65th Annual Will County Threshermen’s Association Antique Tractor & Steam Engine Show
The 65th Annual Antique Tractor & Steam Engine Show is a four-day agricultural-heritage gathering organized by the Will County Threshermen’s Association near Manhattan, Illinois. Scheduled for July 15–18, 2027, at Spiess Farm, the 65th edition will spotlight International Harvester equipment and single-cylinder engines.
What the show is like
This is primarily a working-history show, rather than a static collection of old machinery. The association’s annual event traditionally combines steam engines, antique tractors and farm equipment with demonstrations of threshing, plowing, corn shelling and other historic agricultural work, allowing visitors to see how older machinery actually operated.
The 2027 featured machinery
International Harvester is the featured manufacturer for the 65th show, accompanied by a focus on single-cylinder engines; the official announcement lists the event at Spiess Farm, 13831 W. Joliet Road, Manhattan, Illinois. The association typically highlights a particular manufacturer or machinery category each year while welcoming equipment from other makes as well.
More than tractors
Recent editions give a useful sense of the show’s broader character: activities have included a Parade of Power, antique and garden tractor pulls, sawmilling, field demonstrations, historical displays, children’s activities, a petting zoo, craft and flea-market vendors, food, entertainment and Civil War living history. The precise 2027 program may differ, so those activities should be treated as representative of the tradition rather than a confirmed 2027 schedule.
Agricultural heritage
The event traces its roots to a Threshing Bee begun in 1963 by Ray Kestel; the organization supporting it was formally established in 1966. Over subsequent decades the show moved among several Will County locations before settling at Steve Spiess Farm in Manhattan in 2018, continuing the association’s nonprofit mission of preserving and demonstrating American agricultural history.