Family Honors Forefather, Farm Heritage

IRONWOOD, MI - Friday, August 14, 2009 - The family of Carl ‘Rudy’ Martinson are honoring his life and lifetime work. The popular antique tractor show at the Gogebic County Fair has become the Carl ‘Rudy’ Martinson Memorial Vintage Farm Show and is being sponsored by Martinson’s widow, 4 children, 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

The Vintage Farm Show will be held Sunday, August 23rd during the fair. Antique and classic tractors, vintage farm machinery and various farm displays will be on hand. The equipment and displays will be brought in by farmers and collectors from a wide area in the U.P, Wisconsin and possibly even further. They do not compete for prizes or money, simply bring their farm machinery and displays to entertain and educate fair-goers. The Martinson family will be sponsoring ‘dash plaques’ to all farm show exhibitors as a tribute and thank you to the exhibitors.

Besides the various tractors and old equipment on display, the Vintage Farm Show will also have an area for the display of old farm toys, such as pedal tractors, toy farm sets, and other farm toys. Throughout the day, various demonstrations will be given, including the demonstration of an old-time stationary hay baler, a vintage cream separator, and an apple press.

New this year will be the ‘tractor games’ where drivers will compete in tractor ‘barrel racing’ and tractor ‘teeter-totter’. Come and watch young and old show their skill in handling the tractors that changed the farmers’ world before and after World War II. Returning will be the ‘tractor parade’, with the old time tractors being driven through the fairgrounds Sunday afternoon.

The antique tractor show was begun at the Gogebic County Fair 11 years ago by Rudy Martinson’s son Dan. It has become a popular Sunday activity at the fair and the entire Martinson family has exhibited various pieces of equipment at the show. This year the family is really excited to be able to expand the show and offer more activities for everyone.

Rudy Martinson was born on a farm which his parent’s farmed in south Bessemer in 1926. When Rudy was 10 years old, his father passed away and Rudy, his mother, and his sister moved a mile down the road to his uncle’s farm. As a teen-ager, Rudy worked on his uncle’s farm, often working the fields with the farm’s team of horses. His favorite job was milking the cows though and in 1952 he and his young wife Nelmi purchased the farm and began building a multiple production award winning dairy farm. His dairy cattle were shown every year at the Gogebic County Fair and often the very best were shown at the U.P. State Fair also. In 1965, Martinson sold the dairy cattle and began building a herd of registered Polled Hereford beef cattle. Again, his herd won awards and was recognized as a top herd around the region. The cattle were shown at the county fair, the U.P. State Fair, and the Minnesota State Fair.

Rudy Martinson was a staunch supporter of the Gogebic County Fair throughout his lifetime. He served as fair board chairman for several years in the early 1970’s and in 1974 was instrumental in the formation of the Youth Market Sale, an activity he was involved in until his death. Rudy died unexpectedly in November, 2006. Hearing of Rudy’s death, a renowned Wisconsin farmer called Rudy “the best cow herdsman I ever knew.”

Whether you are involved in any type of farming, your ancestors were, or even if you are a complete novice to agriculture, come and see the Carl ‘Rudy’ Martinson Memorial Vintage Farm show on Sunday August 23rd at the Gogebic County Fair. You will enjoy it!

Doreen Passuello