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Antique tractor show brings family, friends together
To look at Jason Clodfelter’s vintage Allis-Chalmers tractor, one might think he had spent years restoring antique machinery.
With the way the bright orange of the 1961 D15 Series 1 gleamed in the sunlight Saturday afternoon at the Putnam County Fairgrounds, he might have spent years on this one piece of equipment alone.
But that is not the case, the Greencastle native confessed.
“I started this project the day after Thanksgiving last year,” Clodelter said. “I’ve never done anything like this in my life before. I’d never even painted a vehicle.”
Of course, Clodfelter’s machine was just one of 95 on display Saturday for the second-annual Putnam County Antique Tractor and Machinery Show, Swap Meet and Craft Fair.
The orange of the Allises mixed with the reds of Cases and International Harvesters, greens of Olivers and John Deeres and various other hues and manufacturers.
But Clodfelter’s model certainly was an eye catcher.
Now a resident of Salem in Washington County, Clodfelter’s roots with the Allis-Chalmers brand trace back to his Putnam County upbringing, even though the brand dissolved when he was just a kid.
“Both sides of my family have been Allis-Chalmers families and I wanted my own project,” Clodfelter said. “So I stripped her and built her back up.”
The tractor proved to be a gathering spot for Clodfelters and friends on Saturday. Of course, it’s that sense of community the Putnam County Antique Tractor & Machinery Association hopes to promote with the event.
“It’s been a success. We’ve grown from last year, added the craft fair,” organizer Dale Bruner. “We’ve had a lot of people in and out of here and everybody has seemed to have a good time. It’s almost perfect weather.”
With the growth of the event from about 70 tractors last year to nearly 100 this year, organizers plan to keep the event going and growing.
“We’re going to make this an every year thing,” Bruner said.