Leduc West Antique Society

THE IGNITOR NEWSLETTER

VOL.14 No. 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . October 2003

"Living the Past for Future Generations"

Leduc West Antique Society Executive:                  www.leducwestantique.com

APPRECIATION NITE

Saturday, November 8, 2003

TELFORD HOUSE Leduc

6:30PM

To show their appreciation for all the assistance members have given the Society over the year the executive invites you to an APPRECIATION SUPPER on Saturday Nov. 8. Reminder: all assistance doesn't have to be physical it could be promoting the society in some way. It would be helpful if you could call ahead to assist us in determining how many to prepare for. We will be having turkey & all the trimmings with Marilyn's Black Forest cake for dessert.

Bring along your board games, jokes, cards, etc. for a fun time. A 50/50 draw will be available. The 50% to winners will be broken into 25% + 15% + 10%. A short meeting will follow supper.

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Walter Burak

Our events at the Park this year were sure a wonderful success. We are getting to be well known as a place to attend every July & September. The tractor Pull event in Sept. turned out much better than expected with the support of the public and exhibitors.

The insurance issue is still with us. There has been discussion & comments from some LWAS members and exhibitors that LWAS Executive instigated the required coverage. This is not true. Jubilee Insurance, our provider, informed us that they will not cover private exhibits - that is the responsibility of each exhibitor for their own exhibit. We were the first antique club in Alberta to require this. In my conversations with other clubs I understand any exhibitor operating at any other show is not protected unless they have their own PL & PD coverage. I am aware of 4 accidents that have happened at shows within the past 10 years - two involving horses & two involving tractors. Apparently these are shrugged off. This past summer there was an incident involving a car & a trailer - both parties had their own insurance settle it. We have been trying to obtain blanket coverage for all members of LWAS that appear at our show with no success. At least a dozen insurance companies have been contacted and all are not interested. Not one premium quote has been received to date; but, I guess if an exhibitor can't obtain coverage for his exhibit why would another company that doesn't know their history provide coverage? The insurance issue will be pursued with an insurance broker in Leduc. I have a pamphlet from an antique show in Ontario that Norm Miller attended. On the front page it states: "All exhibitors and vendors are required to carry public liability insurance on their exhibits at the show, and must show proof of such when you register." Insurance is not only a LWAS problem, it relates to a good part of Canada.

Al Litke and Penny have vacated the station effective on August 26, 2003. The mortgage & other expenses rendered to Al & Penny has been totally discharged with interim financing of $45 000.00 provided by five LWAS members. A good portion of this will be paid back this fall. We do have deficiencies to contend with ie; the roof & raising the building.

On September 10th, very mysterious brown patches were noticed on the lawn around the Gazebo and train station. After some investigation it appears that this was deliberate vandalism. It appears that Round-up or like product was used on the grass, shrubs, and spruce trees. This has been reported to the RCMP. Pictures have been taken to document this horrible act. A chemical analysis will be conducted to determine the herbicide used for this vandalism. Anyone having information should contact us as soon as possible.

Anyone with access to the Internet should check our web site. Very good pictures of our July show & Country Harvest are posted with all the results from the Provincial Antique Tractor Pull Championship included. Christine Harrold is doing an excellent job keeping our web site current.

The society received two new displays in the past month. One is an outboard motor display & the other a hammer display. Since permanent locations are undecided as yet, they will be located in the Founder's Building for the present time. More information on the displays is in this newsletter.

We hope to see many of you at the Appreciation Nite Supper on November 8 !!!!

EVENT CO-ORDINATOR'S REPORT - Marg Burak 986-0054

BIG BIGGER BIGGEST !! I guess that about sums it up. This was the most PAID attendance at the show ever (5200) It wasn't that long ago when we were thrilled that our whole attendance hit the 5000 mark. In spite of our Compulsory Insurance Policy our tractor exhibits were pretty comparable to other years. Our trucks, cars & other exhibits were about the same. The Llama exhibits attracted a whole new group of people which really added to the show. New visitors are just in awe when they come out to the show. As one guy put it "I knew you were growing; but, I had no idea it was of this magnitude". Several others commented, "Why do we go to the Klondike Exhibition, when there is such a variety out here? We don't have to worry about our kids and the prices are awesome ! !" If word like that gets around we should be expanding more every year.

Our concession intake hit the $30 000.00 range. That's a lot of burgers, coffee, pop, & pie. Thanks to all for the donated pies. A special thanks to Anna & Marilyn who operate the concession. The supper on Saturday was unbelievable. Thanks to Committee head, Wally and cooks Reinhold Orthlieb , Allan Hem & crew !! Who would have thought cooking in a pit below ground level could make a roast so heavenly. Thanks to members of the Black Gold Rodeo for serving. It was unfortunate that people were told the supper tickets were sold out already in the early afternoon. I guess this was caused by lack of communication - this is an area we'll have to address next year. However, there was no problem selling the leftovers on Sunday. People were still in awe over the tenderness of the roasts the next day. Guess what we'll be serving for the 2004 show !!!!

The Jigger Boys had a lot of riders over the two days. This is well received by the public. Thanks to Elmer & crew for extending the track. This sure helped in transporting the people to the camping area. WOW !! Did you get to see all those motorhomes? They were parked all the way to the bone yard.

The new generator display in the engine building (or was it the guys) attracted quite a lot of interested people. Now we will be adding two more new displays. It would be so nice if we had a cement floor in that building. One of these years I hope a sponsor will come forward & say here's $20 000.00 go for it !!! I guess we can all dream. Many visitors are in awe when they see what is available at our site. Did you check out all those gadgets by Bill's junk box.? I'm sure some of them took more time to set up, use, & put away than to do it by hand. No wonder many of our ancestors scoffed at the new fandango contraptions we brought home to show them. Just think in 50 years the kids are going to freak out when they see the type of computers we are using today. Oh well, such is progress.

A Channel gave us a lot of free publicity this year. They were out filming on the Thursday before the show with the threshing, sawmill, Farmer Bill's collection and Peter's Rumley & Oldsmobile. (Watch those hands, Peter !!) Bridget sure is quite the gal. Then Friday afternoon I accompanied John through all the buildings to film for the 6 o'clock news. They wound up the set with filming the Tractor Square Dancing & the dancing at the entertainment stage. What wonderful coverage !!! Our hats go off to A Channel!!! We are very fortunate for all the radio & TV stations coverage for the show. There was a lot of coverage in the newspapers as well. We would like you, as listeners, to pass on our appreciation.

A special thanks to all the volunteers who help to put on a show. With out your assistance we would be lost. Many of you now have reached that age where you can no longer assist, so you send out your children and grandchildren. That is just super!!! Perhaps some of them will think about becoming members. The volunteer roster is getting pretty thin and worn.

The entertainment was great for the three days. A special thanks to Kathy Abel for organizing this. I received several requests already from bands that wish to participate next year. In fact one guy is personnel friends with Alfie Myers & figures he can have him do a few numbers. Wouldn't that be awesome. It was also very nice to see Vic & the boys back.

I would like to thank the heads of all the committees for their excellent organization in making their area run smoothly. It's a lot easier for me as the co-ordinator when I have good committee heads. I hope to see you all back next year !!!! Also thanks to our Major Sponsors - RODA DEACO Valve, Schneiders, Co-op, UFA, Antique Mall, & Ertman Miller for their generous donations to help keep down the expenses.

PARK NEWS

Remember all those pages of projects which accompanied the January newsletter. Well many of those projects were completed in the first half of the year and now there are several ongoing this fall.

(1) Landscaping projects - some gravel along Vintage Iron street & a temporary extension of the railroad to the camping area.

(2) Building projects completed - loading ramp (under construction), gate arm, new roof & shade protection on Information booth & North Gate booth, verandah on modeler's building.

(3) Painting projects completed - corral bleachers (right down to the steel frames), beams on Modeler's building, some wash stands received vinyl tops, the second concession received a complete overhaul - filled holes, sanded, scraped, painted, door frames, etc. (What an improvement !!!)

(4) Maintenance projects - garbage incinerator - wire guard & cleaned out, more pop can barrels made, more signs & a new way to change dates on signs, Arnold's display partially finished, shelves made to store lumber.

(5) Moving projects - electrical shed & tool shed moved - still need cleaning. Booth at north gate will be placed in the centre of the road when the road is widened.

(6) The cupboard belonging to the Mayday home was restored & is now in its original place in the home. Next year the home will see outside - a garden, rose bushes, saskatoon, chokecherry, and raspberry plants, rhubarb plant, & an outhouse. Terry Knull has offered to look after this along with the flowers at the front entrance & by the station. A special thanks again to the Joyce & the girls for looking after the front entrance all these years.

(7) The blacksmith shop donated by Gordon Adam was restored by Elmer & is on display in Elmer's building. If you haven't seen it this summer make a point to go see it next year. It's amazing all the work done with such limited equipment.

(8) The waterline was extended for the flowers when the caretaker's trailer was installed. Now Al Saramaga put in a holding tank for the concession in the Founders Building. One will later be put in place for the second concession. Wally assured me that we will have hot & cold running water next year in both buildings. A big thank you to Al for donating his equipment & time to have this done. We should have people lining up to help now in the concessions.

(9) Janitorial Projects - The reefer & under the bleachers - spotlessly clean & everything set up for next year, the Sanitary Cafe - clean & now the home for our signs & shelving.. All equipment was neatly put away in the engine building, Founder's building, Fraser building, pole shed, etc. Still major work in the bone yard. We'll get there.

(10) The Alberta Justice Workers will still be coming out in October to do some major outside work. The trees along the north & east side need pruning, grass cut, raked, twigs & branches cleaned up. Grass needs to be cleaned out around the trees by the bone yard. Much cleaning is needed in the bone yard area. Let's hope the snow holds off for a month yet. Unfortunately two of the projects I really wanted done didn't make it this year - that's the siding finished on the bleachers & the ceiling done on the dance floor canopy. Oh well, there's always next year.

We were successful in receiving a GRANT this year from the Community Facility Enhancement Program. We received $50 000.00. One of the main areas that is part of this grant is the installation of power to the north side. It wasn't that many years ago when we hesitated to move the show grounds to the north side of the swale as it was so far away from the core area. Now it has become the core area and we have expanded beyond. As you are aware UTILICORP installed a transformer free of charge to supply power to the north side. There are a number of new buildings in the area now which require power. As well there is more interest from 3rd Party Contributors to build in the area. Even though we are an antique site we do require power to perform the many jobs required to keep equipment operational, operate equipment for restoration projects, and just to be able to see to work on equipment. This will assist us so we don't have to move equipment into the Founder's Gallery to be repaired. We were fortunate to receive a donation of a "Ditch-Witch" to do the trenching to install the power lines. This work will be carried out this fall. Also, our site is so dark when the sun goes down so we have decided to install lights throughout the grounds. Again we received a generous donation of light standards to place around the grounds. With our own trenching machine we can dig our own lines at only the cost of fuel. What a long way we have come !!!! Peter Straub, who works for Schlumberger, was able to get donations of a lathe, paint booth, and some miscellaneous items which are placed in the restoration shop.

Perhaps this fall Bill may even get time to work on the road construction. Part of this grant is for gravel on the roads. This winter, major work will probably be done on the station. The station roof is also part of the grant. Elmer will probably be working on a grill house for the second concession. I know when we get back from holidays we will be working on the inside in our building, Howard will continue working on his building, etc. Depending on the severity of the winter we may see quite a lot of work completed at the site. As always, we can use extra hands, hot chocolate, or apple pie, Or if you had a successful year - monetary donations. Remember we do issue Charity Tax Receipts.

Since I started writing this newsletter many projects have been done - the loading ramp is completed, the trenching for the electrical on the north side is well on its way, some of the north trees have been pruned, grass cut, and many branches picked up. However, what we need at the site is a small rake, probably a 4 - 5 foot one, which can be pulled with the little tractor, to pick up all the leaves & twigs. It can even be lifted manually - it doesn't need hydraulics. It sure would beat the many hours of raking by hand. Are there any takers out there to build me such a piece of equipment??? Please call if your interested !!

The Park was used for a variety of things this year. There were dog shows, auctions, parties, tours, photographers, picnics, gymkhana practices, etc. Besides collecting revenue from the rental fee & profits made from the concession, these activities provide good publicity for the Park. Many of the people that come have never been to the Park before & indicated they will be back for our major events. Aleah Nusl, Marlene & Natasha Schaber, & Wally Banik helped me operate the concession. We even had a birthday party one Sunday afternoon and as it turned out the Gymkhana Riders were having a practice that day and provided entertainment for many of the little guests.

The Reeve Tour organized by the County was a smashing success. There were approximately 40 in attendance to enjoy not only the tour; but, the wine & double chocolate Black Forest cake along with the traditional coffee, tea, & juice. The 1/2 hour tour extended to 1 1/2 hours. They are a fine group of people and this gives us an opportunity to say thank you for all their assistance. Anna even persuaded 6 councillors to assist with cooking breakfast for the July show.

COUNTRY HARVEST

Our Country Harvest has shown quite an improvement over other years. The Antique Tractor Pull was very well received. There were quite a number of tractors participating with many indications that they will be back & bringing their friends for next years pull. There is a possibility we may have to extend it to two days just to accommodate all the entrees. There has been an increasing interest from clubs who do not have tractor pulling as one of their events. The Society purchased the sled that was used for the pulls. It is a self-propelled sled which works like a charm. I wanted to purchase the operator with it: however, he wasn't for sale. He did indicate he would show us how to operate it. We are planning several smaller fun pulls for members during the spring & summer. So get those tractors geared up for some fun time at the Park. Thanks to Olive & her band for the fine entertainment we had all day & through the supper line-up. We sold 701 tickets for the 50/50 draw. The money is to go for the swing set. Hopefully, I will soon have enough that the executive will authorize the ordering of one.

The winners for the PROVINCIAL ANTIQUE TRACTOR PULL CHAMPIONSHIP are:

The trophies will remain on display at the Alberta Heritage Exposition Park. The Sponsors for the Antique Tractor Pull Championship were:

Class 1 - Leduc West Antique Society
Class 2 - Ann Yaholnitsky in Memory of Bud Yaholnitsky
Class 3 - Helen & Ertman Miller
Class 4 - Leduc Trophies
Class 5 - Wally & Marg Burak
Class 6 - Roda Deaco Valve
Class Feather Weight - Bill Smith in Memory of Elsie Smith
Class Slow Race - Dallas & Joyce Arnholtz

QUILLTERS WANTED

I received 3 old wool quilts, which I have taken apart, and will be turning in for new wool batts. I also received numerous yards of broadcloth which have been washed and are ready for use. Now all I need is several ladies to get together during the winter and make a quilt. The tickets for this quilt will be sold at the various events at the Park. In this way we do not require a licence and we are not limited to the number of tickets sold. The draw will be made at the Appreciation Supper in the fall of 2004. That means the quilt will have to be ready for the February meeting to be on display. If there are any interested ladies I would appreciate a call. The quilting frame could be set up in the station where it is nice and warm or if someone would prefer to do it at their house that would be fine. Please call 986-0054 if you would like to undertake this project.

BINGOS

We had 3 successful bingos this year. Netting a profit of over $4500.00. I would like to thank all those who participated in helping to work these bingos. Next year we will be having more. If you are interested working a bingo for the society, please contact me.

CASINO

The society will not have another casino until the year 2005. However, we did assist the Calmar historical Society in having their first casino this year in September. Several of our members are also members of the Calmar society as well. We had a very enjoyable time. Vi Coates & Frances Sych had their first experience at operating a computer and being the banker. They both totally enjoyed it. See one is never too old to learn.

MEMBERSHIP

If you haven't changed your membership to lifetime, please send in your yearly dues early in the year for 2004. Hopefully, there is no one left who hasn't paid in 2003. If there is anyone who does not receive their tax receipt for their 2003 dues with their February newsletter please contact us ASAP and it will be issued to you. This will avoid unnecessary problems. Also keep on recruiting new members. The society is getting to a stage where things are starting to go more smoothly as everything is getting more established. Remember you can get involved only as much or as little as you want. Therefore, it is up to you, as a member, to notify us if you are willing to undertake projects or assist in some way. We do not have the time to contact you. YOU CONTACT US. However, we can use as many of you as possible.

RAFFLE

The raffle was quite successful. As usual there are always the books that get misplaced & lost. However, we did bring in $9 200.00. It was much easier to raffle it in Sept opposed to July. Between the Show and Country Harvest - Mike Dobko sold 60 books. That means if we would have had the draw in July we would be out $2400.00 just from Mike's sales alone. On Nov. 8th at the Appreciation Supper we will again make a motion to hold another raffle. If it is passed I will again look after it. However, I would ask you to please let me know if you do not wish to get a book with your February newsletter. This money will be used to reimburse the money paid on the railroad station mortgage.

I always like to analyse results. If the members would have purchased their own books all tickets with the exception of Mikes would have been won by members.

KOLLECTOR'S KORNER - Bill Smith

You hear so much these days about where is the Alberta Advantage?

It is all around us, all we have to do is stop and inhale the beauty of Alberta clean air and wonderful landscapes. Now let us go one step further. In June, I made a trip to the northwestern United States. What I learned is that if you purchase items in Idaho or Washington you do not have to pay their sales tax if you have an Alberta drivers licence. When you think of hotel rooms at roughly $100.00 a night, this saves you $7.00. There is some agreement between Alberta and these states and heaven knows how many more that we pay no states sales tax, just like being at home.

However, I went to Spokane to buy lamp parts. You never saw so many antique malls as in the USA Northwestern states. The shops seem to favour old large warehouses, many 3 storey, basements, and all filled with collectibles. After looking at approximately 700 booths of items for sale in approximately 20 malls I came to one conclusion, you have to have a sharp eye as about 20% of said collectibles were reproductions, about 25% were items picked up in Canada and prices were about the same as here in Edmonton, only in US funds. This pushes the price up to about 1/3 more in Canadian funds. The balance of items were of pioneer era and quite dollar wise. There are very, very few high end items available. I came. I looked. I left. Outside of lamp parts I ended up buying a hammer that was used to make wooden cigar boxes many years ago. At least this is what the tag said. To me it could have been a fancy hammer to bonk mice with; but, I liked it.

It was a rather treat to cross into Canada again with absolutely no problem with customs. I did considerable shopping in BC - had to leave some of our good money in there to help their gov't as they need all the help they can get. Summing the trip up, let me say I can do just as well in the malls in Edmonton and Leduc looking for antiques and look how much gas I could have saved. Yes, the Alberta Advantage is right here at home !!!

OUTBOARD MOTOR COLLECTION - Don Andrich

I have been collecting outboard motors for quite a few years. I have probably collected approximately seventy-five outboard motors some of which I sold to other collectors and some I gave to people who would appreciate and take care of them. They have been stored in all corners of my yard, shed, and garage. If you looked out our kitchen window you were bound to see three or four of them. My wife was very obliging and didn't complain. It was time for these outboards to come out of hiding and into view where everybody could see them. It was suggested to me by a couple of members of the Leduc West Antique Society that I had come to know over the years that their location would be a good spot for a display. I took the step this fall and contacted Walter and the arrangements were made to set up a display of thirty of my prizes.

Some of the outboards have a story to tell. I have in the display a 1931 Muncie made by the Munice Gear Works which is still making truck transmissions. I have a Johnson HS 39 which was given to my Dad by a local neighbourhood druggist who liked to come to our cabin to go fishing. I purchased the Evinrude Handitwin from Chesley's Lodge at Netley Creek, Manitoba a number of years ago. It took me five years to find a set of ignition coils for it. The Elto Ruddertwin (Evinrude Lightwin Outboard) was built by Ole Evinrude after he sold Evinrude. By the terms of the sale he was not allowed to use the name Evinrude so therefore the name Elto. Ole Evinrude eventually repurchased Evinrude and retained the Elto brand as an alternate product.

I have collected outboards from Ontario to Omac, Washington. I have sold outboards to fellow collectors as far away as Texas. I am looking forward to sharing my collection with the members of the Leduc West Antique Society and the visiting public this summer.

HAMMERS, HAMMERS, and MORE HAMMERS - Bill Smith

Collection donated by Floyd Pester of Edmonton in memory of his wife Heather.

It is funny how we usually think of collecting in a gender sorta mould - like men collect more masculine things like army items, tools, and tobacco cans of a past era. Ladies being the dainty, delicate little things that they are, collect dishes with roses on, hat pin holders, or maybe even buttons. Never would a lady think of collecting cowboy hats or a man lacey doilies. How wrong we sometimes are when about 12 years ago I met the most charming couple through the Wildrose Antique Society, new members that they were, we are always interested in their hobbies and what they collect. The wife said she collected Raison items, M&M Candy items, and the last item was hammers. "Good Lord" hammers, how many hammers are there out there? Maybe 35 to 50 different kinds. Oh no, she had hundreds. Then you start to take stock of your memory bank and you think of the claw hammer carpenters use, blacksmith hammers of 3 or 4 sizes, ball peen hammers of various sizes and that is about it. We then got a lesson in hammers, seems like almost every trade had a set of hammers, like the Jeweller had small brass hammers, railroads had many types of hammers, coopers, body shops, ship bilders, tin smiths, shoe makers, and the list goes on and on. Since this lady was a real true hobbist, her hobby shop tools were on a wall, a place for every thing and every thing had a place. Friends admired this wall and thus the hammers started to take over, this was a lake cottage at Skelton Lake out by Boyle, Alberta. Friends enhanced the collection, then garage sales became a source, Flea markets, and of course antique shows. Now it became a passion when travelling, some of these hammers travelled from as far as Eastern Canada, USA, and all points in between. These were bought for as little as a dollar and as much as $30.00; but, were never collected for a profit, just for friends to admire. You must remember hammers cover a very wide field referring to anything that can be used for pounding.

Thus we come to the present, by that I mean this good lady passed on August 8th and it was her expressed wish that the hammer collection be passed on to where it would be available for the public to see and appreciate. The Leduc West Antique Society had the good fortune to be the recipient of this extensive collection. We can only hope to have it ready for display at our July show next year. We should be able to brag and call ourselves the Hammer Capital of Canada. I only hope we can do justice to such a worthy collection.

See You All at the APPRECIATION SUPPER
on November 8th

Hope you have a good winter & rest up for all the activities for 2004.