The tradition continues as the Union Thresherman’s Club prepares for its 47th annual thresheree in Symco.
The Union Thresheree & National Antique Tractor Pull will be held July 25-27 at the Union Thresheree Grounds in Symco.
This year’s theme is International Harvester tractors and equipment.
The event will also celebrate 100 years of Hercules and 105 years of economy gas engines.
The antique tractor pull will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, with registration and weigh-in beginning at 7 a.m.
“There should be a lot of International tractors entered this year,” said Jerrod Werth.
For this year’s thresheree, everyone who registers an IH tractor in the feature exhibit will receive a ticket for a free pig roast dinner.
According to Werth, there was a record number 261 hooks at the UTC’s spring tractor pull on June 21.
The annual thresheree is held at the Union Thresheree Grounds in Symco. The proprietors of the property are members of the Larry Werth family, including his widow, Diane, and their children and grandchildren.
Like Larry, his family allows the threshermen to use the grounds and maintain the traditions of the local club.
“I am very proud of my family and the UTC members with what they have accomplished and the efforts they have put into everything,” Diane Werth said. “They care.”
Diane has also helped to keep things running at the Thresheree Grounds. She and her volunteers have been keeping the Burger Barn running for the past 37 years.
Besides the antique tractor pull and the feature exhibits, the annual thresheree includes a kids pedal pull and an adult pedal pull, chain saw contest, parade, flea market and live music.
Visitors can also visit Unionville, a turn-of-the-century village replicated on the thresheree grounds.
The town of Unionville includes a church, bank, fire and police station, saloon, post office, general store, barbershop, sawmill and a water-powered feed mill.
Demonstrations featured during the thresheree include grain thrashing, silo filling, rock crushing, corn grinding, log and shingle sawing, etc.
In preparation for this year’s event, the UTC has done mostly maintenance work on the grounds.
The volunteers have repaired roofs and siding on the print shop and the blacksmith shop. They also did a lot of work on the dance hall and replaced logs and joints on the old log cabin.
Camping at the grounds opens at 4 p.m. Wednesday, July 23.
The dates for 2015 are July 24-26, when the UTC will feature Rumley Products and Root & Van Dervoort gas engines.
The UTC members are already preparing to for the club’s 50th anniversary in 2017.
For more information, visit www.symcoutc.com.
Schedule of events
Friday
9 a.m. – Gates open.
8 p.m.-midnight – Country Music show featuring Jamie Campbell & The Redneck Romeos.
Saturday
7 a.m. – Gates open.
9:30 a.m. – Kids Pedal Pull; weigh-in begins at 8:30 a.m.
11 a.m. – National Antique Tractor Pull; registration and scale open at 7 a.m.
8 p.m.-midnight – Music by Saddlebrook.
9 p.m. – Adult Pedal Pull.
Sunday
7 a.m. – Unionville Church service;
9 a.m. – Grounds open.
11:30 a.m. – Parade.
1-3 p.m. – Live music.
3 p.m. – Chain Saw Contest.
3-6 p.m. – Deejay music.