Wow. This thread is VERY important! A few other guys and I started a club nigh on 18 yrs ago, and have been having shows ever since. The core memberhip is dwindling, as of late, more so due to deaths than disinterest. I personally feel the demise of the family farm is the crux of the problem. Fewer families farming = fewer kids to get interested. We've tried extending invitations to local FFA and 4H groups to our spring swap where we would also begin teaching anyone how to run a thresher, staionary baler or engine, baker fan or whatever.. only stipulation was they had to accept a 1 year FREE membership, and come to the show and help. .... (pretty tough requirements, eh?) We got precisely ONE young man to do it. I was appalled, and dismayed. I'm currently working on a small scholarship program, (just a few hundred dollars) as an incentive to get younger folks to restore a tractor or implement and display it, with a committee of club members awarding the scholarship for the best, (in our humble opinion) restoration. I really think a couple of factors are killing our show's momentum:
1.) Fewer farm kids. 2.) Appeal. Those who may be on the farm often aren't interested in this OLD stuff! 3.) Time. Those who ARE interested, are growing old and dying. 4.) Stagnation. Same tractors and display EVERY year. How many times can you get that old feeling of excitement looking at a Farmall H or John Deere B? Like Russ said, you have to keep it fresh and give them something different to look at. (a problem due to #7 below) 5.) Apathy. I'd say a full 85% of our club are "watchers", and the rest are "workers" to various degrees.
6.) Personality conflicts. I've noticed in our own club that a few vocal ramrods who probably have good intentions of getting folks to work, are actually turning them off and driving them away. Poor leadership skills will absolutely KILL an organization. (shoot, I'm one of the founders, and I've been so irritated with some of our "leaders", I nearly packed my stuff and left.)
7.) Loss of focus. I realize we're a non profit organization and we have bills to pay to put on a show. BUT, as I've stood up at more than one meeting and said, we started this club so WE can get together and play with OUR toys. Its great to have the public come and see it. Lets face it, we all like to show off our stuff, and we like the attention. And, it does serve as a learning medium for newer generations. BUT, I see that sometimes the club gets wound up in "raising money to build or buy". Then the gate fee goes up. Then the vendor fee goes up. Then the camper fees go up. Then the flea market spaces go up.......then the crowd goes down. A club needs to try to grow and progress, but not all clubs have the support base (read attendance and member participation) to make it happen. "Ya gots ta know yer limitations, son"
8.) The economy. Gas is high. Food is high. Unemployment is high. The price of restoring stuff is high. When those things go up, "extra" stuff goes out. I know I think twice about driving more than say 80 miles or so in my gas sucking tractor hauler. And I hate to go to a show empty handed.
There are lots of variables. I'm afraid the largest reason by far though is the changing of the guard. If you didn't at least see your grandad using this stuff, it simply doesn't have the same connection to you. We'll always have SOME interested folks. My kids are innoculated with the old iron virus early on, and I hope they continue the hobby, but they are still young and have lots of things to deal with ahead in their lives, especially in these troubled times. It may, sadly enough, just not be as important in the big scheme of things as time goes by, so we'd better enjoy it while we can.
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