Oregonians are invited to immerse into the world of agriculture at Powerland Heritage Park, which now features a campus of 14 museums.
Tim Dezotell's shiny green 1930s Hart-Parr Tractor with bright, red wheels has passed from generation to generation in the Dezotell family.
It's part of a legacy patriarch Percy, who died in the early 1990s, left through his family and at Powerland Heritage Park, which every year hosts the annual Great Oregon Steam-Up.
It all started in 1970 when a group of people with a passion for preserving antique farm machinery came together to form Western Antique Power Inc., which later would become Powerland Heritage Park.
This included Tim's grandfather, Percy.
Born in 1968, Tim grew up at the park surrounded by the history and antique tractors that his grandfather was dedicated to preserving.
"A few (tractors) that are still out there he was a big hand in getting going and restoring," Tim said.
A tradition that began with the opening of the park will continue this year with the 48th Annual Great Oregon Steam-Up, which takes place July 28-29 and Aug. 4-5.
Oregonians are invited to immerse into the world of agricultural history that enthusiasts like Percy Dezotell created at Powerland Heritage Park, which now features a campus of 14 museums.
At this year's Great Oregon Steam-Up, the Northwest Car and Motorcycle Museum and an annex of the Oregon Vintage Machinery Museum featuring John Deere will be open for business.
Spread out over more than 60 acres, machines on display include tractors, implements, engines, vintage trucks and an authentic steam sawmill.
For two weekends, guests can see Oregon's agricultural heritage come alive and learn about the early days of machinery through displays, demonstrations and other activities.
Traditional Steam-Up activities and demonstrations including train and trolley rides, steam sawmilling, threshing, flour milling, museum tours and blacksmithing will be making a return.
Daily activities include a parade of vintage tractors, trucks and automobiles at 1:30 p.m., a steam-powered sawmill operating four times a day and trolley tours along the site perimeter.
The volunteers and museums of Powerland Heritage Park are dedicated to educating about the rich agricultural history of Oregon. And for more than four decades, the Great Oregon Steam-Up has provided an opportunity for the community to experience it hands-on.
The world of antique machinery, restoration and preservation is no stranger to Tim, who now serves on the Powerland Heritage Park board.
This kind of tradition, the kind that withstands generations, is incorporated into every aspect of the park. It's shown through the people that visit and see tractors their parents used to operate or the older man who looks at a tractor from the 1900s and says, "I used to drive that."
"It makes you appreciate some of the older generations and what they did not have," Tim said. "To see where we came from and where we are going."
What: Powerland Heritage Park's largest event of the year features daily parades with vintage tractors, trucks, and automobiles, there is also train and trolley rides, museum tours, demonstrations and various machines on display. There wil be e concert featuring Bret Lucich from 7:15 to 9:15 p.m. and a sparks show at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 4.