July Newsletter
I apologise for the tardiness of this letter, it should have been posted earlier, but sometimes life gets in the way of the best intentions! PA
Vermont Gas & Steam Engine Assoc. Our 52nd Year!!
July 2026
Greetings everyone!
The Quechee show will be here before you know it! It is a TWO-DAY SHOW, and as many of you who can, please plan on exhibiting both days. If you need to go home, you can leave your exhibit there and come back on Sunday, as some of us stay the night and can keep an eye on things. Please, if you know someone that has old engines, tractors, doodlebugs, old tools, etc., please try to get them to come. There are folks out there that just might join us, but sometimes they just need to be asked, poked, and cajoled a little, and sometimes all they need is a nudge!
DIRECTIONS TO QUECHEE: From North OR South; I91 Exit 10B to I89N, exit 1 Right on ramp, US 4, to mile point exit 3, towards Rutland, Turn left on US4W to Quechee. The Antique Mall is on right before the gorge.
ANNUAL MEMBER’S MEETING! The Annual meeting will be held in Quechee at 4PM on 1 August. This is every member’s chance to come and speak your piece, vote for the officers and directors that run the club, to have a say in how we run it, and to share thoughts and ideas that might help us all do a better job. There has been the perception among some that coming to an annual meeting is an invitation to get appointed or elected for a job that might not be wanted. Some organizations may operate that way, but we do not. We respect the wishes of all who wish to serve, or just to belong. Either is ok, and though the club will not run itself, we will leave it to you to decide if you wish to serve or just to belong. Belonging is enough, and the members are the lifeblood of our organization. Please come, please participate, and most important of all, please exhibit
As mentioned in the last newsletter, It was decided at the February board meeting to feature the McVicker Automatic engine on our show button. We are fortunate to have one of those very old and rare engines in our club, and you may remember, it has shown up at quite a few of our past shows. I expect with any good luck, it will be at Quechee this year. A very special thanks goes out to Chantel Amey Randall, who was able to extricate the picture that you see on the button from a very busy picture of the engine when it was running a dragsaw many years ago up in Quebec. The picture was courtesy of Wayne Griffin who got this engine running after it had been sitting for 40 years or so.
IMPORTANT NOTES FOR QUECHEE: The area available to us at the Quechee show has continued to shrink, as the antique mall continues to adjust its operations. IMPORTANT: If you are attending on Saturday only, Please park on the right side of the road leading to the flagpole. This area will be mostly off limits on Sunday, as it fills up with flea market folks. If you are coming for the duration of the show, you must park on the right side of the road BEYOND the flagpole, where the road curves around to the left. You may no longer park on the left side of the road at the end of the building as we did in years past. Please park as tight as you can (as is practical) at right angles to the road so that hopefully everyone that comes can fit. There will be the annual member’s meeting beginning at 4PM sharp on Saturday afternoon. The agenda is posted below for members.
We plan to have a potluck supper a half hour or so (be flexible!) following the member’s meeting. It will be held under or around the tent which will be set up in the vicinity of the flagpole. The tent, which is 10×20 will be connected to another 10×10 in the secretary’s area of operation, and if the weather is foul, we should be able to accommodate quite a few folks in it. There will be a table or two to set food on, also a two-burner Coleman stove if something needs to be heated. It is not known if electricity will be available to run crockpots etc., so plan accordingly, and of course, bring your chairs. We ask that you bring your own plates etc., and regarding trash, we have a carry in, carry out policy. We will have some paper plates and plasticware on hand if anyone forgets to bring their own. So, bring a dish to share, join in for food, fellowship and fun!! Bring kids and grandkids! They are our future!!
It would be wise for everyone to bring whatever water that will be required for your engines and for personal use. The water faucet that we have sometimes used, sometimes isn’t available, so don’t count on it. There will be a porta potty on the grounds somewhere, and maybe two.
RECAP OF THE BROWNINGTON SHOW; The weather forecast was abysmal this year, and unfortunately, it seems that too many people may have listened to, or watched it, and decided not to come. The show always goes on though, and we never cancel short of flood, earthquake or other divine intervention. The show did go on, and though Saturday’s weather was occasionally wet, it was for the most part passable. Sunday was much better, and we actually saw the sun a couple of times. Even so, those that were there enjoyed each other’s company, and the sound of engines running was heard as it always is. There were 13 members present, along with 14 engines and two static displays, (old woodworking tools and sap spouts). On Saturday at 4pm, we stopped the show and had a potluck which was enjoyed by all inside our new tent that we put up for the first time. Both the tent and the supper were a hit, and afterwards, there was music provided by Mountain Folks, a local old time string band, playing traditional music. On Sunday morning, we had a board meeting, which was sufficiently attended, and all ended up well.
DUES AND FINANCES; The new year, now more than half over, brings in a new dues cycle! Dues are still $20 per family membership, and are payable anytime, either at a show or by mail. If you forgot to pay your 2025 dues, please do. You MUST be paid up in order to vote in any meeting or exhibit at any of our shows. For those that can no longer attend, but still pay their dues, we are all very grateful for all of your contributions, as the dues are the life blood of our organization. If you do not pay your dues for two years in a row, you may be dropped from the roster. However, if this happens, you may rejoin at any time with no questions asked.
MEMBERSHIP: As of this month, we have 36 paid up regular members. We have 6 life members and 6 honorary members, 4 of which are our show site contacts. We don’t like to hound people to pay their dues, but we mention it each newsletter so that you will be reminded. Regardless, we are thankful for all who do support and stay interested, which is what keeps our little club hitting, and missing, and functioning pretty well!!
We regret the passing of Francis Muzzey from Wentworth NH who passed away recently.
We welcome Ian Ackermann and his family from Cabot as our newest members. We hope their time with us is pleasant and productive!
If you know of anyone that has an engine that would be interested in joining us, please put them in contact with me so that I can get them signed up. We are all recruiters after all! You do not have to have an engine actually, any old tractors, doodlebugs, Model T’s and A’s, or other old cars of similar vintage, and old tool displays are all welcomed and encouraged! You can join us even if you have none of the above, we have members who buy and sell engines on a regular basis, and sometimes some sweet deals can be made for a new member wanting to get started.
We were blessed and are very grateful to have eleven or so engines donated to us by Gioia Cattabrigga of West Lebanon NH, which have now been picked up and are stored at one of our member’s garages. We are also Blessed and grateful for the three engines given to us by Ernest Krusch of Jeffersonville VT. The tentative plan for these is to use them as a recruiting tool to try to get folks interested in joining, and hopefully remaining in our club. The details of how this will go will be decided at a future board meeting, so stay tuned.
COMMUNICATIONS:, Contact Us with questions. Our website is at vgsea.com, please check in to it once in a while to see any changes that might be pertinent, particularly between newsletters, or off season. Newsletters are regularly published bi-monthly. Our contact info is listed under the contacts tab elsewhere within this website.
SHOW DATES FOR 2026
St Johnsbury Fall Festival show: 26 Sept*: Part of a town wide celebration, and very well attended by public, no camping or large campers larger than a pickup truck (with trailer) due to space limitation, with one exception. Also, the show area is paved, so plan accordingly, and be ready to clean up any spills if you have any.
Marshfield Fall Festival show; 27 Sept*: Officially there is no camping allowed on the site, but those with exhibits are allowed to “sleep with your engines”! this show is held in Marshfield’s ball field from 10AM to 4PM, and in the last two years it has been hugely attended by the public. There are food concessions on site throughout the day, and there generally is a band along with many other activities throughout the afternoon. There will be a board meeting at 10AM, just before the show starts.
LEFFEL ENGINE STEAMIFICATION PROJECT: John LaRosa installed the reinforcement plates under the boiler trailer, and did a thorough cleaning of the tubes within. He and Matt Purdy worked together inspecting it, and it was found to have a tube in the very bottom with a leak. John has ordered and received plugs to install in each end of the leaky tube to isolate it, and soon they will do another hydrostatic test. John has also gotten a propane burner to use to fire it. Exciting things are happening!!
OTHER EVENTS OF INTEREST AND WORTH ATTENDING:
Cars of Yesterday’s 42nd annual car show. This takes place at the Elks Club, 3736 US Rt 5, Derby VT. On 2 August. Their flyer advertises antique engines, and they invited us. Their show falls on one of the days of our Quechee show, which I advised them of already. If, however, you are not planning to attend Quechee, they would be mighty appreciative if you could attend. It sounds like a good time. Check out their website at carsofyesteryear.org for details.
Dublin Gas Engine Meet; This wonderful show takes place at Cricket Hill Farm, 1716 Main St, (Rt 101), Dublin NH, 03444. If you have never been, and are thinking about it, it is unlike any other, and is a must see. Dates are 11-13 September. Their website is https://dublinnhgasenginemeet.com/
North Haverhill Fair; This fair is at the fairgrounds at 1299 Dartmouth College Highway, North Haverhill NH, from 22 July to 26 July. For those who like fairs, this is a good one. They welcome and greatly encourage antique engines and equipment, and any of our folks that come will be co-located with the Two-Cylinder club, which features mostly two-cylinder John Deeres, but also engines like ours, as well as old tractors of all description. There is also an ag-museum on the fairgrounds that you don’t want to miss!
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS; For those that like local history and sugaring the old-fashioned way, Hale Mattoon has a new book out, which compliments his previous books about sap spouts very nicely. Not only is it about sap spouts, it includes syrup containers, labels and more! It is a must read!
Exhibit information cards: We have re-stocked our supply of blank exhibit info cards which will be passed out to all exhibitors at all of the shows. These are to be filled out with a description of the exhibit, and posted at the exhibit. You may have seen some of these on some of our older exhibits. This helps to educate the public on what you are exhibiting, and may reduce the number of questions that you are likely asked repeatedly at each show. After all, educating the public is what we are all about!
We are still looking for engine stories to publish. These seem to go over well according to the feedback I’ve received on them. Hopefully some more of you will come forth with some of your stories! They don’t have to be just on engines. Any piece of old equipment that you have that has a story is worth recording!
SHOW SAFETY: We can’t be too careful these days regarding show safety. So far, we have never had a reportable incident, and that is a testament to everyone’s attention to it over the years. We have however, had one fire a few years ago which could have been a disaster had there not been a fire extinguisher on site. This was a backfire which ignited gas which had leaked out of the mixer. It can happen in spite of the best preparations. Safety Highlights are below, and we have safety cards to hand out when you register.
Serviceable Fire extinguishers are required to be out and visible for all running exhibits. (I always bring a few extras if you forget)
Riders are not permitted on any moving exhibit unless there is a seat for that purpose.
Absolutely no alcohol consumption during show hours.
Gas must be stored in approved containers.
Running exhibits must be attended at all times.
Every effort must be employed to protect the public from running machinery, this includes using roped off areas by the club or using your own barrier if you have one.
It is the responsibility of any officers or directors of the club to ensure that all exhibitors adhere to these safety rules!
JUST FOR FUN: This is adapted from a poem written by Vermont writer Walter Hard called SPRING IN THE VILLAGE
On the porch of Brayley’s store, a brightly polished plow glistened in the sun. The store door was open, and Brayley’s old hound dozed on the door sill where he could keep track of things going on in the street and in the store. A case of Budd D Hawkins seeds stood near the post office boxes inside the door, and a rake, spade and a hoe were leaned up against the wall. Across the road, Mis’ Benson’s hens were enjoying a dust bath in the flower bed, their owner being at a meeting of the Sewing Circle. In the vacant lot back of the school house, the children, out for the morning recess were playing one old cat, exercising bodies and lungs at the same time. When the bell rang, they stopped reluctantly and loitered by the door in the warming sun. Then the only sound was the irregular putt-putt of a gasoline engine, and the zing of the saw as it cut through the pieces of cord-wood.
Old Man Hazleton, sitting on the store steps, noticed how the engine slowed up on the bigger pieces, and then sailed along faster and faster when the pressure let up. He recalled the days when he used to saw wood by hand. He could work up a cord a day then, and he didn’t know what it meant to be tired. No shirking work with any stinkin’ putt-putting engine! He brought his cane down in protest against the times. Just then a stranger showed up. He got out, looked around, up and down the street, then he saw the old man sitting on the steps. Hazleton had seen him coming toward him, but he didn’t look up. “Nice spring day,” said the stranger. “Makes out t’ be,” Hazleton said still looking down. The stranger found conversation hard going, but he kept on. Finally, he remarked; “I suppose you’ve seen many changes hereabouts.” “Yes,” he said, “I have.” Then he brought his cane down hard on the step. “Been against all of ‘em too!
-Paul R Amey, Secretary-