Life in the Past Lane

July 22, 2016

The Northern Michigan Antique Flywheelers Club

Deb Matthew is a charter life member of the Northern Michigan Antique Flywheelers Club. Her commitment to the club isn’t simply because she’s a fan of tractors, engines and other farming mechanics. Her parents, Larry and Darlea Matthew, founded the club back in the 1980s.

Their legacy takes center stage in Walloon Lake every summer, when the Flywheelers host an extensive show that takes visitors back to a time when tractors and life rumbled along slowly, patiently, and — for Flywheeler fans especially — quite beautifully.

BACK TO THE BEGINNINGS

“My mother and father and myself were all born and raised in Walloon Lake, and my parents were always involved with the Buckley Old Engine Show,” Deb Matthew said.

“They thought that there was enough interest further north to start another club, which they did themselves in the late ’80s.”

If the last 30 years of successful Flywheeler events are any indication, the elder Matthews’ instincts have proved correct. Deb, who serves as the show’s concessions and memorabilia chairperson, credits a significant part of the show’s longstanding popularity to her mother’s influence.

“Ever since the show started, there’s been an emphasis on the ladies’ role in the farm being just as important as [that of the] men,” Deb said. “Alongside the men’s duties, women would cane chairs, make straw brooms, craft bobbin lace, spin yarn, knit, weave, and take care of the small farm animals.”

As always, demonstrations of many of these arts will take place at the show, with some of the wares crafted available for purchase. One special aspect, however, will be missing: 2016 marks the first year the show has run without Darlea Matthew, who passed away in March. Nevertheless, it will run with much of the elder Mrs. Matthew’s spirit and influence present.

DEMOS AND TREASURES

As part of the event, attendees also will be able to feel the heat of a half-dozen blacksmiths pounding iron into art, watch woodworkers crafting; and see a grist mill grind wheat for flour and corn for corn meal. The live-action experience continues with even more unique opportunities: There’s a branding station where you can pick up a souvenir shingle, an old-school barber shop where you can get a haircut, and demonstrations in crosscut sawing, rope-making, and more.

Another unusual offering you likely won’t find elsewhere: The show’s veneer-mill basket factory. “We start right with the log, and peel the veneer (very thin slices of wood) off,” Deb explained. “A slicing machine cuts it into basket slats, which are then put on a machine that folds and staples them. So we go right from the log to finished baskets that people can buy!” Some previously-made baskets are also painted ahead of time by artists; these folk art designs are also available for purchase, as are the antique treasures filling the show’s 125 flea market spaces.

TRACTOR POWER

The true engine of the event, of course, is its engines. Gear-heads from around the state flock to Walloon to see the huge amount of vintage power displayed on the show grounds: 300 tractors and over 100 small engines — farm engines, chainsaws, buzz saws, walk-behind cultivators, and more.

“Everything on display has to be at least 25 years old,” Deb said. “The only things new are a couple of tractors that Ginop Sales generously lets us use to move things around. But only vintage items are on display.”

The tractors rev up every day of the show for the 2pm Parade of Power, as well as for the evening Tractor Safari, which wends to the top of a hill overlooking Lake Charlevoix.

And this year, the Red vs. Green Tractor Rally is a new event sure to get tractor fans cheering. “It’s a friendly competition to see which color has more support,” Deb said.

FRIENDLY GENERATIONS

Visitors also can enjoy a display of antique automobiles at a non-operable vintage filling station, music all day long on two stages, and plenty of food to keep fueled up for the entire show. Even the food sticks to the old-timey theme; every bit of it is prepped and homemade by Flywheeler Club members, said Deb.

A breakfast buffet is available daily starting at 7am daily, and nightly dinner offerings include spaghetti (Thursday), pork roast (Friday), and a chicken dinner (Saturday).

For dessert and snacks, ice cream is handdipped at a special booth; the Pie Shack offers homemade pies and quick munchies like cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, and nachos; and Thursday arrivals will be greeted with a complimentary summertime staple: a welcome-watermelon slice. From start to finish, the Antique Flywheelers Club’s event promises a simple, classic and fantastic time for families, just as the Matthews envisioned decades ago, and as their daughter, Deb, hopes to carry on.

“We’re preserving the past for future generations,” Deb said.

The 29th Annual Walloon Lake Antique Tractor Engine and Craft Show, hosted by the Northern Michigan Antique Flywheelers Club, will take place July 28–31 at the Flywheeler grounds on US-131, 2.7 miles north of Boyne Falls. Adults, $7 per day admission; additional charges for food/craft purchases/ camping. For more information and a full schedule, visit walloonlakeflywheelers.com.