The Big Fall Sale

In an earlier post, I mentioned that the big Fall Sale at Dinky's was coming up.  Well, it's here and I took in some of it yesterday and today.  It has been raining buckets, but as dry as it's been during the past summer, no one is complaining a bit.  We've gotten three or four inches in the last 36 hours, I'd guess, but it's not keeping folks away from the sale.

Not everything went as high as this skillet.  It reportedly sold for $1350.00 !!

A #13 Griswold skillet reportedly sold for a whopping $1350.00 !!  In a nutshell, the Griswold company made many different sizes of skillets.  The #13, being it used the unlucky number 13, was the most UN-popular.  As a result, few are around today and are eagerly sought by collectors.

The inside stuff sold yesterday, and the sale moved outside to the tools and implements today.  Carts, buggies, and wagons were being sold inside.  In all, there were five outside rings, one in the main building, and a harness sale going on in the north barn...all at the same time.  Here is a link to an account of the sale in the local newspaper:  Washington Times Herald

There were many crocks, churns, and jugs to bid on.

To the left of the stoneware in this photo is a second auction ring.  Some buyers were watching both and bidding on two items at the same time!

Here is a nice assortment of lamps.

The 'latest' in wringer washing machines!  All will go at the auction.

A nice bunch of grinding stones.

Some  'water purifiers' sold as well.

I'd never seen one of these...an ice plow or ice saw.  It is pulled behind a horse on an ice-covered lake.  It scores the ice and helps to make it easier to cut.

An nice old sharpener.

Here is a nice old corn sheller, ready to use.

Lard presses.

There were a couple of these nest boxes.  The perches fold down in front of each row of nest openings.

An old cider mill.

A newer version of cider mill.

A variety of butchering kettles.

If you look closely, there are three separate auctions going here.  Each truck has an auctioneer doing his job.

A variety of horse drawn farm implements.

Got a big dog or very active child that you need to put to work?  You can hook this treadmill to a lot of different machines!

More horse drawn implements.

A big old thresher.

I liked this forge and the big swaging block.

Tonight will be the big auction of Standardbred driving horses, and the horse pull will be moved inside due to the torrential rains we've had yesterday and today.  Tomorrow will be more driving horses, then Friday will be the draft horse sale.  Big doings for the area. 

Recent Events

It seems that busy-ness has been getting in the way of posting here, so here is an attempt to catch up somewhat.

First, I'm happy to report that we have been getting some sorely needed rain.  After Hurricane Isaac became Tropical Storm Isaac, then moved inland and up the Mississippi Valley to become big, bad storm Isaac, we got the first significant rainfall in months.  In a few days, we got nearly three inches of rain.  Then, just over the past day or so, we got another two inches!  That is more rainfall than we've had all summer!!  Behind this last front came some really nice weather, so we've been enjoying blue skies and clouds and temps in the 70-degree range...outstanding!

I recently visited the weekly Friday night sale at Dinky's, over north of Cannelburg.  I took some friends over for the evening and we saw all kinds of stuff selling in the six auction rings going at one time.  I usually just go for the social event that it is, but I couldn't pass up bidding on the items in the picture below.  I scored the like-new Coleman campstove for $7.50 and the big canner for $3.00!  I was tickled with the buys.

On Saturday morning, Patti and I headed to the White River Valley Antique Association's 28th Annual Show, in Elnora.  I didn't take a lot of photos there, but the place was packed.  Hundreds of vintage tractors of every make, along with the old village and demonstrations of sorghum pressing and cooking, steam threshing and other old time activities were seen.  Below are just a couple of shots of the flea market area.

This lady had all kinds of old jugs and crocks for sale.

In the center of this photo, you can see a long line of butter churns for sale.

Below is a video of some folks cooking down apple butter.  I actually shot this at last year's show, but they were back and doing their thing again on Saturday.  The kettle is about two and a half feet across.  The stirring paddle is powered by a small engine in back. 

Some Big Events!

On September 6-9, the White River Valley Antique Association will host its 28th Annual Show in Elnora, Indiana.  If you have any interest at all in historical and old-timey agriculture and machinery, then this show is one you should attend.  I've been going for many years, and rarely miss it.  There is lots of steam power, wood power, and horse power demonstrations.  You'll see threshing, sorghum pressing and molasses making, a steam powered machine shop, a country school, and too much more to list.  Below is an aerial view of a recent show.  It gives you an idea of the size of this event.

Here is a snippet from their website:  "The White River Valley Antique Association (WRVAA) Show takes a step back in time for both farmers and city folk and draws over 17,000 guests each year. This year’s show will have trucks, steam engines, horse demonstrations, field demonstrations, hay press, machine shop, threshing, hand dipped candles, sawmill, flea market items and much more. There are many activities planned and this is an event that you will not want to miss."

I will add that the Kettle Corn and Elephant Ears only add to the attraction of the event!  The flea market is huge.  If you come, be sure to wear your walking shoes!

Here is a link to the show flyer: http://www.wrvaa.org/show-flyer


In addition to the Antique Tractor Show, this weekend is also the time for the Montgomery Turkey Trot.  This festival is celebrated each year and is put on by the Montgomery Ruritan Club.  There are horse pulls, tractor pulls, mud volleyball, a cornhole tourney, pig wrestling, a demolition derby and concerts.  Of course, it also has a genuine turkey trot, where contestants race their birds for the grand prize!  It is another well-attended event in the area.

Here is a link:  http://montgomeryruritanclub.com/TurkeyTrot.htm



Finally, is one of my favorite events: the Fall Antique and Horse Sale, held every September at Dinky's, north of Cannelburg, IN.  Dinky's is the local sale barn and has big weekly sales.  Twice yearly, they host a four day sale for old farm machinery, antiques, wagons, harness, horses, etc.  This year's event is 25-28 September.  It draws folks from 30 states and half a dozen Canadian provinces!  If you can't find something here you 'need', then you just need to look closer!  It is a great time.

This year, the machinery, carriages, and antiques will sell on 25 and 26 September.  the Standardbred horse auction begins at 5:00pm on 26 September.  The big horse and colt auction is on 27 September, and Knepp's horse and colt sale is on 28 September.

Need some copper 'utensils'?

Everyone needs a church bell, right?

Cider presses, crocks, lard presses and other homestead items.

There is lots of old farm machinery available at the sale.

Tools and machinery

This is a view of one of the several auction rings going at the same time at the event!