The Heart of Devon Festival 17th June 2017
Text by Michael Coleman: photos courtesy of Sue Read, Crediton Courier Newspaper
For the first time since the Festival’s inception, MDTEMG club members participated this year in this friendly all-day music festival cum village fair at Bow. On a seriously hot and sunny day, about a dozen or so vintage tractors lined up alongside a few from the village, while a similar number of working vintage engines (mostly from our club) did their thing and helped to provide interest and amusement for children and adults alike. It is always striking at such events how fascinated so many children are at things that were outmoded long before they were born (rather like the engines on an heritage steam railway).
One child spent a very long time staring in fascination at water being squirted out of a pipe from a pump being driven by one of Bill Murch’s engines, while others were thrilled to take the opportunity, when invited by tractor owners, to have their pictures taken by their loved ones on a ‘Little Grey Fergie’ or “that big, blue one” or whichever colour took their fancy. With a backdrop of non-stop (but not too close!) music and plenty of other things to see and do, it was a very enjoyable day, with surprisingly large crowds. It’s in the diary for 2018!
As a footnote, it was also the day that the then Secretary realised, having ‘conked’ out repeatedly on the short 3 mile journey from home to the show field that he needed a new ignition coil on his Fergie (thanks to Steve Williams for the running repairs)!