The small, north-central Iowa town of Homer is playing host to an event this weekend that celebrates the farming techniques of more than a century ago.

Don Lamb is one of the organizers of the 13th Annual Threshing Bee. “We started doing this because we wanted to do things that our forefathers did,” Lamb says.

Collectors of antique tractors and machinery from around the state — and around the world — are gathering in the Hamilton County community. “We’ve gotten calls from Australia and England and there are people flying in here for this,” Lamb says. “It’ll quite a celebration for gas engine enthusiasts and tractor collectors.”

The two-day event will include demonstrations of the old-fashioned way of threshing and baling oats, corn shelling, and more. Lamb says one highlight in a tractor ride Sunday morning through Brushy Creek State Park.

This year’s event is featuring the Oliver Cornbelt Collector’s Club of Iowa and the Maytag Collector’s Club. The town of Homer is located about 8 miles south of Webster City.

by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City