Town & Country

Country Town & MANITOBA Editor: Pat St. Germain pdstgermain@gmail.com INSIDE LIVING LARGE OPPORTUNITIES IN CARBERRY /6 Saturday, April 23, 2016 HELPING HANDS PORTAGE MCC THRIFT SHOP /2 RESTORING MOBILITY ANDERSON ORTHOPEDICS /4 Fay McEachern Broker REALTOR ® 204-724-4456 Pelican Lake & Area FayMcEachern.com Trisha McEachern REALTOR ® 204-720-9470 Brandon, Shilo & Area Stephanie Leung REALTOR ® 204-215-0006 Killarney & Area OFFICE: 23147 RD. 93W PELICAN LAKE, BOX 202 NINETTE, MANITOBA R0K 1R0 Experience on your side RECREATIONAL • RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL • AG COMMERCIAL • AG KEYSTONEMB.CA Country Saturday, April 23, 2016 Town Town Town own own The forces behind the Manitoba Agricultural Museum in Austin have always been outstanding in their field, but this year they'll be taking that distinction to a whole new level. T he centrepiece of this summer's Threshermen's Reunion and Stampede — running July 28-31 at the Museum grounds just south of Austin — is Harvesting Hope, a fundraiser billed as the "world's largest pioneer harvest," in which 125 vintage threshing machines will take to a wheat field the size of four football fields in an attempt to shatter the current Guinness World Record. Powered by steam engines and early gas tractors, many of the machines date back to the early 20th century, but have been lovingly maintained by a network of volunteers from communities across Canada, who'll come together this summer to celebrate the country's rich agricultural heritage. It's a fitting showcase for the museum, which has for years shared a similar mission — to preserve the history and traditions of the Prairies by ensuring the region's earliest farm equipment remains operational. "Initially, the museum got its start because there were individuals who were afraid we would lose this equipment forever … they were keen on seeing a collection exist in a place where it would be protected and available for future generations," says Georgette Hutlet, the museum's executive director. "Volunteers helped make that happen, and now it's up to us to preserve and maintain this collection for future generations, so they'll always be able to come here and see how Manitoba got its early beginnings. We have equipment here that helped break land, that helped build roads, and that helped to build Manitoba." At present, the museum's collection includes more than 500 pieces of machinery, ranging from tractors and steam engines to horse-pulled plows, grain binders and threshers. Many of those pieces will be on display this summer, when upwards of 10,000 visitors arrive for a weekend's worth of farm-inspired fun, including historical demonstrations, vintage car shows, daily children's activities and nightly concerts. The festivities will unfold throughout the Museum's 50-acre grounds, which are also home to more than 20 historical buildings (some restored, some recreations), the oldest of which dates back as far as 1879. In addition to the Harvesting Hope display, other Reunion highlights include daily rodeos (courtesy of the Canadian Cowboys Association and the Manitoba Rodeo Cowboys Association), and the daily Pioneer Power Parade — the largest of its kind in North America — which this year will pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of Winnipeg-based Versatile tractors. "The centre display will be the famous Big Roy, a 1080 Versatile built in 1977," says Hutlet. "He's a prototype, a one-of-a-kind that did not go into production, but his home is here at the museum. Currently Versatile is doing some restorations, but we're looking forward to welcoming him back — he'll look as good as he did when he rolled off the lines in 1977." While the majority of the museum's displays will be out in the open during the Reunion, there are also a number of indoor displays to peruse, including one that leads visitors through the many technological advancements that have taken place throughout Manitoba's history. For decades, the museum's focus has been on building its collection, but now that focus has shifted to telling the story of the region's earliest residents, through photo displays and narratives that remind visitors of the human element behind the exhibits. In Hutlet's view, "we're getting further away from agriculture all the time," so the museum has stepped up efforts to help visitors relate to its exhibits, and to the flesh-and-blood farm families who once used them to earn their livelihoods. "All of a sudden that old tractor is no longer a dusty piece of metal — it has a 'people connection,' " says Hutlet. "[Small children] come here, and they're very wide-eyed because everything looks so big. But you can show them that this equipment was important in providing food for a family, and that the family had small children their age, and all of a sudden it brings that item into a whole other context for them." Not surprisingly, it's those same "people connections" — not to mention the sharing of family memories and other equipment-inspired nostalgia — that keep visitors coming back to the Reunion year after year. "If you stand back and just listen to these people, they're saying, 'My dad had one of those — it was the first tractor I ever drove,'" says Hutlet. "It's a really positive occasion for the museum when we can bring all of these people together." For a full list of Threshermen's Reunion & Stampede events, visit mtrs.ca. To learn more about the Manitoba Agricultural Museum, visit ag- museum.com. ❙ Farm equipment parades and displays, along with activities celebrating Manitoba's homesteading spirt, draw some 10,000 people to the reunion in Austin each summer. Photos courtesy of the Manitoba Agricultural Museum THRESHERMEN'S REUNION & STAMPEDE EYES GUINNESS WORLD RECORD FIELDS of DREAMS Town&Country – April 23/16

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