigha (13), and Laci (11) Kersten, from Sterling, Ill., had a chance to ride on a few of Shaw’s tractors during the show. Although IH collectors at home, they enjoyed the opportunity to learn about the cool Shaw Du-All brand.

Besides A.J.’s Garden Tractor Jamboree, another show that kicks off the antique tractor show season for collectors in Central Illinois is what is locally called the Strawberry Festival. Known for the food at the event, which includes chicken and noodles and strawberry shortcake, the event is officially the Macoupin County Historical Society Spring Festival. The tractor show is put on by the Agricultural Antique Tractor Association and this year, the show was a wet one. The night before the show opened on May 25th, the area received substantial rainfall. Depending on the area, collectors reported rain totals of just under two inches around Morrisonville, to three inches in the Divernon area, with four or more inches at the Macoupin Historical Society grounds where the event took place.

The deluge caused several vendors to bow out, and the beautiful Anderson Mansion that is usually open was closed for tours. Bands that in the past have performed on a trailer stage were moved to the mansion porch. Visitors had to sidestep muddy areas as they traversed the grounds. The event still turned into a fun day for visitors who could tour the one-room school, the church, the barns, and watch the blacksmith perform in the blacksmith shop.

Walking through the barns with a relatively quiet crowd offered visitors a chance to admire equipment like beautiful wooden wagons, buggies, a steam engine and antique tractors on display. Collectors brought several antique tractors like an Oliver 880, a Farmall M, and an Allis Chalmers D17.  Allis Chalmers was the featured brand for the show.

June 1st, the Pawnee Tractor Show, like the one in Carlinville, was besieged by rain. This show, which is part of the Pawnee Homecoming, has always been headed up by the late Larry Boblitt. This year his memory was on the minds of the locals that brought out a few tractors braving the rain to make sure the show still went on. Larry’s grandson Griffin Boblitt brought a cool Fordson Dexta, a British-made tractor, to the show.

Carl Davis, who works at Eli Bridge Co. and makes Ferris wheels, took his John Deere lawn and garden tractor and posed in front of the Ferris wheel he built at the shop in Jacksonville, Ill. Davis and little Casey Roach had fun competing in tractor games during a lull in the wet weather.

Rain, wind, and busy schedules sometimes keep collectors from filling show grounds. But overall, the antique tractor season is off to a busy start, offering events where the agricultural past lives on in these amazing machines.