Pull up a seat and enjoy a steamy HCSEA event

The dog days of summer in Amish Country are well known for their blistering heat, but the steam emanating from Mt. Hope won’t be because of the sultry summer sun, but rather the many big machines rolling into town for an annual event.

The roar of old engines, the powerful sound of steam, and plenty of competition featuring tractors and horses will invite visitors to experience the thrill of steam days for the annual Holmes County Steam Engine Association Show in Mt. Hope.

Steam engines, antique tractors, threshing machines and more will soon roll into Mt. Hope for the 31st annual Holmes County Steam & Engine Show.

“This may be our biggest show yet,” HCSEA President Melvin Wengerd said. “The $10,000 purse featured for our Thursday evening horse pull is the largest in the state and always attracts some of the greatest pulling teams around.”

The three-day event will be held on the Mt. Hope Auction Grounds/Holmes County Event Center in Mt. Hope from Thursday, Aug. 3 to Saturday, Aug. 5.

Highlights will be many, but without question the biggest drawing card on the agenda will be the highly anticipated horse pull on Thursday. This event has been bringing in pull teams from many states and features a huge purse with plenty of high-end pulls that result in a crowd-pleasing evening of entertainment.

The HCSEA has gone to great lengths to make sure they put on a quality show that keeps the energy high.

In energizing the pull, the HCSEA invested in creating a new pulling track on the west end of the Mt. Hope Auction Grounds. The new pulling track benefits both pullers and fans.

New this year is a Thursday mini pony pull starting at 2 p.m., and a draft pony pull will start at 4 p.m.

Friday’s tractor pull, along with Saturday’s garden tractor and mini rod pull, will only add to the lineup.

While pulling events are featured throughout the three days, there’s plenty more to see and attend. Visitors won’t want to miss threshing and sawmill demonstrations, tractor games, and Saturday’s finale drawing for the pedal tractor. And the kids aren’t left out either, as the event will offer daily activities including a pedal tractor pull, a money scramble, and arts and crafts workshops.

Each year features a brand and make of tractor, with this year’s featured tractor being the Minneapolis Moline. Next year highlights will be Cockshutt/Co-op.

According to Wengerd, one of the newest events, the tractor tour of Holmes County, has quickly become a favorite.

“Our first tour had about 60-plus tractors,” Wengerd said. “We expect that to have many more this year.”

To complete the 90-minute tour on schedule, tractors must be able to travel at 10 mph, and Wengerd said this year’s tour will head south and east of Mt. Hope as participants explore back roads.

With plenty of great food, the entertainment won’t only come from the big machines that create the puffs of steam, but also there will be great live music. Board member Benji Weaver said the music card is full of talented and entertaining bands.

“We invite everyone to join us for live entertainment,” Weaver said. “Thursday evening at 5 p.m. will feature County Line, and Friday evening at 5 p.m. will feature Destiny.”

HCSEA regularly invites local bands into the evening events, and in addition to the music, one night will feature a glowing spectacular people won’t want to miss.

“Friday’s Steam Engine Spark Show at dusk is a must see,” Weaver said. “It’s almost like fireworks and never disappoints.”

The Holmes County Steam & Engine Association held its first annual summer show in 1993 at an Amish farm near Berlin. From an early membership of 80 members, the association has now grown to over 400 members and had more than 14,000 paid admissions at its most recent show.

The event will close at 5 p.m. on Saturday. For more information visit hcsea.com or follow the organization on Facebook.