Antique Farm Equipment Archives

January 21, 2012

1967 Steam Thresher and Old Settlers Reunion

The caption that ran with a photograph similar to this one on the front page of the July 3, 1967, Missourian read, “Chaff spews from the muzzle of an ancient separator, adding to the pile of straw which small boys find irresistible. The scene was part of the seventh annual Cape County Steam Thresher and Old Settlers Reunion held on the Earl Kirchhoff farm north of Cape Girardeau Saturday and Sunday. Old farm machinery showed how things were done years ago. The event Sunday was attended by about 200 persons.”

Operating a Port Huron engine is serious business

I didn’t realize how many other frames I had taken of the event until I kept pulling negative sleeves out of the drawer. I’m printing them because I assume there are some steam engine fans out there who will be interested.

Kids loved the straw pile

There are probably 83 reasons why you couldn’t do this today, but THESE kids had a blast and kept lining up to go again.

Not sure where these were taken

I never did get clear on whether or not these photos were taken at what it now called the Chuck Maevers Memorial Gardens on the west side of Hwy 127 at Egypt Mills. Were any of you among the 200 who showed up for the event?

Photo gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery. From a technical standpoint, these were taken at the absolutely worst time of day: noonish, when the sun was almost directly overhead making for horrible shadows. Hint: don’t shoot then unless you have no choice.

January 21, 2012January 21, 2012

Chuck Maevers Memorial Grounds

Mother and I were headed out Hwy 177 near Egypt Mills when I spotted some old farm equipment and a sign that said “Chuck Maevers Memorial Grounds.”

“I wonder if that’s where they used to hold the old steam threshing events?” I asked her. She wasn’t sure.

So, I’ll have to ask you folks: is this by any chance the old Earl Kirchhoff farm? I found some really neat shots of the Seventh Annual Cape County Steam Thresher and Old Settlers Reunion that was held on that farm on July 2, 1967. I’ll run those tomorrow when I get a little more info.

Photo gallery of farm equipment

Here are the photos I shot Oct. 30, 2011. The 1967 shots are a lot more interesting. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.

June 26, 2011March 1, 2012

Catfish Kitchen in Draffenville

On my final leg back to Cape, I was starting to get hungry. I knew I’d get home later than Wife Lila and Mother would want to wait (not even taking into consideration that I’d pick up a tired bike tourist), so I started thinking about what I wanted. Since I was on I-24 in the vicinity of Paducah, I pulled up the GPS waypoint for the Catfish Kitchen, which is near Draffenville, which is near Benton, Ky, which isn’t near much of anything.

The actual address is 136 Teal Run, about a mile south of Draffenville, Ky., off US 641. Just follow the cars. They’re open Wednesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Google the restaurant and there are plenty of maps showing you the location.

Be prepared to wait

Since the folks had a trailer on Kentucky lake not far away, I’ve eaten a lot of catfish, frog legs, white beans and hushpuppies there. The only catfish around Cape that comes close to it is at Sandy’s Place at the airport on Friday night.

Because it is popular, long waits are common. That’s not such a bad thing, though. Behind the restaurant is a small lake full of fish, turtles and waterfowl. Kids and adults alike love to toss bread and hushpuppies into the water and see the size of the fish that snatch them up.

Ducks, turtles, fish and bugs

I found photos going back to 2002 without much searching. These ducks were floating around in October of that year.

Comfortable waiting room

If the weather’s not conducive to hanging around the lake or wandering outside looking at antique farm equipment, there’s a comfortable waiting room. There are plenty of toys and games to keep the kids from getting too squirmy. If they get too much out of hand, you can always feed them to the bear.

Meet Uncle Ezra

The service is fast and the servers are great about checking to see if you want refills of the unlimited white beans, hushpuppies, slaw and drinks. Mother and I took Wife Lila’s brother, John Perry over there once. They must have had to harvest another field of beans to handle his requests for refills. (I made sure to take him a half-pint of them when I left the other night.)

The inside of the restaurant is decorated with a whimsy. There’s plenty to look at while you’re waiting. The first time I saw Uncle Ezra, I thought he was real.

Antique farm machinery

You can wander around scoping out the antique farm machinery dotting the road. They have a PA system loud enough to hear your party being called, so don’t worry about losing your place in line.

Photo gallery of Catfish Kitchen

Here’s a collection of photos I’ve taken of the Catfish Kitchen over the years. Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side to move through the gallery.