Recollections from a member
Second generation member, Ted Sherring, recalls Pioneer Acres history
It all began as an idea of putting on a threshing show for a day with a few fellows that were interested in antiques and the way farming was done in the early days. They decided on a day and place to host it and the beginning of what is now Pioneer Acres Annual Show came alive.
The first demonstration day was held on an August weekend in 1969 north and east of the railway tracks off highway 9 and Langdon Corner along the irrigation canal on a small field that the equipment was set up on for the threshing day. A few of the people brought their holiday trailers and camped in the field parked against the irrigation canal. Preparation was complete and Saturday was ready to host the public that came by word of mouth back then that a threshing day was being held. The day went well and the weather stayed, around 50 people had attended and the talk around the trailers that night was a club needed to be formed and a weekend decided on to host another demonstration day.
The group of like-minded folks met at a farmer’s property near Langdon Corner after this weekend demonstration and started to plan forming a club and hosting a show for the next year. It was decided that a weekend in August would be best and that it be held on Saturday and Sunday. The plans were put in place and a field close to the Trans Canada Highway and Highway 9 north would give the best exposure for people to notice and stop to see the demonstration of farm equipment. Many of the helpers brought their trailers and campers and set up for the weekend. One of the men was handy in carpentry so he built a ticket booth to set up at the gate and a larger building on skids to be used to sell hot dogs and cold drinks. All the buildings that were used for the weekend had to be portable and on wooden skids, as they needed to be hauled or pulled back to be kept in a storage yard about ½ mile away on the farmers property after the show weekend. Threshing, plowing, stationary engines and horse demonstrations were put on over the weekend, many people attended, and many stopped in off the highway when they saw what was going on in the field. This weekend in August 1970 was recorded as our first show. Evening came, the group got together and celebrated the day, and by Sunday evening, everything was put away for another year. It was decided a club should be formed, memberships offered to grow and the opportunity for people who had a common interest of antiques in collecting, restoring, demonstrating the equipment, and keeping Alberta’s farm history alive by hosting a yearly weekend show.
The group met at the Langdon Corner farm for meetings and in January 1971 the Club was formed, Pioneer Acres Plowmen and Threshermen’s Club of Alberta was chosen and registered as a Not for Profit Charity Organization in February 1972 and it was now official. An executive board was formed and membership to the club was created for those to join. Charter members First President was Doug Hartley, and First Treasurer was Arlo Jurney. The other “Charter Members” were Gilbert Sather, Buster Garriott, Harry Garriott, Keith Evenson, Walt Mosimann, Ernie Walter, Harvey Walter, Tovio (Tom) Anderson, Harry Tate, and Frank Sherring.
The club thrived and gained around 60 members at a cost of $5.00 per membership. Votes decided a two-day show and have it the weekend after the long weekend in August. As the years went on the show grew as well as the membership and by the late 1970s permanent grounds were discussed by the club members in order to continue the growth and stabilization of the club.
Land was looked into that was offered by the Western Irrigation District, located south of Chestermere Lake, the executive members considered the location and it was discussed as an option for the general membership to vote on.
Around the same time, word came that another option was to look at land located north of Irricana that was owned by the County of Rocky View and was currently the location of an old borrow pit for gravel but was no longer being used. The location had good access from Highway 9 and better exposure for the public for future shows. However a huge deep wide hole existed on the property left from the borrow pit where gravel had been excavated over the years. This would need to be filled in order to make the land viable for show grounds.
When put to a vote at a general meeting it was decided that the land at Chestermere should be where the club should move. A Planning Committee was formed and met with Western Irrigation District to review land legalities and obligations that the WID had in place if this land was to be pursued by the Club. Upon further review, the planning committee felt the area to be too restricted for further expansion and for future development, as soil conditions could pose an issue if wet weather came during a show weekend. It was also only a 10-acre parcel of land being offered and the club was currently working with an area of around 8 acres and found it not to be enough.
The Planning Committee decided they should consider reviewing another offer proposed by Rocky View County, which was 30 acres with a lease offer of 20 years for a dollar per year. The land was much sandier and open with better access to the highway. Utilities such as power, natural gas, and water the club would be responsible for having brought in and dug.
This was the start of new development and the planning committee felt, after meeting with Murray Wise, Rocky View County Representative this was a better option than the proposed WID land by Chestermere Lake.
Some of the club members felt it was taking on too much and the club should stay where it was located but the restrictions of not being able to expand, permanent buildings could not be erected, no proper storage, cover of the equipment and the building of a proper workshop proved to the majority of the members that a relocation of the club must be done to move forward for the club’s future.
A few of my recollections from the Langdon Corner days that have fond memories of when the club was in its early stages.
Meetings were first held at the Taylor farm in the basement of Ken and Beth Taylor. Later as the membership grew we moved to the Langdon Hall in Langdon where many a potluck suppers were held. Club members were asked to bring pictures of prior shows, movies, puzzles, and games to play after the supper and general meeting for a Social evening. $2.00 from each member was asked for to offset the cost of the hall rental and any extra monies would go to the club treasurer to be put in the bank.
Some board meetings and a few Annual Meetings were held at Phil’s Restaurant in Forest lawn, Calgary so all could enjoy a fine cooked meal, day out and get together.
During the show days, many of the wives and children of club members ran the concession booth that sold hot coffee, pop, chips, hot dogs, water, and chocolate bars, homemade pies and ice cream as well as novelty ice cream bars.
As the attendance grew during the show, it was decided to ask the Cheadle Lions Club if they would take over the food and concessions for the show with a portion of the profit money being returned to the club.
A 3 ton truck with a 1500 gallon water tank in the back was our source of water for all to use from drinking water, washing, filling up campers and trailers to putting on a bathing suit or shorts at night to have a cold shower under the tap of the water outlet of the tank.
Evenings were spent reminiscing with others around a common area in the Club camping section, a campfire burning and everyone enjoyed the laughter and fellowship of another day over, with another day to prepare for. Bundle racks reloaded for the next day’s threshing demonstration, steamers filled with water, wood and coal and tractors and pump engines fueled up for the next day’s activities. Everyone had a job to do before the end of day and nightfall arriving, before sitting around and relaxing around the campfire to visit and talk among friends.
It was not uncommon as evening came for the threshing crew and steam engine operators to take a position on the haystack pile from the days threshing and bed down for a good night’s sleep among the mice who also loved the new pile of nice warm hay and feed. Their mornings always came early to get the steam engines fired and ready for the day’s activities.
Morning would usually come by an awaking of a steam whistle blowing on the grounds as another day was beginning and the gates would soon be opening for another day of demonstrations of the way it was in years gone by.
At the end of the weekend and time to put everything away, members pitched in to drag back the portable buildings that were on skids to the storage grounds about a ½ mile from the show grounds. Through the field the tractors would be hitched to a piece of equipment and trucks hauling barrels of fuel, oil and parts they all would take back and store in the storage yard for another years show.
Many a character was involved in the show and each member was an integral part of the show and demonstrations over the course of the weekend.
One year it rained so hard on the Friday evening overnight that everyone had to be brought up to the Taylor’s farmstead by a saddle horse, one at a time the horse owner took each of us from our camp unit on his horse to the farmstead as it was too muddy to even move any equipment. By noon Saturday, the Show was a go and everything went as planned.
Everyone would look forward to sitting around the fire that Sunday evening after the final piece was taken back to the storage yard as the treasurer was reviewing and going over the final tally of what was brought in for the club over the weekend. His anticipated announcement of what was made for the club made the tired and weary members have a sense of accomplishment that “made it all worthwhile.”
So as you can see many things have not changed over the years as we celebrate our 40th year of being at Irricana.
The club has grown and many buildings built and moved onto the property. Members have come and gone and many have passed over the years. But the Clubs purpose remains that we collect, restore, maintain, and demonstrate equipment along with any other artifacts, which were used by the Pioneers of Alberta.
I hope that I’ve shared some insight into our Club’s early history and you’ve found it to be informative and interesting to see some of where we’ve come from and to where our Charter Members wanted the Club to go. Pioneer Acres has been a part of our family for over 53 years and we now have Four Generations involved. I have so many fond memories of the many men and women and their families who have made Pioneer Acres our yearly family gathering place to call home for these many years and look forward to seeing the Club prosper and grow in members as the years progress.
Thank you for allowing me to share my memories and the history of the early years and the beginnings of Pioneer Acres Plowmen and Threshermen’s Club of Alberta.
