September 22, 2023

PRESERVING MEMORIES: For 50 years, the LeSueur County Pioneer Power Show has kept agriculture’s rich history alive by displaying and demonstrating equipment from days gone by.Photos by Kevin Schulz
This year the Le Sueur County Pioneer Power Association reached a milestone in keeping yesterday’s agriculture alive, as the association’s Pioneer Power Show turned 50.
On the last weekend of August, 130 acres between LeSueur and Montgomery are transformed into a showcase of all things farming — the way it used to be. Visitors to this annual step back in time can see horse-drawn equipment, steam engines of all sizes, unique pieces of equipment as well as gas and diesel tractors and farm equipment.
In addition to the numerous tractor and equipment displays, there are also daily demonstrations of threshing machines, one-row corn pickers, check-row planters, a sawmill, and tillage with moldboard plows with fewer than a handful of bottoms.
Most of the main brands of equipment of yesterday and today are represented — Allis Chalmers, Oliver, Case, John Deere, Massey Ferguson, International Harvester, Minneapolis Moline, etc. Also on display are equipment and implements born out of farmer ingenuity and necessity.
A daily parade of equipment is a highlight for attendees to see a lot of the tractors thundering around the grounds.
The August weekend power show is one of two major fundraisers for the LSCPPA, with the other being an annual swap meet that takes place the last weekend in April.
Numerous volunteer hours are put in year-round to ensure that shows such as the LeSueur County Pioneer Power Show go on, keeping the history of agriculture alive.
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