Antiques for the future

If back-to-school season has you nostalgic for a hot metal slide or spinning on a merry-go-round, I’ve found the place for you.

The girls and I spent a recent Saturday in the little community of Granite, Iowa, not farm from Sioux Falls. On the third full weekend of July each year, the shady lawn has rows of antique tractors on display and plenty else to see during the Granite Threshing Bee.

Our first stop was the playground outside the one-room school house. Henrietta, 3, gravitates to the swings. Penelope, 7, is a pro at the monkey bars, and she was quick to scale the ladder of the tall metal slide.

From root beer floats to coloring pages, model trains, pedal pulls, blacksmith demonstrations and an opportunity to drive a tractor, there’s a lot for a kid to do at the Granite Threshing Bee.

That’s by design according to Darrel Hansen, president of the Granite Thresherman’s Association.

“They’ve got to keep this going,” he said.

By exposing kids to the tractors of old, he hopes it might spark a kid’s interest in starting a collection of their own someday.

Hansen and his son, Brett, started the threshing bee 40 years ago this week. They invited family and friends out as they stacked and threshed their oats. Today it’s touted as being the largest free admission show in the Midwest. It draws 6,000-7,000 visitors over the three-day weekend. Favorable weather this year meant attendance was on the high side.

It takes a year of planning and hundreds of volunteers to put it on.

Granite Thresherman’s Association member Stan Leuthold enjoys working with fellow volunteers, most of whom stood out in the crowd by wearing yellow shirts.

“These guys work well together,” he said. “I enjoy the camaraderie and keeping history alive.”

Leuthold farms two miles from Granite and grows corn for the shelling demonstrations.

Each year, the board decides on special tractors to feature at the show. This year it was models from Farmers Union Co-op and the Thieman Harvester Co.

“We lean toward some of the lesser-known stuff,” Hansen said.

The Thieman brothers started in 1921 by making ensilage harvesters in Albert City, Iowa. They came out with a tractor kit in 1936, which sold for $185 and the farmer supplied the engine, driveshaft and rear end and provided a low-cost option during the Great Depression, according to an article in the Granite Gazette newsletter put together for the threshing bee. The company ended production in the 1940s when the war effort took priority in the need for steel.

Another featured tractor this year was the Farmers Union Co-op No. 1 and 2, first built in 1936 by the Duplex Machinery Co. in Battle Creek, Michigan. They were advanced for their time, featuring electric starting, adjustable rear tread and road speeds up to 23 mph, according to the Granite Threshing Bee website.

“They’re still a part of the history, and we don’t want to sweep them under the rug,” Hansen said.

The thresherman’s association is doing its part to keep history alive with tangible experiences for people of all ages.

The 2026 Granite Threshing Bee is set for July 17-19, 2026. The group also organizes a swap meet and car show, which is coming up Sept. 12-13. Find information at www.granitethreshingbee.com.