Tractor club finds new home at fairgrounds

SANDPOINT — Over the course of his life as a local farmer, Dennis Hamann has never owned a new piece of equipment.

“Basically, I bought junk, I repaired junk, I used junk and I sold junk,” Hamann told the Daily Bee last summer when his collection was on display at the Bonner County Fair.

Some might argue with the term “junk,” however, as the Panhandle Antique Tractor and Engine Club has adopted Hamann’s vast collection of antique cars, trucks, tractors and various small engines used to power water pumps, washing machines, oil well pumps, milling machines and more.

As Hamann said he wants the public to enjoy his collection, the tractor club has been looking for a permanent home for the display. Club member Marlin Turinsky recently announced they found that home at the Bonner County Fairgrounds.

The tractor club agreed to fund a new poultry and rabbit barn for the fair, and in turn, they will be remodeling and moving into the old one. The tractor club will be putting in a new floor among other improvements in the old barn, Turinsky said, and may redo the siding in the future to match the new red barn.

The company contracted to build the new barn started last week, and by Friday had the exterior nearly complete. Darcey Smith, Bonner County Fair and Rodeo fairgrounds and facility director, said everything should be ready in time for the fair in August. Smith said she is not only excited about the new building for the chickens and rabbits, but also to have the tractor club permanently on site.

"I think it's going to be a good fit; I think it's going to be a nice addition to the fairgrounds," Smith said, adding the tractor club stepped in to help out at the Pre-Fair in May. "The kids loved it, so it is definitely a good thing."

Hamann's collection — as well as the tractor club's collection of vintage tractors, farming equipment, engines, tools and more — will fill the new museum year round.

"We want it to be open more than just at the fair," Turinsky said, adding that the club hopes to add an educational element for local youth, as well as adults. "Teachers could bring their kids out on certain days and we could teach them how a tractor works, how an old engine runs — it will be a lot of fun for us."

Hamann's collection will be the "main attraction" in the museum, Turinsky said. Hamann said while he started his collection in the 1990s, he really began to work on it after his retirement in 2000. He and his wife had planned to travel after retiring, he said, but when health issues left her homebound, he found solace from working in his shop.

“My shop was my savior,” he said. “I could go down there and I was right there if she needed help.”

The time in his shop, he said, was spent “completely” tearing down many of the items in his collection, right down to the last nut and bolt, and rebuilding them.

“Everything is sandblasted, primed and repainted — I’ve got a lot of hours in this stuff,” he said.

In one example of the hours Hamann has into his collection, he said he has 2,300 hours into rebuilding a 1950 Ford pickup truck. One of the oldest items in his collection, he said, is a 1915 Ford Model T, known as “the last of the brass.” 

The tractor club is a nonprofit organization and is open to donations from the public, including monetary donations as well as local artifacts. The club is also looking for new members of all ages, Turinsky said.

To donate or become a member of the tractor club, contact club secretary Nancy Fontaine at 208-946-7409.

Mary Malone can be reached by email at mmalone@bonnercountydailybee.com and follow her on Twitter @MaryDailyBee.