Antique Engine and Thresher Show Boosts Bird City

Photo by Jolie Green, jgreen@dailynews.net. Parade of antique tractors on Friday, July 29, 2016 in Bird City, KS

BIRD CITY — It is an event that brings in the crowd every year.

One time a year during the three-day stretch, Bird City’s population expands. Maybe not quite as much as it once did for the farthest east town in Cheyenne County along U.S. Highway 36, but the town still swells in attendance — reaching into the thousands. Impressive for a town that registers a population less than 500 the rest of the year.

From families who grew up with the event to others interested to see what it’s all about, the Tri-State Antique Engine and Threshers Show continues to hold its own. The event hosted its 63rd birthday Thursday through Saturday.

“It’s really in my blood to come and run one,” engine operator Dean Gipe said.

“It’s an addiction.”

A Salina resident and retired for 10 years, Gipe worked for Philips Lighting for 40 years. He has been a volunteer at the show off and on for 20 years.

A show dedicated to the steam engines and threshers that date from the late 1800s into the 1910s and ’20s, volunteers such as Gipe come back year after year. It’s a love and appreciation for history like this.

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