Full steam ahead: Sycamore Steam Show, Threshing Bee held through Sunday

SYCAMORE – What Phillip Palczynski of Downers Grove loves best about steam traction engines is “the great smell of burning coal.”

Phillip and his 17-year-old son Kevin attend the Sycamore Steam Show and Threshing Bee annually, operating vintage steam traction engines and answering questions from event attendees about steam power.

This year’s steam show and threshing bee, hosted by the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club, opened Thursday, Aug. 12, and runs through Sunday, Aug. 15. The event is held at the Taylor Marshall Farm, 27707 Lukens Road in Sycamore.

Admission costs $7 for adults and children 12 and younger enter free. Tickets can be purchased at the gate. Parking is free, and after parking their car, attendees can ride in a wagon pulled by a steam-powered engine to the main entrance.

The show opens at 7 a.m. daily and buildings open at 8:30 a.m. A National Anthem and flag raising ceremony is held at 9 a.m., at noon, all steam traction engines toot simultaneously to mark the lunch hour, and a parade of power is held at 1:30 p.m. The show closes at 5 p.m.

Daily activities are held 9:15 a.m. to noon and 2:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. They include a sawmill and shingle mill in operation, Flink fan in operation testing horsepower, silo filling, corn shelling, wheat grinding, field plowing, a display of steam and gas engines, gas tractors, antique cars and other antique power equipment, the Prairie State Scale Railroad, a large flea market, live music and food vendors.

Jim Lootens from West Chicago has attended the Sycamore Steam Show for the last 49 years, each year bringing the same steam traction engine: a 1918 Minneapolis he purchased 49 years ago with his father.

“My dad was a farmer and his family used steam traction engines on their farm,” Lootens said. “Steam power is really easy to understand. It’s just fire and water, like a tea kettle.”

Lootens said that the main reason he continues to attend the event every year is to educate others.

“I want to pass on the information to others, especially the younger generations,” he said. “I don’t want it to be like the pyramids, where people look at them and wonder how they did it. … Everyone can come out and learn about steam power and engines. It’s a lot of fun and you can participate hands-on. We’re all here for the same purpose: to educate, put on a show and make people happy.”

Dan Kocher, the secretary of the Northern Illinois Steam Power Club, described the event as “a celebration of old-time agriculture.”

“Steam power had a short run in history, only from the mid-1800s to the 1930s or 1940s,” he said. “Before the mechanization effort, farmers had to harvest manually with scythe and reaper, harvester, binder and combines. It usually took 14 people to harvest wheat. It was neighbor helping neighbor, the community coming together to help one another. I think that’s what the event’s all about, too. Everyone is friendly and happy to talk and answer questions. Owners can get together and talk about their engines. It’s a unique experience where you get to see a whole lot of different machines and learn how they work.”

Jack Stuffle of Birnhamwood, Wisconsin has been coming to the show for 17 years, attending for the first time as a 5-year-old with his grandfather.

“I’ve always been interested in steam,” Stuffle said. “It’s a great event with lots to do. I think everyone can get something out of it, learn something new and have fun.”

For more information about the Sycamore Steam Show and Threshing Bee, visit www.sycamoresteamshow.com.