2001-07-31 - 10:03 p.m.
This past weekend I traveled to the quiet little town of Berryville Virginia to go to one of my all time favorite fairs. It was the annual Steam Tractor show. This is an amazing thing to behold if you have never been. They have everything there from antique tractor pulls (nothing built after 1955 is allowed to enter), horse pulls, music, food, and best of all...JUNK! I in fact managed to abscond with some great junk in the form of several books (on blacksmithing) and a hot cut also known as a hardie (more blacksmithing crap). Unfortunately, I missed the tractor pull this year, but it is always a sight to behold. Old 14 ton steam tractors which generate a measly 20 hp at the bar dragging thousands of pounds across the dirt, and little 2 cylinder John Deer tractors laying the smack down on the bigger 4 and 6 cylinder tractors of Farmall, Cockshut, and Alis Chalmers. This, of course, pales in comparison to watching the original tractors perform. Shires, over 6ft tall at the shoulder, and massing over 2000 lbs each surge against their harness to drag skids that weigh more than twice their weight, while the crowd falls silent so that the horses can hear their commands. Imagine you and your bud dragging 800 lbs together on a sled, which just happens to be traveling over dry clay. Oh and did I mention that you had to pull it 241/2 feet without stopping or veering off the course? Total excitement I tell ya. Of course don't take my word on this ... get out and see one of these shows for yourself.
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