SALEM, Ill. — The Southern Illinois Antique Power Club is celebrating its 35th Annual Antique Power Days this weekend, bringing three days of vintage farm machinery displays, tractor pulls, and family-friendly activities to the Marion County Fairgrounds in Salem.
The event runs Friday through Sunday, Sept. 5–7, and highlights this year’s featured tractors: Massey-Harris and Massey Ferguson. The show is also hosting the Massey Collectors of Illinois, with a large lineup of Massey models alongside other antique tractors and farm equipment.
The weekend officially kicked off Friday night with the Illinois Hot Farm Stock Tractor Pull, a sanctioned competition that promises plenty of horsepower and excitement. Saturday’s schedule includes a traditional weighted tractor pull, where entrants pay, weigh their machines, and test their strength on the track.
Beyond the tractor action, organizers have lined up a variety of demonstrations and attractions. Visitors can watch wheat threshing and corn shelling, see a buzzsaw in operation, and explore a sprawling flea market that fills multiple barns. A toy show and auction are also planned for Saturday and Sunday, while kids can take part in their own tractor pull Saturday afternoon.
Live entertainment will be provided by Cody Phillips, performing on the free stage from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Additional tractor pulls, including an antique pull at 9:30 a.m. and an exhibitor pull at 6 p.m., round out the day’s activities.
Gates open at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday. The show will begin winding down Sunday afternoon, wrapping up another year of celebrating antique power and agricultural heritage in Southern Illinois.
