GREENVILLE – The 26th Annual Farm Power of the Past closed out four successful days of its Annual Reunion on the grounds of the Great Darke County Fair.
Greenville Farm Power of the Past was organized in 1999 to preserve and educate others about the historical, educational, and mechanical aspects of farming and agricultural activities as conducted in earlier times, utilizing machinery, implements, and equipment propelled or powered by animals, steam, and internal combustion engines.
“Our 26th Annual Reunion turned out wonderful,” said Farm Power of the Past President Chet Linebaugh. “We couldn’t ask for better weather and better people attending. A huge thank you to everyone in the community who came out and joined us, and everyone who has traveled hours to come here for our show. We had a lot of different states represented again this year, a huge effort by everyone involved to make this show what it is.”
Kansas’ Peterson Farm Brothers, new to the show, were a smashing Friday night success with an overflow crowd in the Ohio Center building. Also
“Peterson Farm Brothers was a very well-received addition to our show this year,” Linebaugh noted. “We are already looking to see if we can make that happen again in the future. The Chuck Wagon Race demonstration, a last-minute addition we had on Saturday, turned out to be something very well received. We are already talking about possibly making that a bigger event next year.”
The Peterson Farm Brothers were sponsored by Keystone, CountryMark, Apple Farm Services, North Star Hardware & Implement, and Aaron Overholser-Beck’s Seed Dealer.
Linebaugh expressed his appreciation for the many sponsors that make the four-day event a success.
“We can’t do all the things we do without sponsors,” he said. “A huge thank you to everyone who helped sponsor different events on our grounds. We are very proud of the fact that we try to be as self-sufficient as possible, but in this day and age, it is getting more difficult, so the sponsorships we have for our different events on the grounds – the sponsorships are what makes that happen.”
The popular Saturday Tractor Parade had a new look for the 2025 event, bringing praise from entrants and attendees.
“We had an excellent turnout for our parade,” Linebaugh said. “We did it a little differently this year. Rather than being around the grandstand racetrack, we did it on the grounds, which made it a lot easier for people to sit out and watch, so that was a very well-received change we made this year.”
Planning for the annual tractor show is five to seven years in the planning stages ahead of each yearly event.
“We are working year-round,” Linebaugh stated. “We have meetings once a month to go through our planning stages and make sure we have things in line. It takes a lot of time to do that, and we found that the best thing we can do is plan five to seven years out in advance, to have things in line so that we can continue to do this show and keep it what people expect it to be.”
Major events at the 2025 show included The Peterson Farm Brothers, Darke County Truck and Tractor Pull, Kiddie Tractor Pull, Kids Coin Scramble in the Straw, Chuck Wagon Race, Tractor Parade, Garden Tractor Pull, and Heavyweight Horse Pull.
Special recognition went to Don Marchal, a 25-year Power of the Past director.
“Thank you to Don Marshall for his 25 years of service to Farm Power as a director,” Linebaugh said. He’s done a lot to help this show. He’s been the guy parking tractors since year two, so thanks for all his years of dedication to Farm Power of the past.”
A Sunday morning church service led by Power of the Past Chaplain, Pastor Jim Meredith, with special music by Salem Quartet, closed out the 2025 Greenville Power of the Past.
“We hope to see everyone next year,” Linebaugh concluded.
