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Flywheelers Gearing Up for Huge Fall Party in So. Haven

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Nobody likes to wish their precious time away, but there’s an avid group of flywheeling fans who are literally counting the days until the Michigan Flywheelers Museum hosts its 34th Annual Antique Engine & Tractor Show the weekend after Labor Day. That’s right…summer hasn’t even officially started and these folks are eager for their post-Labor Day excitement.

A full slate of activities is on tap as the Michigan Flywheelers Museum hosts its 34th annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show from Thursday, September 7th to Sunday, September 10th. Along with the hundreds of old tractors and engines that will be on display, the four day event features parades, entertainment, a large outdoor flea market, auction and plenty of things for the kids to see.

Patrick Ingalls is President of the museum. He says, “A lot of our exhibitors have turned their displays into working demonstrations so that people, especially kids, can see how these old machines were once used.”

One of the largest shows of its kind in the state, collectors from across the country attend the event each year bringing a wide assortment of antique farm machinery for visitors to see. However, if looking at old farm equipment is not your thing, there’s plenty of other things to do. The show features a large outdoor flea market with over 200 vendors, antique and garden tractor pulls, Thing-A-Ma-Jig parade, valve cover races, and more.

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Ingalls says, “We have a full schedule of activities,” adding, “This is a family-friendly event and there are plenty of things for kids to do like look for wooden nickels in our Sawdust Pile hunt or play on the wooden tractor in The Barnyard which is our version of a playground.”

A favorite activity at the show is eating locally grown sweet corn cooked by a 1923 Nichols and Shepard steam traction engine that was made in Battle Creek. Ingalls cautions, “Don’t let the long lines discourage you – it’s worth the wait.” Noting, “It is pretty tasty.”

The music line up includes high-energy, 50’s & 60’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Quentin Flagg on Friday and the southwest Michigan country band the Bronk Bros. on Saturday. All evening shows start at 8:30pm.

Throughout the show, there will be performances by folk singer Joe Foster, Casco Band and jam sessions for anyone who would like to play.

Saturday is considered “Kid’s Day” at the show. Activities start with Valve Cover Races at 9:30am followed by Kiddies Pedal Pull at noon, a sawdust pile treasure hunt at 3:30pm, and the John Dudley Magic Show at 7pm. Tractor games will be held for those children who have access to riding lawn tractors, and returning for its seventh year will be the “Kids Night Time Lawn Tractor Cruise” at 8pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

One of the popular activities for young and old is the “South Haven Tractor Cruise.” Scheduled for 4pm on Thursday, September 7th, participants drive tractors of all makes and models into South Haven, cruise along the South Beach, and then stop downtown for an evening of dining and shopping.

Gates open at 8am, rain or shine. Admission to the show is $7. Children 12 and under are free with a paid adult admission. Thursday is Senior’s Day and admission is $3 for those 62 and over. This is a pet-free event for those paying admission.

Rustic camping sites are available on a first-come basis. Cost is $10 per night plus daily admission per person. Pets are allowed with exhibitors, campers, and vendors only. Personal transportation vehicles, such as golf carts caters and riding lawn mowers, will be charged a $15 registration fee. ATVs, dirt bikes, and firearms are not permitted.

For more information, contact 269-639-2010, michiganflywheelers@yahoo.com, or www.facebook.com/michiganflywheelersmuseum. A complete show schedule is available on Facebook or www.michiganflywheelers.org.

The Michigan Flywheelers Museum is located at 06285 68th Street, two miles east of South Haven.