Prairie history comes alive with the artifacts and work tools of pioneer days on display, and in many cases in working order, thanks to the Humboldt and Area Vintage Club.
More than an agricultural museum, the Vintage Club facility just south of Humboldt on Highway 20 continues to grow and evolve with a number of special spring summer and fall events to delight visitors and educate local residents about the hardships and joys of days gone by. The membership celebrated last year’s accomplishments and entered into a new season of activity with its Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, April 2.
A new and dynamic website was one of the key additions for 2024. The history of the Club, entering its 30th year in 2025 is chronicled, as are the collections and the activities.
Among those activities recounted at the meeting were a successful Spring Steak Fry that seated over 100, the expanding car show in May, the weekend visits throughout the summer, and the Tractor Pulls and Vintage Days, complete with the threshing demonstration.
It was also a year of work on expanding, maintaining and restoring key buildings and areas of the club, a former auction mart, says President Wes Crone.
“What the Vintage Club has done over the last couple of years is we’ve taken on and done some additions, and we’re updating some of the facilities. In the main auction area, the old kitchen has been dismantled, and we’re redoing the whole kitchen to make it a little more user friendly.”
The exterior work includes a number of facelifts including repairs and metal cladding, reroofing some areas, plus the addition of two new sheds to house a growing collection of artifacts. The historic Berting house has received new windows and is set to see its siding replaced once the weather warms up.
The maintenance and upgrades are a key part of the work by the 70 plus volunteers in the organization, but they are also a big part of areas activities in the spring summer and fall months, and they work with other organizations to bring their events to life. Many will recall the scary success of the Lions Club Festival of Frights, brought to life with the help of many artistic volunteers and performers.
There’s more on the way this season, says Crone. It starts on May 31 with the Tractor Run.
“We try to get some antique tractors together out here, and the last one we did, we headed out toward Muenster. This year, the idea is to head out from the Club toward the Original Humboldt and the telegraph site, then loop back through Humboldt for a lunch.”
Next on the show list is the ever-expanding car show coming up on June 8.
“The Car Show that we put on last year was way bigger than we anticipated,” Crone said. “The weather wasn’t great, but we had a really good turnout for it. Les Hilgers heads up the car show, so anyone who is interested and wanting more information can contact Les. The Car Show is on June 8 this year; we pushed it off a work for spring seeding to try to give everyone an opportunity to get out here to enjoy it.”
The Vintage Days are back on August 16 and 17 this year, this year celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the Club.
The Board welcomed new executive members Gary Engele and Pat Munkler, while Brent Hergott, Wes Crone and Kevin Ehalt agreed to continue for an additional term.
If you are interested in supporting the great work of the group and being part of its dynamic membership, get in touch with any member of the Humboldt and Area Vintage Club or connect with them at humboldtvintageclub.ca.