Threshing Competition at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum’s Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede
With the sheaves loaded, the teams race their racks to their threshing machines for the final half of the threshing competition. One rack has already pulled up beside the steam separator and from smoke and steam belching from her stack the Case steam engine is working up to speed driving the separator. The racks have not yet begun to pitch sheaves into the gas outfits separator. Overall this year the steam outfit took the threshing competition. However, on this day, even with the steam outfit getting a jump on the gas outfit, the gas outfit crowded their separator hard, rapidly gaining ground and appeared to be on the way to a win before a separator belt was thrown off, plugging the separator.
Tug of War at the Manitoba Agricultural Museum’s Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede
A feature of the afternoon grandstand show at the Reunion is the Tug of War between volunteers of all ages from the audience and the Museum’s 18-50 Case steam engine. On this day, the crowd battled the steam engine to almost a draw with the Case spinning out at one point, digging a hole. However the Case finally wore down the crowd and dragged the lead person over the line for the win. Other days of the reunion featured just as hard fought battles between the crowd and the engine, with the volunteers even winning on Friday. The steam committee chairman for the Museum, Robert Beamish, states this year’s Tug of War was the closest of any past reunion. Children enjoy participating in the Tug of War and usually make up the majority of people participating but this year for some reason men joined in the battle on all days.
