California
collecting Last week, The Green Girl headed west to California in search of more green guys and gals.
I found a few in the heart of the San Joaquin river valley, where ag’s their bag in the form of orchard crops, dairy, cotton and zillions of veggies. It was an ideal time to visit as everything was in full first bloom. Roses galore, calla lilies as big as your head, and groves upon groves of fragrant blossoms graced my sense of smell. At one point, a traffic jam on Highway 99 between Bakersfield and Tulare was caused by a turned-over carrot truck. The orange stain of smashed carrots covered the pavement as state troopers tried to shovel the veggies aside. Anything "ag"-tique The occasion was the 9th Annual CA Antique Farm Equipment Show held in Tulare at the International Agri-Center grounds. While this year’s show featured Caterpillar tractors, there were plenty of green-and-yellow machines roaming the grounds as well! Unfortunately, Mother Nature threw a curve ball on Saturday, April 21, with a damp, chilly day that kept the crowds slim. Thankfully, Sunday was sunny and warm in typical California style, and the crowds seemed happier…as were the vendors! Still, thousands of people wandered the many-acre site in search of ag-tiques.
The event offered two full days of activities with greased pig catchin’ contests, tractor parades and pulls. An antique quilt show plus an antique auction kept visitors enthralled and entertained. The Green Girl set up a booth to sell and sign my book in the giant white tent named Pavilion C. It was a mixed bag of crafters under the Big Top…from oversized straw cowboy hats and fudge on a stick to painted flower pots and toy tractors in every color. Next-door neighbor the "Salsa Man" kept feeding me his super-hot concoctions of fresh veggies. Across the way, a genealogy search service offered to find the nuts in my family tree for free. Meeting the masses who bleed green The CA show proved that JD collectors come in all types too. For example, many women bought a copy of my John Deere Collectibles book…for themselves, not their husbands! These ladies were diehard Deere fans! The age range was wide too…one young 8-year-old claimed to a tractor expert and was definitely growing up green! Clearly, collecting John Deere memorabilia is not just a hobby for retired farmers! The weekend was even more special because The Green Girl got to see some familiar faces, plus put a face with a familiar name in some cases!
The Derrs who lived nearby were there to say HI…again…I’d met them at a show in Glendale, Arizona back in February. And the Rens pair from Boring, Oregon had ordered my book from www.BleedingGreen.com a month before and now I got to meet them in person. And I got to talk to Chris Visser again, whose immaculately restored 630 Hi-Crop was auctioned off for $141,000 at the inaugural auction of the John Deere Collectors Center last August in Moline. One of the more endearing collectors I met was Stanton Filer. He brought by a few pieces from his collection to impress The Green Girl. And it worked! He showed me a beautiful No. 32 General Catalog from the San Francisco and Los Angeles branch. He also had an 1876 pocket ledger and some other interesting items. As if that wasn’t treat enough, he brought me a sack of oranges from his own Sunkist groves in Orange Cove! Yum!
Glancing at the entries in my guest book, I chatted with JD fans from all over CA, plus Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Washington and even a misplaced Missourian. I also met a guy from Scotland and a lady who raises cotton in both California and Australia! There were some interesting town names, too…like Boring, OR and Tranquillity, CA! The Green Girl visited at length with the "Paper Boy," Paul Hebert from Mexico, Missouri. His early Froelich tractor piece was auctioned off for $1,700 the day The Green Girl was there to take photos for putting it in the John Deere Collectibles book (find it on page 9). He’s one of the hobby’s experts when it comes to literature so look for him at a show and pick his brain about your favorite piece of paper. Build it and they will come It was also a special treat to see Jeff McManus, now manager of the new John Deere Collectors Center, and meet Emily Scranton, who handles member relations and whose family owns and operates farm toy manufacturer SpecCast in Dyersville, Iowa. They were there to sign up new members and introduce JD fans to the new Tradition magazine and other membership goodies available. The restored 1950s dealership Moline Tractor & Plow Company will have a grand opening this August!
Speaking of the John Deere Tradition magazine, the first issue is now out and it looks incredible! Anyone who "bleeds green" must get their hands on this publication. To do so, just join the Collectors Center! This monthly magazine is an awesome membership perk. In fact, The Green Girl’s John Deere Collectibles book is given a glowing review in the inaugural issue. And rumor has it The Green Girl may be writing an article or two in coming editions as well. Spreading the word The rest of the week-long trip involved more book promotion and publicity, plus book-signing events. On Friday morning, I enjoyed visiting with Dave Daniels of KJUG. He "bleeds green" for the Philadelphia Eagles football team but now knows about John Deere green as well. Friday evening I autographed books at the B. Dalton Bookseller in the Visalia Mall. A few folks stopped shopping long enough to check out my book or to mention they heard me on the radio. All in all, it was a unique experience for this new author. Hopefully, more green guys and gals will find out about my book, my community for collectors at www.BleedingGreen.com and my column as The Green Girl! Next week, watch out for watch fobs as The Green Girl explores the memorabilia category of these old-time timepiece keepers.
Text Ý © 2001 Brenda Kruse. Photos by Brenda Kruse unless otherwise noted. |
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