Raymond Truex takes Claypool Elementary students on a wagon ride during Fall Fest. Photos provided.

News Release

WARSAW — What started out as a small group of people trying to increase foot traffic to the Kosciusko County Fair in the early 1990s has turned into much more.

When attendance at the fair was beginning to dwindle, the idea of bringing tractors and other agricultural implements to the grounds was born. Founding officers of the club, first named Echoes from the Past, were Tom Harman, Leonard Estep, Jane Grady, and Betty Brown. They initiated displaying antique tractors at the fairgrounds in the area now known as Antique Village. You could find all models of tractors on display, various farm implements working and some years even livestock. Back in the day, the tractors would also drive the parade through the fairgrounds so visitors could check them out while they devoured their cotton candy and elephant ears.

The club became official in 1994 when membership records began as the popularity of the club continued to grow. The name was changed to Echoes of the Past, and the 13 original members took the reins and started to run with it. As membership continued to grow, participation at the fair also grew. More activities at the Antique Village and more tractors on display brought an increase in the number of visitors to the fair. Along with the threshing of wheat and shelling of corn, all live displays, the club added a sawmill demonstration to the village. The cutting of lumber proved to be a well-received activity. Visitors to the village enjoyed watching the process, one they still enjoy today as the sawmill still runs during fair week.

As membership grew, so did the number of other activities the club became involved in. The club expanded from just the fair to participate in local community parades, tractor shows at local businesses and shows at community festivals. The club could be found in the surrounding small towns in the county, showing off tractors for all to enjoy.

Showing off the tractors did not feel like it was enough. The club wanted to have more purpose. The club members believe that the best way to succeed in the future is to be educated in the past. Understanding agricultural history helps future generations improve upon what countless generations have put into place before them. With that in mind, the club set out to find ways to help educate and serve the youth and those in the community. The club became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2016 and took the club in the direction it currently serves today.

As of today, the club has more than 140 members all working together to bring agriculture to the forefront to those in the community and the surrounding areas. The club hosts three free community events each year: SummerFest the first weekend in August, the Fall Festival the second weekend in October and Cookies with Santa the second Saturday in December.

The SummerFest event features kids activities, a tractor show with more than 150 tractors, steam engines, tractor pulls, horse-drawn wagon rides, food, live entertainment and more. You will also find a Vintage and Farmhouse Market and tractor-churned ice cream. All events are free to the public. Donations are accepted to help fund the activities. This is the fifth year for the August event, and it continues to grow each year.

The Fall Festival in October will find kids and adults alike enjoying haunted hayrides, corn mazes, games and other kids activities. Duke the horse is back to give more wagon rides. Fall food is served, and pumpkins are given away to the children who come to visit. Students from Claypool Elementary school are given a sneak peek with their own special day before the opening of the event.

The club partners with Wheels on Fire Cancer Crusaders during its August and October events. They serve food at these weekend events. By serving the guests, Echoes of the Past has helped them give away more than $74,000 to local cancer patients last year alone.

The club also supports the local FFA chapters and 4-H kids. To date, $9,750 has been given to local FFA chapters. Participation in the 4-H auction during the Kosciusko County Fair began in 2014, and the club has contributed $33,775 toward auction animals benefiting local 4-H members. Money donated to these areas is raised through the making of ice cream, tractor driving experience, rope making and fair food sales.

Another area the club participates in giving back to the community is through the Toys for Tots drive. This past December was the third “Cram the Tram” event to collect toys for children in need in the area. The collection of toys begins in November and commences at the toy drop-off at Martin’s Supermarket in Warsaw the weekend before the Cookies with Santa event.

Santa arrives the second Saturday of December on his sleigh with Mrs. Claus. Kids can visit with Santa, hear a story, make a craft, take a sleigh ride and enjoy cookies and hot chocolate. This is another free event for the community. Santa and Mrs. Claus heard the wishes of 150 children last year. Duke gave sleigh rides nonstop for the young and old in the crowd. The whole family participates in this event.

New to the organization this year is the development of a scholarship program for FFA and 4-H members. This year will be the first year a scholarship will be given to a graduating senior who has been involved in either FFA or 4-H. This is another way the club felt it could give back and aid in the development of educating the youth in agriculture.

As the club continues to grow and expand, the benefit to the community will also be relevant as the club is driven by giving back to the community through various ways, aiding the youth of the community and providing experiences the whole family can enjoy.

For more information on the Echoes of the Past, visit the website at theechoesofthepast.com or the Facebook page facebook.com/oldtractors.

Sam Hedington and his horse Duke take kids on a horse-drawn wagon ride at Fall Fest.

Morris Folk is shown at the tractor pull during SummerFest.

Louis Davis is shown at the Kurt Miller Memorial Tractor Drive.

Shown are some of the tractors on display at SummerFest.