Antique tractors, engines, classic cars return to ACHS Friday and Saturday
Antique tractors are lined up on display during last year’s Smoky Mountain Antique Tractor and Engine Show at Anderson County High School. The show is on again this Friday and Saturday in the same location. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
The tractors will be the highlight of the event, which will run from 8 a.m. until dusk on Friday (June 6) and from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday.
They will include various vintages from manufacturers such as Case, Allis-Chalmers, John Deere, Farmall, Ford and Oliver.
Admission and parking for the event are free.
Held the second weekend in June, the show is the biggest event of the year for the Clinton-based Smoky Mountain Antique Engine and Tractor Association.
In last year’s show, there were 83 vintage tractors on display, along with the old engines, classic cars and semi-trucks.
Among the activities at the show this weekend will be the Parade of Power, a raffle and auction, the Semi-Country Light Show on Friday night, and craft vendor booths.
Food trucks and trailers will also be on hand to feed the participants and spectators.
The event coordinator again this year is Carl Chesney, who keeps six old tractors of his own at his home in Maynardville.
Mira Hausser of Halls, who produces the club’s newsletter, said the Smoky Mountain Tractor group also participates in other events throughout each year, including “tractor drives, the TVA Fair, the Dandridge Hot Air Balloon Festival and more.”
Besides the tractor group, the Smoky Mountain Model A Ford Club also participates in the annual Clinton event, and club members will have some of their cars on display.
There will be a parking lot shuttle both days of the show, using a vintage tractor to pull a wagon with three bench seats.
The tractor group was founded in 1982 by a group of people who wanted to “provide historical education for members, [the] public, and schools; assist each other in solving problems and obtaining parts for old engines, tractors, and equipment; work toward the preservation of old engines, tractors, and equipment; and hold shows and demonstrations of old engines, tractors, and equipment,” according to the website (smaeta.org).
It has about 100 members, and “the equipment owned and displayed by the membership is varied and includes many rare and unusual items,” the association says.
For more information, check out the group’s website (smaeta.org) or Facebook page.
