I first noticed it as I drove past, heading for one of those small-town Wisconsin festivals, this one celebrating the largest earthen dam in the Midwest (by their claim, of course) nestled in the stanitsa of Spring Valley.
The whole lawn was filled with antique tractors, the kind you might see at a local fair or car-club show. Usually, such displays are publicized in the community calendar of our newspaper or posted on the bulletin boards of one of the bars, grocers stores, or laundromats around town. I couldn't remember seeing this one, but I figured I could swing past on my way back on Highway 63 after spending the morning among the dam worshippers. The Herald could always use a few more snapshots.
Returning later that morning, I saw that the display was still there, this time with crowds surrounding it. The Majeski farm in Martell Township was the site of the South Lawn Steam Tractor Days (or, rather, day). All sorts of ancient steam tractors from the turn of the century, preserved by local collectors, were there for those interested in catching a glimpse of the past or partaking of the snacks provided by the United Methodist Church Women's Auxiliary.
I clicked away with my camera at the two giant steam tractors that were the star attractions. One was an old Minneapolis-Moline Model; the other, a behemoth made by J.I. Case. One was set up next to a sawmill display, while the other...