The Rural Voice, 1991-09, Page 28THRESHER REUNION HELPS YOUNG AND
OLD ALIKE REMEMBER SIMPLER TIMES
A fascination with machines that wheeze and pop and whirl draws thousands
By Keith Roulston
A fascination with machines that
wheeze and pop and whirl; an auempt
to recapture the feelings of simpler
times; a chance to experience a living
museum: these and more are the rea-
sons that draw thousands of people
each year to the Huron Pioneer
Thresher and Hobby Association
Reunion.
Better known as the Thresher
Reunion or the Blyth Steam Show, the
show marks its 30th anniversary Sep-
tember 4-8 in what promises to be its
biggest reunion ever. Added to the
normal three-day event this year will
be an appearance by the CKNX Barn
Dance Road Show on Wednesday,
September 4; and a tiddlers jam ses-
sion on September 5 to stretch the nor-
mally three-day event into five days.
Music and machines are the big
draws at the Thresher Reunion. The
huge stream -powered traction engines
were what the show was built around.
Huffing and puffing and letting off
ear -shattering whistles, they power the
threshing machines that show people
how farmers once harvested their
grain, the saw mill that is always a
popular part of a visit to the show, and
take part in the gigantic parade of all
the moveable equipment on the
grounds that winds up each after-
noon's activities.
It was a steam engines and
threshing machines that were in the
minds of the men who gathered at
Simon Hallahan's home, near West-
field northwest of Blyth back on May
28, 1962. Those present were vet-
erans of the old threshing gangs that
used to travel the township concession
roads for weeks each summer and fall
to thresh the wheat, oats and barley of
area farms: men like Harold Turner, a
former steam engineer from Goderich,
who would become the group's first
president; Alex Manning of Blyth, the
first treasurer; Simon himself, who
became secretary; and others like
Hugh Chisholm of Sarnia; Stuart Muir
of Paisley; and Willie Joe and John
Hallahan of the Westfield area.
A few months later this group,
along with the others who joined them
along the way, organized the first
Thresher Reunion in 1962. Although
there are several such shows scattered
around the province today, in those
days Blyth joined Petrolia as the only
other steam show around. About 500
people attended that first one -day
One of the most popular attractions at the Blyth Threshers reunion is the daily demonstration of an old-time threshing
machine which gobbles up the sheaves of oats.
24 THE RURAL VOICE