The Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club has confirmed that John Deere will be the featured brand during its 63rd Annual Show, scheduled for August 21 through August 23, 2026, in Baraboo, Wisconsin. One of the Midwest’s largest heritage machinery gatherings, the event combines operating agricultural equipment, live field demonstrations, collector exhibits, and family activities across an expansive showground dedicated to preserving America’s agricultural and industrial history.
Rather than focusing on static museum displays, the event emphasizes machinery in operation, giving visitors the opportunity to see historic equipment performing the work it was originally designed to do.
John Deere takes the spotlight
Every year the club selects a featured manufacturer that receives special recognition throughout the event. For 2026, that honor belongs to John Deere, with dedicated exhibits inside the Feature Building, priority placement in the daily parade, and special gatherings expected to attract collectors and enthusiasts from across the United States.
Feature years often encourage owners to bring some of the rarest and best preserved examples from private collections, making them especially attractive for photographers, restorers, historians, and anyone interested in the evolution of agricultural machinery.
Working machinery instead of static displays
One of the biggest strengths of the Badger show is that visitors experience far more than parked equipment.
Steam traction engines will power historic machinery such as rock crushers, sawmills, and threshing equipment using traditional belt driven systems. Weather permitting, visitors can also watch steam tractors working in the fields, recreating agricultural operations from another era.
Gas tractor displays range from small garden tractors to massive prairie machines, representing many of North America’s best known manufacturers alongside uncommon brands that rarely appear at public events.
The grounds also feature stationary engines, operating sawmills, blacksmith demonstrations, woodworking shops, machining exhibits, antique construction equipment, classic automobiles, vintage trucks, and historical displays illustrating everyday rural life.
Daily parade remains one of the highlights
A major attraction is the 2:00 PM parade, held on each of the three show days.
Hundreds of exhibitors drive their restored tractors, steam engines, trucks, and other historic machines through the grounds, allowing visitors to see and hear equipment that has been carefully preserved for decades.
For many attendees, this parade provides one of the few opportunities each year to watch large collections of operating agricultural machinery assembled in a single location.
One of the largest collector flea markets
Beyond the machinery itself, the show has become a destination for collectors searching for hard to find parts and memorabilia.
The event’s flea market spans approximately 14 acres, includes more than 600 vendor spaces, and features over 40 covered craft booths, offering everything from restoration parts and antique tools to collectibles and handmade products.
Why this event matters
Events like the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club Show do more than celebrate nostalgia. They preserve practical mechanical knowledge that is increasingly difficult to experience firsthand. Watching belt driven machinery, steam powered equipment, and early gasoline tractors operating under load provides a much deeper appreciation of agricultural engineering than photographs or museum exhibits ever could.
With John Deere serving as the featured brand, the 2026 edition has the potential to attract an even broader mix of collectors, restorers, and enthusiasts. The combination of operating demonstrations, one of the country’s largest agricultural flea markets, and hundreds of historic machines makes this one of the more compelling heritage equipment events on the North American calendar.
About the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club
Founded in 1963, the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and demonstrating historic agricultural, industrial, and transportation equipment. The club maintains approximately 293 acres of showgrounds near Baraboo, Wisconsin, including around 50 acres of free parking, and hosts one of the largest annual heritage machinery shows in the Midwest. Throughout the year, members restore, operate, and exhibit steam engines, antique tractors, stationary engines, sawmills, vintage vehicles, and other historic equipment.
Event at a glance
- Event: 63rd Annual Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club Show
- Dates: August 21 to August 23, 2026
- Location: Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA
- 2026 Featured Brand: John Deere
- Highlights: Steam engines, antique tractors, field demonstrations, daily 2:00 PM parade, operating sawmills, blacksmithing, artisan exhibits, vintage vehicles, and a 600 plus vendor flea market.
Source: badgersteamandgas.com
