A celebration of ag culture, history

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This article was published 29/07/2023 (977 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AUSTIN — People from all parts of Canada and even some from the United States made the trek to Austin on Friday to take part in the 2023 Manitoba Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede, which kicked off on Thursday and runs through the weekend.

The Manitoba Agricultural Museum, which hosts the event, is located three kilometres south of the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 34, 77 kilometres east of Brandon.

Tricia Dyck, the museum’s collections and program manager, says the best part of the weekend is seeing so many people come together for the event from all over the country and beyond.

“People have been coming here for decades,” Dyck told the Sun. “It’s a reunion. It really is. There are so many people coming from all over the place to see people that they see here every year.”

Some of the highlights of the weekend for Dyck include the 2023 International Cockshutt Club’s annual summer show. This year marks the first time the show, where people can learn more about Cockshutt farm equipment, has made a stop in Western Canada.

Homesteader’s Village is also a not-to-be-missed attraction, Dyck said. Featuring authentic buildings from the early 1900s, the village is a key highlight of the event. From true to the time period churches and homes to an old-fashioned general store and one-room schoolhouse, walking down the lane at the village is like stepping back in time to a simpler day. Ice cream is available at the general store and cinnamon buns are baked fresh in historic clay ovens.

“It’s really rich, really beautiful,” Dyck said of the village.

Jim Zelmer, Dellan Mohrdutter and Maurice Quennelle, all retired farmers from Saskatchewan, came out and camped on the grounds to get as much enjoyment out of the four-day event as they could. Relaxing on a bench in Homesteader’s Village, the three men told the Sun that the most important part of the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede is keeping history alive and educating younger generations.

“Maybe the younger generation can’t really remember some of this stuff, so it’s good to keep it going so they can understand what happened in the past and learn about that,” Quenelle said.

For his part, Mohrdutter was impressed with how smoothly everything ran and how dedicated the volunteers are that work to keep the event going year after year.

“You gotta try to understand just how much work goes into keeping this place functional every year, and all the volunteers that we have,” he said. “We have one friend who’s been involved with this for 60 years.”

Tari-Lynne Beamish is one of the volunteers who dedicated her time, energy and effort to the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede. She hopes that the turnout for this year’s event will be bigger than ever.

“There’s just so much to see and do. You can’t do it all in one day,” she said.

Dan Mazier, the member of Parliament for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa, was in attendance along with Sen. Donald Plett, who has served as the leader of the Opposition in the Canadian Senate since 2019.

Taking a horse-drawn wagon through Homesteader’s Village, Mazier said it’s annual events like this that reflect where Manitobans come from.

“This is a great event,” Plett agreed. “I was first here at this place when I was just seven years old. It’s absolutely amazing.”

Both Mazier and Plett said they were impressed with the dedication and hard work of the volunteers at the event.

For Robert Beamish, his sons Thomas and Andrew and his grandson Noah Beamish, the Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede is a time for the whole family to come together and take part in their shared hobby of showcasing and working with their beloved 1913 75 Case 75-HP steam traction engine.

The all-purpose tractor was used up until the 1930s for the same things that modern-day tractors are used for, from powering a sawmill to pulling a plow.

“This particular one actually did a lot of logging,” Thomas said. “She’s 110 years old and works almost as good as they day it was born. If I’m 110 and doing as much work as it is, I’ll be in great shape.”

The Beamishes have been coming to the event for all 41 years of Thomas’ life, and even before that, he said. Their family farm in Hamiota and their love of old steam traction engines keep them coming back every year.

Seeing seven-year-old Noah work deftly on the engine and carefully feeding the wood fire under the watchful eye of his uncle Andrew, fills Robert with joy, he said.

“I’m so proud to see them following in my footsteps, because we need that generation.”

The Threshermen’s Reunion and Stampede is an important piece of living history that reflects a lifestyle that has now been firmly planted in the past, Thomas said. And even though the equipment — and the people who work on them — are getting older, there are some younger people who are becoming interested in this piece of agricultural history thanks to the yearly event.

“It’s awesome to see the next generation coming up.”

Held not far from where the steam engines are located, the rodeo is also a huge draw for people coming to the event. Voted the 2017 Rodeo of the Year by the Canadian Cowboys’ Association, rodeo competitors from all across Canada are in Austin striving for the top prizes in bareback and saddle bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, mutton busting, barrel racing and more.

Savon, B.C., brothers Ryan and Wyatt Reid have both been in the rodeo ring since they were four years old and made the drive out with their horses in hopes of winning some glory in the ring.

“It’s pretty good. They’ve got a nice setup here, and the crowds seem into it,” said Wyatt, who wrestles steer. “You get to see a lot of the country coming here. You just gotta enjoy it.”

Wyatt suffered a serious injury in the ring last year and was out for the whole season, so his return is even sweeter this time around, he said.

“The adrenalin just keeps us going. I don’t want to quit this, so I’ll keep going no matter what.”

Before the rodeo starts at 7:30 p.m., guests can enjoy live music in the covered grandstand at 6:30 p.m. The rodeo starts at 5 p.m. tomorrow.

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