Vintage times in Mountbellew

It has become one of the largest vintage rallies in the county and the highlight will be a project embarked upon by the vintage committee with the sowing of a 10 acre field of barley to showcase – in a practical working way – various corn harvesting equipment.

The harvesting will start with methods that were used a century ago with the scythe, moving up to the reaper and binder.

Then it’s onto the thresher and the oldest tractor propelled active combine will be on display as will a modern new combine harvester that is capable of cutting 100 acres of corn a day.

Well known singer Jason Travers will, with others, provide top class musical entertainment ‘on the field’ throughout the day.

It is expected that there will be hundreds of vintage tractors, vintage cars and motorbikes and a host of other sideshows which will entertain the huge audience that is expected to attend.

According to Vintage Chairman, Michael Whelan, the success of the show is due to good traffic and parking organisation and outstanding value for all the family with no parking charges and no admission fees for children.

“We have a site extending to over 60 acres and each free car park is within a few minutes walk of the event itself,” he said.

This year the festival sees the return of the massive 300hp tractors, which will take part in the tractor pulling competition.

Those engines roar like jet planes as they pull a massive metal object down a dirt track behind them – it has been described as an exhilarating experience.

As has been the case for a number of years, the familiar array of steam engines returns to The Square in the town on Saturday evening for a free demonstration of old fashioned steam power from an era long gone.

The sight of these colourful fully restored monster machines blasting massive volumes of steam up to the summer night sky is a sight all children are never likely to forget.

There will be a free music session in The Square on Saturday night along with amusements for the children.