Tractor Show Rolls On
Tractors line up for one of the weekend’s competitions at the annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show. PHOTO | Beverly Bonilla
Story and pictures by Beverly Bonilla
Rain may have made an appearance, but it couldn’t keep exhibitors and visitors away from the 17th Annual Butler County Antique Engine and Tractor Show, held July 31st – August 1st at the Butler County Fairgrounds on River Road.
Hosted by the Butler County Antique Engine and Tractor Club, the two-day event welcomed more than 50 registered exhibitors from Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Tennessee, and throughout Kentucky. Antique tractors, engines, and lawn and garden equipment filled the fairgrounds as families and collectors gathered to celebrate a shared love of farming history and vintage machinery.
Despite the rainy weather, the fairgrounds remained in great condition, allowing the weekend’s activities to continue with very few interruptions. Visitors enjoyed a tractor parade, children’s pedal pull, market vendors, food trucks, raffles, tractor games and an auction.
Youngsters enjoyed the pedal tractor pull. PHOTO | Beverly Bonilla
One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was the club’s first-ever Women’s Skillet Toss, which drew plenty of laughs before contestants put their driving skills to the test in the popular tractor games. Events included the tractor slow race, don’t crack the egg race, barrel race and the tractor blind race, winners were recognized in each competition.
The show concluded Saturday afternoon with an awards ceremony honoring exhibitors for categories including farthest Traveled Tractor, Lawn and Garden Equipment, Engine, and Automobile, as well as Most Displayed Tractors, and Most Displayed Engines.
More than just a tractor show, the annual event has become a tradition that brings generations together to celebrate Butler County’s rich agricultural heritage. Friends reconnect each year, families make new memories, and exhibitors enjoy sharing the stories behind their restored equipment while forming lasting friendships with fellow collectors from Kentucky and across the country. For many, the weekend is just as much about the people they meet and the friendships they build as it is about the tractors themselves.
Upcoming tractor shows are at the Grayson County Fair on September 5th, the Grayson County Tractor Club Tractor Show on September 26th and the Caneyville Fair and Homecoming Festival on October 3rd.
Members of the Butler County Antique Engine and Tractor Club expressed their appreciation to everyone who attended, exhibited equipment, volunteered, and supported the annual event. For further information you can contact Troy Dunn 270-526-1184, Teddy Pharris 270-999-5155 or Roger Tanner 270-726-5155.
