Photo by Deb Gau Boden Richter sits in the seat of his great-grandfather’s tractor at the Good Old Days and Threshing Show. Later, Richter would ride in the antique tractor parade.

HANLEY FALLS — Visiting Hanley Falls this weekend was a little like stepping back in time.

The grounds of Minnesota’s Machinery Museum were filled with antique tractors, gasoline engines and even steam engines powering threshing machines.

Working with machines that came from the days before high-tech farm equipment was part of what made the Good Old Days and Threshing Show fun, exhibitors said.

“It’s something about how everything is all mechanical,” said John Heller of Hutchinson.

There weren’t any computerized parts on the two antique engines Heller brought to the show.

This year, the Pioneer Power Threshing Club celebrated its 50th anniversary at the Good Old Days and Threshing Show. Over time, threshing bees held by club members in the 1970s grew into an event that brings in exhibitors from around the region. Some of the events over the weekend included a tractor pull, demonstrations of threshing oats and baling straw, and antique tractor parades.

While some of the people at the show Saturday were interested in seeing farm equipment they grew up with, there were also some people from younger generations, like Heller, and Amber Louwagie of Cottonwood.

On Saturday afternoon, Louwagie was learning how to work with a 1911 Case steam engine from other exhibitors. After putting on a pair of heavy work gloves, Louwagie put some more wood into the fire heating the engine.

Louwagie said she had been interested in old farm equipment “ever since I was little.” It was also an interest she shared with other members of her family. Louwagie said she wanted to work toward getting licensed to operate a steam engine.

Brad Kompelien said his father Byron Kompelien and Clem Anton had bought the 1911 steam engine together, and then 15 or 20 years ago, they worked to restore it and get it working again. The community of people involved with the threshing club and show were a big resource, Kompelien said.

“The experience of other people helps us learn,” he said.

Heller said Saturday was his first time exhibiting at the Hanley Falls show, but he and his dad had been collecting and showing antique engines for a long time. For this weekend’s threshing show, Heller brought a 2.5 horsepower Gilson engine, and a Robson engine replica that was built by Clem Anton of Marshall.

“It’s a replica of an engine from 1857,” Heller said.

Working with antique engines is fun, but it’s not always easy. Heller said keeping an old engine running can sometimes mean having to do things like casting a replacement part.

“It’s always a challenge trying to reverse-engineer something from 100 years ago,” he said.

Getting to keep family traditions going, and share antique machinery with other people was also part of the fun of the show, Louwagie and Heller said.

“You feel a sense of pride,” Heller said. “We just enjoy what we do.”