Our President’s Message

Doesn’t seem possible that winter is here already! I know I’m not ready especially after the winter we had last year.

As most have probably heard Darrell Darst passed away suddenly September 21st. Darrell was a founding member of Chapter #1 and past national president he was also editor of Harvester Highlights. Darrell will be greatly missed, please let our thoughts and prayers be with Kevin and his family. We will be holding a Chapter meeting in late May at Darrell and Kevin’s Museum in Madison.

Our last membership meeting was held October 5th in Eldon, MO at the Silver Dollar’s restaurant. We had a great meal followed by the meeting. At the meeting it was decided to award this coming years FFA grant to the Carrollton area career center FFA. Thank you to Libby Youse for getting everything lined up for the meeting.

Our next membership meeting will be our annual Christmas dinner December 7th at the Pilot Grove Community center in Pilot Grove, MO. We will be voting on the location of the 2022 state show, so far the only club bidding is the Lincoln County Old Threshers in Elsberry, MO. Please rsvp if you plan to attend so we can have a good headcount.

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas season!

See everyone in Pilot Grove.

~ Andrew Dawson – President


You Are Invited

The 4th meeting for 2019 will be held at the Pilot Grove Community Building in Pilot Grove, Mo. The Board of Directors will be meeting at 10:30 am. Lunch will be served at noon with the regular business meeting being held at 1:00 pm. Please bring an item for a door prize.  All dues are due by January 1st so it is a great time to come celebrate Christmas, visit with other IH collectors, meet up with old and new friends, pay dues, and eat a really good meal. Miles Wolf has for many years taken care of booking the hall and the catering for the meal. Thank you, Miles for doing this every year.

The club will be voting on the 2022 state show. ~ Libby Youse

WANTED TO BUY: Farmall B, Super C or Super H, show ready.
Contact: James Mitschele at 573-512-0958

Irreplaceable Member, Friend, Collector

Are there tractors in heaven?

If tractors  were not there already, we all know Darrell is getting a lot of folks caught up on collecting IH beyond the pearly gates. It was quite a surprise to hear that Darrell had passed away. Our hearts go out to his friends and family, especially to his loving wife of 30 years, Kevin. The National IH Auction was held the weekend after his passing, so there was much discussion about what kind of guy Darrell was. Many already felt his absence because they were planning to see him that weekend and ask some kind of a tractor or machinery related question. I heard that over and over, from different men mostly, that you would have machinery, a tractor, or a piece of memborbilia and they might know a little bit of something about it but Darrell could always tell you the rest of the story. Just like Paul Harvey. The funniest family story I heard was why Darrell got his earring. He did it for his Granddaughter when he went with her to get her piercing. She was nervous and he put her at ease by getting a piercing of his very own.

Darrell Darst, 70, died Saturday, September 21, 2019, he was born August 10, 1949 in Madison, MO. He was a proud Veteran, Darrell served in the United States Army. He fought in the Vietnam War and received an honorable discharge in 1971.

After his family, Darrell’s passion was International Harvester. As a founding member of the International Harvester Collectors Club, he devoted much of his life to the development of what is now a community of 7500+ enthusiasts worldwide. He served on the national board as a director for many years, including two terms as president. In addition to his time on the board, Darrell was known for his time as editor of Harvester Highlights magazine. Darrell and his wife have an International Harvester museum at their home in Madison, MO and have traveled all over the United States researching the history of IH.

National President Bob Buxton officiated the service and Darrell was buried with full Military Honors at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Jacksonville, MO. Remebering Darrell will be easy but getting rid of the heartache is what will be hard. The knowledge that he shared through  “Harvester Highlights” is a true treasure. You are and will be missed, Darrell. ~ Libby Youse


Conway Missouri FFA Tractor Restoration

On Friday, September 20th Tom Lindley, James Mitschele and Randy Weiss met with the Conway FFA Chapter members and Advisor Mr. Joseph Stratton at the FFA shop class to provide the final $1000 check for the Missouri Chapter # 1 International Harvesters Collectors Club Tractor Restoration Program for the 2018-2019 School Year. The class did an excellent job restoring the 1948 M Farmall, with an emphasis on ensuring it was mechanically sound, they replaced just about every seal and several bearings in just about every part of the tractor.  The class earned a blue ribbon at the Webster county Fair in Marshfield, another blue ribbon at the Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, a bronze ribbon at the Missouri State Fair and Reserve Grand Champion at the Laclede County Fair in Lebanon. The class was very motivated and proud of the job they completed which has become the talk of the community as well. Mr. Stratton did an excellent job motivating the class to excel. They were fortunate to have Tom Lindley locally to assist and provide a treasure trove of experience in maintaining the tractor.  The class has not missed a beat over the summer and were elbow deep in a 300 Utility and a Farmall Regular when we arrived!! This restoration stuff in contagious. The Conway FFA team is a perfect example of what the Chapter 1 IHC Restoration Program was meant to be, a way to peak the interest of the younger generation and further the history of IHC.  The Tractor will be Raffled off at a tractor pull on 12 October, the class is having great time selling raffle tickets. ~ Submitted by Randy Weiss


18th Annual Cub-A-Rama Fredericktown, Missouri

September 27-29, 2019 ~ Submitted by Randy Weiss       

Unlike last year it was a very hot humid windy weekend at the 19th Annual Cub-A-Rama in Fredericktown, MO. The show held the last weekend in September for the past 18 years is synonymous with cooler temps and leaves slowly turning (even if Mother Nature forgets sometimes). This year the weather was hot and dry, reaching to near 90 degrees. There were approximately 80 exhibits (mostly Cubs and Cub Cadets) from 15 different states on display and a handful of parts vendors for the die-hard collectors to pick thru. Many of the implements and parts had been spoken for or arranged to be picked up at the show long before they ever arrived at the show, especially with things becoming hard to find.

This year we added a hand cranked corn sheller for the kids to operate, they seemed to have a ball working it, even as sweat formed on their faces, some just would not stop and wanted to do just a few more ears of corn.  Some of the shelled corn was taken to the Model 4E Hammermill, for grinding into chicken feed. A few dusty gentlemen overseers and lots of happy kids were the result.  The annual Pedal Tractor Pull was also a very enjoying event to watch, the children oblivious to the heat really put their all into getting down the track the farthest.  We enjoyed an implement walk thru where the experts explained the purpose of all the exhibited implements (everything from cultivators to plows to seeders) as well as a demonstration on how to properly replace a magneto with a distributor and for all those interested a small plot of land adjacent to the park was used for plough demonstrations each day. There was something for all to enjoy. 

On Saturday at 12 noon we took our annual Parade of Power thru the square at Fredericktown and back to the show grounds where a photo of the participants is taken each year to commemorate the show. Not every tractor participated but we had a great time and had quite a few spectators along the route.  An extra treat this year was Poole’s Tractor made ice cream from New Hampshire. To make it even better Mr. Poole and sons provided free ice cream samples for all for the entire show. Their display was the center of activity for quite some time each day.

Everybody left the show extremely happy, especially the winner of the restored 1950 Cub Tractor.  Buddy Banks and crew did a super job restoring the tractor for the show. We (Chapter 1) do very well at the show selling merchandise and we generally receive two or three membership renewals or new members each year. Attendance was down slightly this year as the IHCC National Auction was held the same weekend, so several of our regulars could not make it. They were missed and will hopefully be back next year. If you are interested in attending or want additional information to visit the Cub-A-Rama website (www.cub-a-rama.com or call Jamie Hargis (573-561-4524).   HOPE TO SEE EVERYONE NEXT YEAR!!!!!                     


Carrollton Area Career Center FFA Tractor Restoration       

On Monday 21 October, Ron and Pat Gann (Missouri Chapter # 1 Representatives) met with the Carrollton ACC FFA Chapter members and Advisor Jack Peterson at the FFA shop class in Carrollton, MO. to provide the initial $1,000 check for the Missouri Chapter # 1 International Harvesters Collectors Club Tractor Restoration Program for the 2019-2020 School Year.  Danny and Genny Rodenberg (MO Chapter #1 Members) donated the Super C Wide-front end tractor to the class for restoration and were present for the presentation as well. Class plans to restore the tractor and then retain it as school property to pull floats and trailers in community parades and events around Carrollton.  We look forward to seeing the class restore the tractor to its original condition and generate interest in IHC old iron for the members of the class. Special thanks to Ron and Pat Gann for traveling down to Carrollton to represent Chapter #1 and present the check to the class.

~ Submitted by Randy Weiss