STEINBACH, MAN. THE CARILLON n C7
THURSDAY, MAY 2, 2024
www.thecarillon.com n
Shows like a family reunion Continued from page 6C
One of his sales Saturday for five bucks was an older model tractor that had seen better days as a toy. A collector interested in the tractor for parts would have gone higher, but Rene Vodon says he is not there to make “a lot of money.” He used to come to the show reg- ularly, but in 2003 he moved from Winnipeg to Virden, and this was his first time back in 21 years. The four-hour drive is worth it, just for the chance to visit with other collec- tors, he says. Some of his toys came out in the ’90s and are still in original boxes. Most everything on his tables sold for $20 or less and Vodon did a brisk trade both Friday and Saturday. He says he buys a carton of six toys, mostly 1/64 scale, that he likes and keeps one for his own collec- tion, and sells the rest. “It seems to work, and other peo- ple like the stuff too. I have a lot of repeat customers.” But even if sales were not brisk, he says he would still enjoy being on the farm toy show circuit. “The show circuit is like a fami- ly and we’re not here really for the money.” And that sentiment holds true for the Diamond Aces Flying Club, who were busy at the end of the hall, talking to potential new members for their model airplane club. John Wiebe has been a member of the club for 13 years and flies a col- lection of electric-powered aircraft ranging in wingspans from 15 inch- es to seven feet. Every day in the summer, when weather permits, Wiebe can be found at the airstrip just off Clear Springs Road, next to the concrete plant, where the club has its airfield. Often he will go home and charge the batteries and return for an after- noon of flying. Diamond Aces president Kevin Allard says he has 30 to 40 planes of various sizes. The hobby has be- come more popular as planes, eas- ily equipped with a camera, can be used for crop surveillance by farm- ers. A lightweight camera can be easi- ly attached and many farmers have their own to get a close look at crops during the growing season without entering their fields. When it comes to the question of sales, both Allard and Wiebe answer in the same way as the avid toy col-
WES KEATING THE CARILLON John Wiebe of the Diamond Aces displays a favorite electric-powered remote-controlled airplane he will be flying most every day this summer, weather permitting of course.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Rene Vodon of Virden rings up another sale during a steady two days of customers to his display of 1/64 scale toys. Back at the event after an absence of 21 years, Vodon says it was well worth the four-hour trip to Steinbach.
lectors spoken to earlier. Neither is in any hurry to pare down their col- lection. “But for the right price, every- thing’s for sale.” At the same time, Wiebe muses about his own collection. “I fly the favorites all the time, and the rest three or four flights a year.” The Diamond Aces like to partic- ipate in the Farm Toy Show, which follows their own show, which was held two weeks earlier. Allard explains the Farm Toy Show attracts a different demographic of people and provides an opportuni- ty to bring in new members to the club, with an added incentive of free training at the field for people inter- ested in taking up the hobby. A newcomer visiting the display was discouraged from purchasing a small plane to start. “They are much more difficult to learn to fly than a bigger model and less forgiving in a crash.” Tuesday night is club night at the Diamond Aces field next to the con- crete plant on Clear Springs Road, and people are encouraged to come out and watch members in action: practicing acrobatics for competi- tion or simply enjoying an evening of flying their favourite plane.
WES KEATING THE CARILLON Ben and Dustin Friesen of Winkler have added something new to their farm displays every year. The Friesens get together at least twice a month, making the buildings and creating graneries, corrals and farm landscapes as a family hobby.
Five great years for Ag Expo at Morris June 9, 1993
by WES KEATING T he latest in modern technology from satellites to air seeders was the order of the day for Ag Expo ’93 in Morris last week. The fifth edition of the popular agricultural trade show gave farmers the op- portunity to compare a wide range of equip- ment in a “one-stop shopping” atmosphere, as well as get a glimpse of it in operation in field demonstrations. Ideal weather conditions last Wednesday had hundreds of farmers watching giant air seeders in action, trying their hand at an ob- stacle course or just browsing through dis- plays at the Big ‘M’ Entertainment Centre and Stampede Grounds. Ag Expo at Morris has been growing ev- ery year and for many exhibitors the annual event involves much more than just showing up with a product to sell. Rick Manness from Avonlea Farm Sales at Domain gave potential customers a first- hand look at an 11,000-bushel grain bin complete with floor aeration and concrete base. Before the show started June 1, the com- pany’s crew poured the concrete and erect- ed the structure. Once June 4 rolled around and Ag Expo was over for another year, they were set to reverse the process. That would include breaking up the concrete for use as fill at another site, Manness explained. Manness said they have been displaying at Ag Expo since the first year and it is an excel- lent opportunity to show customers exactly what they get for their money when they choose a Twister bin. Bob Smith from a California-based public relations firm under contract to the Nation- al Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) delighted hundreds of children with his presentation about frogs in space. Smith’s display, which will tour Canada for 75 days, shows equipment American astro- nauts used to hatch hundreds of frogs’ eggs in space during eight days last September. The latest of a South African clawed spe- cies as yet have shown no ill effects of their trip, he said. Smith explained that animal science was only one aspect of NASA’s work and appli- cation of satellite information in the field of agriculture was of equal importance.
Manitoba government remote sensing technologist Dave Busch added a further perspective to Smith’s presentation, show- ing how satellite signals are used to develop computer data to track drought trends. The technology is in its infancy, but there will come a day when farmers will be sitting at home with their own computers, analyz- ing crop production, Busch said. To get from the very new to the more tradi- tional, Ag Expo visitors needed only to cross the walkway to the Value-Added Village. Here, exhibitors like the Leclairs from St Jean and Elm Creek’s Vickie Pederson dis- played a return to the simplicity of home- made flour and the art of wheat weaving. Their displays had the added twist of showing Ag Expo visitors how to turn old hobbies into welcome cash. Rene and Collette Leclair, for instance, are supplying three kinds of bread mixes and a variety of pancake flours to 40 stores, in- cluding outlets at St Pierre, Ste Anne and La Broquerie. Pederson has a ready market for her wheat art, which has been a hobby for nine years. Each piece is different from the last and the more complicated designs involve hours of work, she said. All of her wheat woven pictures and dolls are available at fall craft shows and at the Swedish pavilion during Folklorama in Win- nipeg. CARILLON ARCHIVES The Kubota remote-controlled lawn mower drew a large crowd of impressed spectators at the company’s display at Morris Ag Expo. The machine has been on the market for a decade, but it is not a Kubota best-seller, for it carries a price tag of over $20,000.
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