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67 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, June 24, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend June 21, 2004 Joseph Berto of Sams Valley drives his 1912 Case 75-horsepower steam tractor at Sunday�s annual Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association show in Pottsville. His 13-ton tractor, one of 10 in the country, has a top speed of less than 10 mph. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Pottsville recharges Annual early-day engine show reaches out for interest from younger crowd By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune The folks who organize a show of early gas engines and tractors each Father’s Day weekend at Pottsville worried that the crowd skewed a little more to grandfathers every year. "If we want to continue, we have to connect with the kids," said John Stettler, vice president of the Pottsville branch of the Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association. So the club, part of a national group of old farm-equipment aficionados, teamed up with the Future Farmers of America at Hidden Valley and Rogue River high schools to offer a tractor-driving course for teens. A crew of teenage girls spent Sunday threshing grain, baling hay and getting a look at the way it was. "This place is awesome," said Anna Dubbs, a Hidden Valley High School FFA member. Advertisement She drove Stettler’s Case SO tractor from the early 1950s in a parade Sunday of all the tractors at the event. Down the dusty midway chugged glistening green John Deeres, bright yellow Caterpillars, blue Fordsons, orange Cases, and even a red Porsche — a chunky tractor from Germany. Just rolling along for the show wasn’t enough for Anna, though. "I want to learn to pull," she said. Through the afternoon Sunday, tractor owners and drivers vied for bragging rights in a tractor pull. The contest pitted the power of massive steam engines and patiently restored gas and diesel motors against ever-increasing weight on a sled towed behind. Event organizers and the guardians of Pottsville promise that Anna will have her chance next year. The founder of Pottsville, former Sen. Eugene "Debbs" Potts, died in December at age 93. However, his will specified that the tractor association could continue to meet there in perpetuity, Stettler said. Three trustees now manage the 30-acre property outside Merlin that’s home to Oregon memorabilia Potts collected over the decades. "We want to keep it the same as he did," chairman of the trustees Allan Poole said. "He always said just do the best you can to keep it looking like Pottsville, so that’s our goal right now." They have added new bathrooms and would like to build a library to house the plethora of papers from Potts’ years in government service, Poole said. Eventually, they’d like to build a showroom to display stately old sedans now tucked in barns and protect the logging, farming and other pioneer equipment Potts started gathering for the state’s centennial in 1959. Poole and his wife, Faye, plan to move into Potts’ old house this summer so they can show visitors around the property on free tours available any day, just as Potts did. They would like to offer field trips for students. Another trustee also will live on the property during the summer, Poole said. "We’ll maintain and build a little, but keep it small," he said. Reach reporter Anita Burke at 776-4485, or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times