MONCKS CORNER -- What do antique tractor and engine exhibits, power pulling, a farm tools and equipment auction, an encampment of Civil War re-enactors and arts and crafts have in common?

All will be featured Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14, at the Berkeley County Museum's seventh annual Antique Tractor and Engine Show at Old Santee Canal Park in Moncks Corner.

Visitors to the museum's annual fund-raising event will see exhibits and demonstrations of some of the tractors, farm machinery and tools that were important to the agricultural history of Berkeley County and South Carolina.

"It's all about the family farming roots so important to our way of life," said Al Belk, chairman of the planning committee for the museum's annual two-day exposition of vintage farm equipment. "These tractors, hit-and-miss engines and related farm equipment reflect the progress made over the past century beyond mules, plows, horse-drawn wagons and crops grown and harvested by farmers and their families. With the advent of steam engines and subsequently gasoline, kerosene and diesel-fueled internal combustion engines, the era of powered tractors and machinery made agriculture a bigger, better and more booming business."

The Berkeley Museum's Antique Tractor and Engine Show began in 2002 as an event for raising the awareness and understanding of farming and the evolution of agricultural technology over the past century.

Coordination for the two-day event is provided by the Berkeley Classic Antique Tractor and Engine Club and includes the participation of several other antique tractor organizations from across the state.

"We've had a strong interest in putting lawn mowers and 4-wheel drive pickups on the track to test their pulling power, and we look forward to seeing ho

w well they will do," Belk said. Like the tractors, they will pull a weighted sled down the 300-foot track to test their traction and towing ability. Tractor pulling will be on Saturday, with lawn mowers and 4-wheel drive pickup truck pulls on Sunday.

The show will include a Saturday morning auction of tractors and farm equipment, which begins at 9 a.m. There will also be a display of new tractors as well as toy tractors and collectibles.

A rural art exhibit featuring paintings by members of the Berkeley County Artists Guild will be on display in the Berkeley County Museum.

Craft specialists in the areas of blacksmithing, basket weaving, chair caning, furniture making, grist milling and saw mill operations will demonstrate their skills and products in the Crafts of the Lowcountry exhibit at the Berkeley County Museum.

Funds from this annual event support the Berkeley Museum's operation, educational outreach and the development of new exhibits and displays. Gates will open at 9 a.m. and close at 6 p.m. Admission is $7 for adults, and children 10 and under are free. Exhibitors are also admitted free.

For more information, call the Berkeley County Museum at 843-899-5101, Belk at 843-753-2459, Jerry Stafford at 843-693-9335 or Joe Veno at 843-297-6793.

Special to The T&D

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