How many vintage tractors took part in the daily tractor parade at the Pioneer Engineers Club of Indiana 75th annual reunion this summer? Too many to count! A seemingly endless line of tractors paraded through the grounds where the event is held, south of Rushville, Ind. They came in all colors, shapes, sizes and ages. Some pulled implements while others pulled antique wagons loaded with people.

Event officials estimated that some 300 tractors participated in the 2023 event. Here’s a snapshot of highlights.

On the move

Tractors kept rolling as an announcer let the crowd know what tractor was coming next and who was driving it. The parade, held each day of the four-day event, is one of the highlights of the annual reunion. Set for the first weekend in August, it’s been held nearly every year since threshing rings closed in the area in the mid-20th century.

The annual gathering at Caldwell Acres southwest of Rushville is staffed by volunteers. It features steam engines and demonstrations of almost any type you can imagine, from disking to plowing to hauling wagonloads of material from one place to another.

Food vendors and others hawk everything from old-time license plates to toy tractors to collectibles. Remember, one man’s treasure was once another man’s junk. There is plenty of what looks like “junk” to go around. In the eyes of a collector, it becomes treasure.

There’s no doubt, though, that steam engines and tractors are the stars of the show. The Saturday parade took nearly one-and-a-half hours to complete.

Learn about the event and get prepared for next year at pioneerengineers.com. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the accompanying slideshow for highlights from the Saturday afternoon parade. Don’t stop until you’ve seen the Farmall corn picker that carried corn over the operator’s head, the Farmall with wheels so high the operator appeared to be on stilts, and the early 20th century road grader pulled by a tractor.