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History of Our Club - 1990sHistory 1970s History 1980s History 2000-03 History 2004-05 The following information was taken from facts compiled for the Rice County Steam & Gas Engines, Inc. Club by Mr. Dean Britton. Edits were made, but the overall content was not changed. Thank you Dean from all the current and future club members for all your hard work and devotion to the club. Without Dean's record-keeping, this writing would not be possible. 1990s With the mid 1990s, the Club undertook the project of a raffle tractor to be raffled off at their annual threshing show. Palmer Fossum was instrumental in finding just the right tractor and several members helped restore it. Larry Holt painted the tractor. The Club raffled off a 1952 Ford 9N tractor at their annual threshing show. More people were showing an interest in the antique tractors and machinery, evident in the membership growth. Tractors and displays grew along with the quality of the show pieces, making for bigger and better fall shows. 1998 The Club purchased 50 acres on Highway 3, south of Northfield, near Dundas, Minnesota. The meandering club had finally purchased a permanent home. This site was only a few miles north of the site of a show held in 1976. The Rice County Steam and Gas Engines, Inc. Club officers at this time were Carl Harvey, president; Carmen Sevcik, secretary, and Lee Engleby, treasurer. Preparations were made to purchase the land, paperwork begun for 501(c)3 non-profit status and state sales tax exemption. 1999 25th Anniversary celebration was held September 4-5. The featured tractor was Minneapolis-Moline. There were 187 tractor exhibits. There was live music by Russ Dietz and the Stray Cats Variety Band, along with several events: swap meet, flea market and craft show, daily parades, plowing demonstrations and other work, tractor and gas engine display, threshing, shingle mill, pedal tractor pull, blacksmithing, slow race and other working exhibits. Admission was $3.00 at the gate (12 & under admitted free). A 1999 John Deere LT155 garden tractor was raffled off (choice of tractor or $1,000 cash) at the fall threshing show, won by Don and Joann Weed of Dundas. 2nd prize - $200 and 3rd prize - $50. Membership had nearly doubled in the past two years. A clubhouse was purchased and placed on the grounds, but utilities needed to be hooked up and finishing touches done to the building before it could be used as intended. The planning committee charted plans for set up of a pioneer type village. A new board of directors was elected and bylaws were revised to fit the growing club. Dean Britton was chosen as vice-president and board members were Tom Duban, Bill Becker, and Dwight Hildebrandt. 501(c)3 government classification for non-profit club was received, and state sales tax exemption followed. |