Since last fall, John Deere has been building up to a celebration of 100 years marketing tractors. While the company is much older than that, it wasn't until 1918 that the company and its board decided to get into the powered equipment business when it bought the Waterloo Gas Engine company, makers of the Waterloo Boy tractor.

Over this hot June weekend – June 15 and 16 – John Deere employees, including CEO Sam Allen – got together to celebrate in Waterloo, where the company builds engines and tractors. The event drew 115 tractors from collectors around the country. And more than 50,000 people were expected to attend the event.

Farm Progress has a small part in the celebration, as John Deere sponsored a Facebook Live event early in the festivities (that's shown below). You can see more of the celebration and what could be seen at the event. Check out the slideshow to learn more about this historic event