The rain last Saturday resulted in the postponement of our annual consignment auction and it has been rescheduled for this Saturday at 10:30 a.m. We will not be accepting any further consignments except for larger items such as tractors and vehicles. We have a very large number of items on hand for Saturday’s auction and we are anticipating an excellent sale. We have tractors and other farm machinery, vehicles, boats, industrial equipment, household appliances and a wide variety of other items. A complete list of the items consigned can be seen on the Prairie Village website at prairievillage.org/auction.

It might seem like a ways off but the 50th Anniversary Steam Threshing Jamboree featuring John Deere, that will be held August 23-26, will be here before we know it. The main reason for mentioning the four-day event at this relatively early date is to begin to disseminate information on it for attendees’ planning purposes.

New for 2012 is that during the Jamboree all ATVs are strictly prohibited, as are dirt bikes and motor scooters. Medical scooters are allowed. We previously allowed ATVs for handicapped only but that policy was being abused. Golf carts and side by sides are permitted with a registration fee of $10. Our priority is to insure the safety and overall enjoyment of the multi-thousands of people that will be attending the event.

We plan to have a larger than usual flea market area at this Jamboree. To reduce excessive congestion, the flea market entrances will be barricaded to allow pedestrian traffic only. No vehicles will be permitted except for mechanized medical scooters and wheelchairs. The north/south street from the gas station to the Methodist concession building will also be restricted to pedestrian traffic only.

There will be free shuttle bus service from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m between Madison and Prairie Village on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the Jamboree. The Madison School District is providing the buses and drivers, at no cost to the school district, and the pick up point will be the Gehl parking lot. The buses will travel on Territorial Road and come in to the village by way of our south gate.

An additional event at the village this season was firmed up just this week. The Freeman Community Theatre will be performing the theatrical production of “Greater Tuna” in the Lawrence Welk Opera House on July 27 & 28. This two-man comedy promises to be highly entertaining. We are pleased to have theatrical performances return to the opera house.

In addition to the auction Saturday, our train will run at at 2:00 p.m., as it will every Saturday throughout the season. Train rides will also be available this Sunday at 2:00 due to it being Mothers’ Day. All mothers ride the train free on Mothers’ Day.

We are about to be off and running with the 2012 season at Prairie Village. We anticipate that it will be an exceptionally good one.

Our consignment auction is this Saturday. We have a very large number of items consigned including tractors and other farm machinery, cars, boats, industrial equipment and a wide variety of other items. The auction starts at 10:30 a.m. We will accept items until 9:00 a.m. but prefer that they be out at the village no later than 8:30 Friday evening. A complete list of consigned items can be seen on the Prairie Village website at prairievillage.org/auction. We update the site daily as items are consigned. The auction is a great opportunity to be a buyer or seller. Last year we had 267 bid card holders and sold $105,873 worth of goods.

With further regard to our website at prairievillage.org, it has been substantially upgraded. There is a very large amount of information about all aspects of the village on the site. Historic Prairie Village is also now on Facebook.

Sunday is the opening day of our 2012 season. We usually start on Mothers’ Day but the way the calendar falls this year we open this weekend instead of Mothers’ Day on May 13. Our operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

During May, we will have a large number of eager elementary school students with us to learn about and obtain an appreciation for how eastern South Dakota rural residents lived many years ago. They will also have fun riding the train and carousel.

School tours time is always a great experience for us. Seeing all the enthusiasm in the kids is a great way to kick off our season.

We have a full schedule of events again this year including the SD Ploughing Association Tractor Ride (June 2), Northern Bull Riding Tour (June 8), Madison Area Arts Council White Night Festival (June 16), Motongator Joe’s Country Music Festival (June 22-24), Something New band Rock & Roll concert (July 7), Railroad Days (July 7-8), Miss Prairie Village/Miss Prairie Princess Pageant (July 22), 19th Annual Madison Car Show (August 5), 50th Anniversary Steam Threshing Jamboree featuring John Deere (August 23-26). and the Pumpkin Train (Oct. 6).

As you can imagine, our 50th Anniversary Jamboree featuring John Deere is going to be an absolutely huge event. The current details on the Jamboree are available on our website at prairievillage.org/jamboree.

With all of the great events coming up this year you may want to consider purchasing a season pass at $20 for adults and $7 for ages 6-12. The passes are a big money saver as they are worth over $64 in purchase power because they are good for an unlimited number of daily admissions, a train ride, and admission to all Prairie Village sponsored/conducted events, including the Jamboree which will be four days this year instead of the usual three. Season passes are not accepted for the Country Music Festival as that is an independently conducted event.

We also offer Prairie Historical Society Associate Memberships at $45 which includes two Prairie Village Season passes that are transferable to anyone, and a recognition certificate. The transferable Associate Member season passes are especially valuable as they can be loaned out to employees, family members, and friends. Season passes and Associate Memberships can be obtained through the mail at PO Box 256, Madison, or by stopping by our gift shop.

The 2012 Prairie Historical Society board of directors includes George Lee, president (Madison); Kevin Bowman, vice president (Brandon); Joanne Shellum, secretary (Trent); Kelli Wollmann, treasurer (Madison); Mark Bakker (Sioux Falls); Don Finnell (Lennox); Laura Palmer (Madison); Kent Petersen (Madison); and Tim Ramstad (Colton).

It’s going to be a big weekend at the village. Com e on out for the consignment auction Saturday and for our opening day of the season on Sunday.

Prairie Village may be gearing up for its 50th anniversary jamboree at the end of this summer, but a host of activities will be taking place prior to the jamboree along with a number of projects.

Prairie Village officially opens May 6 with its annual consignment auction May 5. The season kickstarts with school tours in May. Prairie Village Manager Stan Rauch said so far they are anticipating visits from 900 students. New events planned this summer include expanded activities during Railroad Days July 7-8. New additions include a pizza train July 7 at 6 p.m. and a performance by Something New that same day at 8 p.m.

“That will be a benefit fund-raiser for the continued welfare of the opera house,” Rauch said.

The Opera House was built in 1912. Restoration work took place in 2008 that included a new roof, pulling in bowed walls and putting new support beams beneath the balcony. This summer, work is taking place backstage to the bathrooms and dressing rooms.

Although recent work has taken place, Rauch said, continued work will be needed to preserve the now 100-year-old building.

Rauch said one goal is also to utilize the opera house more for performances. In addition to Something New, the Opera House will be used for evening entertainment during White Night June 16 and it will be used for a theatrical production of “The Greater Tuna,” which will be presented by the Furman Community Theater. Rauch said the date is still being set, but he anticipates the performance during the first week in July.

“We hope this can be an annual event with more than one performance,” he said.
Other work that has already taken place this spring includes the installation of foundations beneath the library and the gas station. Officials are also currently working to replace railroad ties and elevate the ground at the railroad crossing by the gift shop entrance. The roundhouse will also get a new coat of stain this summer.

Work was also completed on the red shed, one of the original buildings first built on the Prairie Village grounds. This work included a new roof, siding and doors.

Prairie Village is also getting a new addition this year — a 32x28x32-ft granary from the Nunda area. The granary will be placed east of the corn crib on the south side of the grounds and includes a 3hp John Deere stationary engine, a John Deere bucket elevator, a wagon hoist and a Lutz burr mill.

Lastly, two major projects are moving forward this year, which include restoration work on Chapel Car Emmanuel and Steam Engine #29.

Rauch said a skilled carpenter from England, Peter Ingham has been hired to complete the interior restoration work on the Chapel car and he is currently working on pieces he brought back to England.

As for Steam Engine #29, this restoration project to get the engine functioning again will also be taking place this summer thanks to a $60,000 donation. Rauch said a recent assessment completed on the steam engine recently estimated that work would cost about $60,000. Wrigley Machine of Fargo, N.D., will complete the work.

Work could start soon, Rauch said, but he’s unsure at this point, how long the restoration work will take to complete.

“It’s taken all these years to get it where it’s at,” he said. “We hope to have it done by Jamboree, but we don’t know.”

With regards to the Jamboree in August, Rauch said the interest in the event started much earlier than usual from vendors, exhibitors and flea market participants. Officials have already started work on logistics and they hope to set up a shuttle bus that will bring visitors back and forth from Madison to alleviate traffic congestion on SD-34.

James River Equipment is also restoring a 1962-era tractor that will be on display at various events this summer. Anyone can enter for a chance to win and semi-finalists will be drawn at each event. The winner will be drawn at Prairie Village during the jamboree and ticket holders must be present to win.

©Madison Daily Leader 2012

Fifty years ago, John Deere unveiled its 3010 tractor as part of the company’s 50th anniversary. It was the same year that the Steam Threshing Jamboree began near Madison, South Dakota. In 2012, the two are coming together to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Steam Threshing Jamboree at Prairie Village, two miles west of Madison, and one lucky person is going to drive away with a 1962 reconditioned 3010 tractor. The 2012 Jamboree is featuring John Deere equipment, and tens of thousands of people will attend the four-day event. A celebration this big deserves a giveaway to match, and that’s why KJAM Radio-Three Eagles Communications of South Dakota, James River Equipment of Madison, and Prairie Village have teamed up to give away the tractor on Sunday,  August 26th during the Steam Threshing Jamboree at Prairie Village.

As part of the promotion, listeners will be able to register to win the tractor during several summer events in and around Madison and throughout eastern South Dakota. KJAM Radio will do live broadcasts at events and businesses, encouraging listeners to come and see the tractor and register for a chance to win. All of the events, times, and dates will be listed on KJAM Radio’s website at www.amazingmadison.com. At each event, ten semi-finalists will be drawn. Those semi-finalists will need to be present at the giveaway at Prairie Village on August 26th to win.

Joyce Hyland, KJAM Radio Sales Promotion and Coordinator, said “This promotion was created to raise the awareness of the 50th Anniversary of Prairie Village and bring thousands of people to the Madison area. By giving away a $20,000 restored 1962 John Deere tractor, this could be one of the largest marketing promotions that KJAM Radio has ever put together.”

Prairie Village Manager Stan Rauch said “The restored John Deere 3010 tractor giveaway at the 50th Anniversary Jamboree is an exciting initiative. We greatly appreciate the associated promotion of Prairie Village made possible by James River Equipment, KJAM Radio, and the sponsoring businesses involved with this dynamic project.”

Hyland added that the restoration of the tractor will be completed by May and shortly thereafter, the tractor will be displayed and listeners will be able to register at numerous summer events within a 60-mile radius of Madison.

Rodger Menn, General Manager at James River Equipment in Madison, said this promotion was a natural fit for his business. “The employees of James River Equipment in Huron and Madison are proud to be involved in helping Prairie Village celebrate 50 years of dedication and commitment to preserving Madison’s agricultural heritage. It seems appropriate to celebrate this 50th anniversary that James River would restore and donate a 1962 John Deere 3010 tractor to commemorate this outstanding community event.”

Webmaster note: See addition pictures on AmazingMadison.com

Visitors to Prairie Village may find the outdoor museum of Great Plains history easier to drive into and out of due to the efforts of a local Eagle Scout candidate.

Aric Olson, a Wentworth-area resident, constructed a number of traffic control signs and an entrance sign for the historical recreation site located west of Madison. Olson, 18, built and painted six stop signs, six 5-mph zone signs and an entrance sign located near the Prairie Village gift shop.

He completed the work as a community-service project needed to earn Eagle Scout honors. Olson said that the signs also filled a need that Stan Rauch, Prairie Village executive director, wanted to see filled.

“It had been brought up among our troop leaders that (Prairie Village) needed this job done,” Olson said. “I spoke to Stan Rauch and he thought it was a great idea.”

The project consisted of cutting the signs from plywood, mounting them on a PVC pipe as a support, and adding a wooden base. The rest of the work included painting the wood with a coat of primer and two coats of paint for the colors and lettering.

Olson, a Troop 5 member, constructed the stop and speed zone signs so they are portable. That feature allows the volunteers at Prairie Village to move the signs wherever they’re needed among the small network of unpaved streets that connect the dozens of historical buildings, agricultural displays and outdoor arena areas.

Olson said that he joined the Boy Scouts when he was in the fifth grade. His two older brothers, Andy and Aaron, were scouts and “it seemed like fun.” His older brothers are also Eagle Scouts.

“They were a top reason for joining, and there was a lot of fun along the way to where I’m at now,” Olson said.

His younger brother Austin joined the scouts about three years ago.

According to Olson, one Boy Scout trip that he especially enjoyed was a visit to Maui in the Hawaiian islands. His group spent some of its time near Lahaina, a town that started as an ancient fishing village.

“The trip to Maui in 2009 — there were the beaches, culture — everything was different from here at home,” Olson said.

Olson said that he wants to continue in Boy Scouts as an adult leader.

His Eagle Scout ceremony is scheduled at 2 p.m. on Feb. 25 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison.

He is the son of Steve and Kristie Olson.

©Madison Daily Leader 2012

The old carousel at the entrance to Prairie Village may be going away soon, if members of the Prairie Pasque Questers have their way. But it will only be gone for a time.

Cecelia Wittmayer, president and public relations officer of the local Questers, and Mickie Kreidler, vice president, are embarking on a campaign to raise funds to refurbish and restore the carousel.

The Questers is a study club devoted to fostering an appreciation for antiques and their collection. It was started in 1944 by Jessie Elizabeth Bardens and has since spread around the world.

“A major objective of our group is to encourage the preservation and restoration of existing historical landmarks,” said Wittmayer.

Gwen Larsen is secretary and historian of the local club and Rae Lynn Maher is treasurer.

Last summer, the local Questers contacted Carousel Works, a firm in Mansfield, Ohio, whose sole business is the manufacture and repair of carousels. Jim Jones, a 23-year veteran of the business, came to Madison to view the Prairie Village unit.

“What you have in Madison is a completely unique carousel,” Jones said in a recent telephone interview. “I know of only one other machine like it in the country, and that one is for sale in California. What makes the Prairie Village carousel so special is that it obtains its motion from below the ride horses. Most carousels and merry-go-rounds, as they sometimes are called, operate from a crank mechanism overhead.”

Jones admitted that he had never seen a machine like the one in Madison. The carousel at Prairie Village dates back to around the turn of the century and was manufactured by the firm Herschell-Spillman in New York between 1903 and 1920. Jones said he would place the actual manufacture of the machine closer to the 1903-05 time period.

For years, the carousel toured towns all over the Midwest as the centerpiece of the Thomas Shows, a carnival based in Lennox. Sometime prior to the 1950s, the ride was replaced with a newer machine and the old merry-go-round was dismantled and put into a barn in North Dakota.

The harsh North Dakota winters were hard on the old machine, but in the mid-1950s, efforts were begun to restore the machine. The job fell to Floyd Caryle, who took five years to reassemble and restore the carnival ride.

In 1966, Joe Habeger, one of the original founders of Prairie Village, and others contacted Art B. Thomas to see if the carousel could be purchased. Thomas agreed and the historic carousel has been a fixture at Prairie Village ever since.

Several improvements were made to prevent damage to the ride over the years, including building a roof over the carousel and a cover to keep rain and snow from reaching the mechanism during harsh weather. But the constant operation of the ride, which now has been switched from steam to gasoline power, has taken its toll.

Karen Becker, who several years ago served as manager of Prairie Village, and her family instigated the latest efforts to restore the ride. She got the local Questers interested in the project.

Kreidler wrote a grant asking the state Questers to provide money to have Jones evaluate the machine. In June, the state Questers will have their convention in Madison and it is expected the project will be discussed.

In the meantime, the local club will pursue fund-raising efforts in the hopes of obtaining approximately $300,000 that it will take to restore the Prairie Village carousel.

Once the proper funding is obtained, the Carousel Works crew will come to Madison, disassemble and transport the ride to Ohio, and then do a complete restoration. Jones said it could take up to a year to complete the work.

Once refurbished, the carousel will be returned to Prairie Village and reassembled.

“This will not be a museum piece, although it certainly is of that caliber. Rather, it will be returned to the service for which it was originally built — that of a carnival ride. Although the actual restoration cost is far less than $300,000, the remainder of the money will be used to transport the ride to and from Ohio and hopefully build a new cement foundation under the ride. The carousel now rests on a dirt floor.

Jones declined to estimate the value of the carousel in its restored condition, but he said that because there are only two or three in existence, it is very rare.

“Certainly, Prairie Village and the Madison community can be proud of what they have. Many towns, including Mansfield, Ohio, where I live, used carousels as sort of a calling card or a local attraction,” he said.

SOME HISTORY
Allen Herschell, a Scotsman born in 1851, is thought to have built the Prairie Village carousel. He came to this country in 1870 and with partner James Armatige began the manufacture of steam engines. While seeking medical treatment, he reportedly saw a carousel in operation and decided to build one himself.

His partner didn’t buy into the idea, but Herschell went ahead anyway and took two years to build his first merry-go-round.

During the 1890s, his firm built over 300 carousels, selling and shipping them throughout the world. The ride was extremely popular, but the economy took a turn for the worse in 1899 and eventually the firm failed.

Reorganized as the Herschell-Spillman Company, the firm prospered and became America’s premier carousel builder, staying in operation until 1955.

Earliest examples of the carousel go back to 1800, but mass production of the rides didn’t begin until 1860 when the Dentzel brothers, German wood carvers, came to this country.
The carousel animals, like those on the merry-go-round at Prairie Village, are made by gluing together blocks of basswood, cottonwood or popular, then carving them into various animals.

The horse figure is the most popular, but some rides have lions, tigers and even sea creatures. Painting and attaching saddles and other trappings come next. Rides today usually have animals made of fiberglass and other materials.

Wittmayer and Kreidler hope to be able to raise the necessary funds to restore the Prairie Village carousel.Jones said one of the most common approaches is to have community groups or businesses adopt a horse figure on the ride. The Questers would also like to see school groups and children get involved in fund-raising.

The theme being kicked around to help restore the local carousel is “You’ve Got A Ticket To Ride.” Plans are also being explored to assemble and publish a cookbook with proceeds going toward restoration of the carousel.

THE CAROUSEL at Prairie Village may be restored if the local Questers can raise funding for the project.

Prairie Village sponsored its second annual Pumpkin Train this year to support restoration efforts on Chapel Car Emmanuel. Local and area parents brought a total of 315 kids to Prairie Village for an opportunity to ride the Prairie Village train to the pumpkin patch.

Prairie Village manager Stan Rauch said considering the drizzly morning weather,
organizers were happy with the turnout and were appreciative of the all the
support.

Prairie Village has a new addition. The long-awaited arrival of the Overby Machine Shop took place on Friday.

Telkamp Housemoving, Inc. of Brookings brought the nearly 100-year old machine shop from Mellette near Aberdeen to Madison. The moving company left at 8:30 a.m. and arrived at Prairie Village at about 4:00 p.m. On site for the arrival was Glen Overby and his daughter, Fran Gylling. Overby’s father John and uncle Theodore originally built the machine shop and purchased the equipment in 1913.

Prairie Village announced the addition of the building in 2010. Officials first anticipated its arrival that fall. Plans then changed with the hope of its arrival before the 2011 Steam Threshing Jamboree in August. A late installation of a cement foundation for the building, however, pushed back the arrival of the building until now.

The 24 X 24 foot building will feature a variety of equipment all purchased in the early 1900s through Sears & Roebuck for $701.

Equipment within the machine shop includes turning lathes, wood lathes and a combination piece that has a band saw, table saw, plainer and press drill all in one. Other items include a forge, trip hammer and large anvil.

Equipment within the machine shop is powered by a 6-hp gas engine connected to shafts that run across the upper part of the building.

Due to the size of the building, Overby said, his dad and uncle strategically placed their woodworking bench in front of a window so longer pieces of wood could be fed out through the window.

The brothers used the equipment in the machine shop until the early 1920s. Overby said his dad married in 1922 and had offers over the years to purchase some of the equipment in the shop. “Dad refused to let it go,” he said.

Overby said that he had used the equipment in the shop occasionally over the years. His hope is that the movement of the building will allow more people to see the building and what it was used for.

“We were fortunate to make arrangements to have it come to Prairie Village,“ he said. “We’ve known about Prairie Village a long time. We were looking for a place where it could get more exposure.”

A group of volunteers and family members has been doing fundraising to cover the cost of not only moving the building and its contents but also laying the cement foundation and ultimately restoring the building.

Overby said repairs are planned on the outside of the building and he hopes some of the equipment can be in working condition for the 2012 season at Prairie Village.

This year’s Steam Threshing Jamboree attracted strong crowds for the three-day event at the historic village west of Madison. Stan Rauch, manager at Prairie Village, said the 78-degree weather was ideal for visitors on Friday and Saturday. Even with a morning rain shower on Sunday, events were back on track by 10:30 a.m.

As always, attendance is difficult to measure, but Rauch said several factors indicate it was another big show. “We had a lot of tractors this year,” he said. There were 700 tracors on display with 153 in Friday’s machinery parade. “That’s the most we’ve had on a Friday since 1998,” Rauch said. Saturday’s machinery parade featured 212 entries. More than 1,000 people also rode the train on Saturday. “Overall, it was a big success,” Rauch said.

This year’s show featured stationary engines, orphan and acreage tractors, and regional lawn and garden equipment. Rauch said that feature attracted 58 exhibitors, some of which showed multiple machines. “I suspect overall it might not have been as large as the last couple, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t highly successful,” Rauch said.

Once again, the flea market maxed out at about 100 vendors and the Auxiliary Kitchen was extremely busy, even running out and having to replenish its offerings. “That’s one indicator that it was big,” he said. “The Cook Shack sold a lot of food. Indicators like that show it’s a good, sold jamboree.”

Camping demand was high also. “We were definitely full to the gills for camping,” Rauch said. Most electrical camping sites are reserved within a couple of days of the previous year’s jamboree, but Rauch said not all those campers come the following year, and most call in advance to cancel their reservation so their camping spots can be used by someone else. When cancellations come in, Rauch said, people on the standby list are typically notified that an electrical site is available.

Campers and exhibitors are also coming earlier each year. “It seems that each year people show up earlier,” Rauch said. “Where we really notice it is with the campers.” Rauch said he has no problem with getting campers settled early in the week, but a few came as early as the weekend before the jamboree and were surprise to find campers in their spots. When that happened, Rauch said, he explained that those campers were at Prairie Village for regular weekend camping and the Jamboree didn’t start until the following week.

This was the first year that golf cart rentals were available. Rauch said all available golf carts were rented by 11:30 a.m. Saturday and rentals were a little slower on Sunday, but he heard several comments from visitors saying they wouldn’t have been able to come, had the carts not been available.

As the books close on the 2011 Jamboree, work commences on the 2012 anniversary event which, by all accounts, could be one for the record books. “Next year will be immense,” Rauch said. “We’re getting so much interest already.” The 2012 feature for the 50th Anniversary Threshing Jamboree is John Deere. Rauch said that feature alone is guaranteed to draw a big crowd. Because it’s the anniversary celebration, board members already plan to extend the jamboree by another day, starting festivities on Thursday. Officials are already looking at parking needs and potential needs for transporting people to the grounds.

“We know next year will be huge,” he said. Attendance over the past few years has steadily increased, Rauch said, and 2012 could be the largest jamboree in history. Details continue to come together, but Rauch said that The Great Pretenders, which performed this year, have already committed as entertainers in 2012.

Hosting a four-day Jamboree will be tough on volunteers however. “They already work hard for the three days,” Rauch said, indicating that this year the Cook Shack even opened a day early.

A new bathroom and shower house got plenty of use this past weekend at Prairie Village. Prairie Village Manager Stan Rauch said the new facility was completed Thursday, just in time for the Motongator Joe’s Country Music Festival.

The facility was made possible through an $80,000 donation from Harold and Helen Boer of Lyons, who have been long-time supporters of Prairie Village. Rauch said the new facility was designed by the Boers and not only features additional restroom facilities and showers, but also a new tractor registration area.

“It really is a very nice building”, Rauch said. “We are immensely grateful for their complete donation of the shower house. The new shower house will have immense positive impacts for years to come”. The tractor registration office is incorporated into the south end of the building.

Construction of the building began in May and was completed by Gepperts Construction of Crooks, a contractor hired by the Boers for the project.