8
BEHIND THE SCENES
MAY 25�JUNE 1, 2022
FROM THE
COVER
Step back in time at the Old Iron Show
By Jeff Peterson
For Go! Magazine
P
ENDLETON — Come for the
sounds. Stay for the history
lesson. Meet enthusiasts who
eagerly invest thousands of dol-
lars making old iron sing.
Poppin’ Johnnies will join the
chorus with their distinctive ex-
haust notes, and Hit and Misses
add their snort POP whoosh
whoosh whoosh snort POP at
the 18th annual Old Iron Show
June 3-5 at Roy Raley Park, 1205
SW Court Ave.
You’ve probably heard John-
nies. The distinctive green and
yellow John Deere two-cylinder
tractors, made up to 1960, could
be heard from the south 40 to
the north 40.
Hit and Misses are stationary
internal combustion engines. In
peak use from about 1910 to the
early 1930s, they hit when oper-
ating at or below a set speed and
missed when exceeding their
set speed.
Presented by the Umatilla
County Historical Society, the
show will run from 8 a.m. to dusk
Friday and Saturday and 8 a.m.-
1 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.
At least 50 exhibitors will bring
one to fi ve items — machinery
from bygone eras — to the show.
Expect old iron engines — “the
oldest we ever had was a Golden
Gate made in 1897,” said Jack
Remillard, who started the show
in 2004 and helps organize it
each year. “I’d been to shows
around the Northwest, and
asked myself, ‘Why can’t we do
that in Pendleton?’”
The show has been a going
concern ever since.
Attendees will see tractors,
antique cars and vintage farm
implements, perhaps including a
corn sheller and a hay chopper. As
many as 100 single-cylinder en-
gines will be on hand to show how
things were done back in the day.
But that’s not all. Remillard’s
steam engine drew a crowd last
year when he brought it to the
show for the fi rst time. He will
bring it back this year. The steam
engine is as quiet as the Johnny
Popper is noisy.
Heritage Station Museum/Contributed photo
The Old Iron Show is set for June 3-5 at Roy Raley Park in Pendleton.
“Steam was king for 150 years
or better,” he said, “and the one
we have, built in 1900, is a fairly
modern one. They run on wood,
straw, coal — anything that will
burn — and are so quiet.”
Also on display this year will be
World War II gear — an ambu-
lance, half track (wheels front,
tracks back) and weapons.
Exhibitors come from all over.
Many show up Thursday to begin
setting up for the show.
“They come from California,
Nevada, Washington, Idaho and
all over Oregon,” Remillard said.
“They spend thousands and
thousands to fi x up equipment
and bring to the show. I always
try to get people to bring their
most unique piece so it’s some-
thing unusual. It’s amazing what
shows up every year.”
The payoff is not just in cama-
raderie among exhibitors or the
enjoyment of showing their labors
of love to antique gear fanatics.
In a display of Pendleton
hospitality, “we feed all the
exhibitors Friday and Saturday
evenings, and provide them
with lunch tickets for Friday and
Saturday,” Remillard said.
The event started much more
modestly. Perhaps 10 exhibitors
appeared at the fi rst one-day
show. It expanded fi rst to two
days and then to three about a
decade ago.
In year one, admission was
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charged, but the family-friendly
event has been free ever since.
Other special features this
year include a vendor serving
Mexican food and hamburgers.
A tractor train will drive children
around the park.
Major sponsors are RDO
Equipment Co., Hill’s Premium
Meats, Olsen’s Auto Parts, the
Umatilla Electric Cooperation
and the P.J. Rohde Ranch.
In deference to the COVID
pandemic, hand-cleaning stations
will be set up and masks will be
available to hand out. They are not
required for the outdoor venue.
“People are anxious to get
out,” Remillard said. “We saw
that last year, and I think we’ll see
that even more so this year.”
The event is a fundraiser for the
Umatilla County Historical Society
and Heritage Station Museum.
“Everything we get is by
donation,” Remillard said. “Last
year we made about $3,500 for
the museum.”
For information call Mark at
541-303-3309, Bill at 541-240-
9023 or Jack at 541-310-0583.