I know it is sometimes hard to believe with the temperatures fluctuating like they do, but there are signs of Spring all around.  At Schumacher Farm Park we hear and welcome the summer birds once again, witness the lovely spring prairie flowers, say good bye to maple sap collecting and start planning for the heirloom gardens.  Spring is a busy time of year, but oh so welcomed after winter!

 

Recently we elected three board of directors at our annual meeting.  Jim Ableidinger was re-elected and continues as our Vice President and Chair of the Rural History Museum Committee.  Sheryl Schroeder, with skills in business management will be an asset in the area of marketing, organizational needs, and committee work.  Jess Vaughn, who is educated in historical preservation and project management (with her master's thesis focused on barns and their role as community resources) will be an asset to our grant writing team.  All three of these individuals bring different and important skills to the board.   

 

Janette Hermanson and Bob Forbess will be stepping down from the board after several years of serving.  It was great working with these individuals and their input will be greatly missed.  We all thank them for the efforts, that they gave so generously, to Marcella's legacy and to this Friends Group.  Happily, both Bob and Janette plan to continue volunteering at the farm.

The Friends of Schumacher Farm have been given some 40 items of farm machinery and tools - most of which are stored off-site due to lack of storage space. One item of interest is the 1912 Rumely "Oil Pull" tractor that could be used to power a threshing machine during our Heritage Festival in the fall. Right now it resides in a shed at the Badger Steam and Gas Club's headquarters near Baraboo. There was a rumor that this old tractor could no longer be started, so Board member Jim Koltes and Bob Forbess decided to check this out last Saturday, April 24th. After some preliminary cleaning and testing, and with the help of Steve Roudebush (who brings his beautiful steam engine to the Heritage Fest each year), we succeeded in starting the tractor and heard its distinctive exhaust sounds once again.

 

This tractor played a pivotal role in replacing steam-powered tractors with gasoline-powered tractors for the many new implements that were developed in the 1920's-30's. When our proposed Farm Machinery Museum becomes a reality we plan to display and demonstrate many of these items for all to enjoy.