WMSTR

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WMSTR , or the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion, is a nonprofit antique tractor show that draws around 50,000 visitors each year. It takes place annually on Labor Day weekend in the small town of Rollag, Minnesota. Beginning in 1954, the reunion has grown from a few farmers threshing grain as their fathers had to the largest tractor show in Minnesota. WMSTR has become popular location for bonfires and parties among the local people and many others who travel to the Reunion.

1 Attractions
2 Common names
3 Steamer Hill
4 External link

[edit] Attractions

The WMSTR grounds features a 500 passenger functional steam-powered train known as Engine 353, two full-size steam-operated sawmills, the larger called the Briden-Roen Sawmill after it's builders. Other main attractions include the steam hammer, the giant Snow Engine, which has an approximately 24 foot flywheel, and, an area very popular with children, Miniatureland, which holds several hand-built miniature steam tractors. On the WMSTR grounds, there are several areas devoted to different types of machinery. There are gas engine buildings, a horsepower area, a construction area, and an expo ground. Several hundred tractors are put on display by the workers. In about the last decade, the Main Street area has grown as an attraction for many of those less interested in the mechanical aspects of the past. Main Street has many buildings and demonstrations showing what daily life was like in times past.

[edit] Common names

To most locals, the reunion is known by several names. "Rollag,""Steamer Hill," or simply "The Hill."

[edit] Steamer Hill

Steamer Hill is the center of activity on the showgrounds of the WMSTR. At the very top of Steamer Hill lies the show's Administration Building, which is a focal point for both volunteers and visitors to the Reunion. Nearby are several main attractions such as the Model Engines Building, the Pennsylvania Building, and the Carousel. Every day during the Reunion, at 10am and 2pm, Steamer Hill hosts a parade consisting of all sorts of machinery, from old cars to the giant steam-powered tractors.