WAYNE TOWNSHIP — Sweat poured off Mark Hissa’s brow, running down his cheek as he mopped his forehead with a handkerchief. With a deft tug, Hissa’s 1912 steam engine left off a great toot and came to a stop. The ride was over — time to cool off. Thousands of people, including vendors and exhibitioners, attended the Ashtabula County Antique Engine Club’s annual summer engine show over the weekend, despite the high temperatures and hot sun. Hissa and Tim Grimm didn’t let the heat take the fun out of standing on a 16,000-pound, steaming hot engine all day. “We live for these engine shows,” Hissa said. Rich Grimm and sons Nick, 14, and Jon, 10, of Cortland, tinkered with their half-scale Peerless steam engine on Sunday. “This thing is a lot of fun,” Rich Grimm said. “It was built in the 1960s and it is pretty much a working model of a full-size steam engine.” Frankie Koch, 3, of Ashtabula couldn’t get enough of the tractors as they rolled past his little red wagon. “Frankie has loved tractors ever since he was old enough to point at one,” mom Christine Koch said. “We had to get here to see all the cool tractors and so his dad could check out the stuff at the flea market.” Ashtabula Agricultural Heritage Society committee member Dave Covert said the annual show can bring more than 10,000 people to the Wayne Township fairgrounds. “But this year, the weather certainly impacted the crowds,” he said. “There were far fewer families with small children in the heat on Friday and Saturday.” Don Wharton of Grafton said he hasn’t missed the show weekend in 25 years. He said people who grew up on farms and people who live in cities have an equal appreciation for the old engines. “People here are looking at history,” he said. “These engines are part of the industrial revolution. This is taking a walk back in time.”
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JEFFERSON DAD GEARY McMannes gives 1-year-old Adin McMannes a ride Sunday at the Ashtabula County Antique Engine Club annual show. MARGIE NETZEL / Star Beacon
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