President’s Message – October 2020

Hello Members and Friends!

As we start the first week of October, fall temperatures are definitely in the air. By now we’ve learned that weather extremes will come and go. So, when some great weather comes along, we enjoy it that much more. As we look back at August and September, we were very lucky that Mother Nature gave us some excellent weather to enjoy some wonderful club functions. Anyone that missed them missed some great fellowship, food and fun. I want to thank the hosts of these events, everyone that helped and all the new members for joining the club and articipating. We’re glad you’ve found an interest in our club and hope you keep coming back. Bring some friends along as well. Now let’s focus on a safe fall harvest and tillage. When the work is done there should be some bean ground out there where we could plow and play. Anyone can sponsor a “Plow n Play Day”. Pick a date, plan it and “They will Come”. A little bonfire, beans, wieners and a cauldron of Chile with corn bread? And ……………..“We will work for food!” The October membership meeting will be @ the Bonfield Lions Oct. 21 @ 7:00 pm. I hope everyone can make it. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe these days. For our Members and Friends that may be dealing with heath issues my Prayers go out to you.

Sincerely,
Dave Wehrmann

President’s Message – September 2020

Hello Members and Friends!

I hope all of you are healthy and well and enjoying some great weather. Summer is almost over and Fall is just around the corner. If you haven’t had much fun you are not alone. So, here we are with August behind us but not without some great memories. Memories from the CIGC fundraiser Tractor Ride on August 22, 2020. It was a “Picture Perfect” day thanks to Ron Lukow catching all the big smiles on everyone’s faces. Perfect weather, great food By Country Table and countless hours of help from some dedicated members made it a huge success. I want everyone to thank Ag Reliant Genetics, LLC in Aroma Park for their generosity and once again welcoming us back to their facility. We greatly appreciate the use of your outside space to have the Ride and your donation of water and (2) ports-pots. Looking ahead to September we have “Plow Day” @ Rodney Schwark’s farm on September 12, 2020 starting @ 9:00 am. RSVP is a must by September 8,2020 for lunch provided by Rodney. Please do so by calling Jim LaMore or Mark Chapman. Non- Members pay $20.00 to join and those members plowing donate $20.00 to CIGC to raise funds for the Club. The Herscher Historical Society will be joining us to have a fund raiser auction for their organization. This is a “Rain or Shine” event. Too wet to plow there will be a tractor ride. Don’t forget September 16,2020 membership meeting at Bonfield Lions Hall 7:00 pm.

I hope to see you all at both.
Sincerely
Dave Wehrmann

President’s Message – August 2020

I hope everyone is well. It was great to see all of you that attended the July membership meeting. Some of you took part in a few club rides and the Will County Thresherman’s plow day. It was good to see all of you having a great time. Make sure to check out IMPORTANT details regarding the August 22nd (Ride the River) ride and Rodney’s September 12th Plow Day in the Greensheet. RSVP is mandatory for these CIGC events. Hope to see you all at the August 19th membership meeting.

Be safe and stay cool….Sincerely
Dave

President’s Message – July 2020

Hello members and friends!

I hope everyone is finding some way to enjoy this great weather. We are only several weeks away from the July 15th CIGC membership meeting at the Bonfield Lions Club Hall @ 7:00 pm. It will be great to see all of You. If anyone feels it’s not safe to join us, I understand. If You want to bring your own personal refreshments no problem. Face coverings are optional. Bring your own hand sanitizer please. We will be taking precautions to social distance as well as serving refreshments. Just a friendly reminder, it’s not too late to get your 2020 dues paid. The normal April deadline will be waived this year due to the meeting cancellations. You have the No Contact option of mailing in your $20.00 to the CIGC mailbox. The Clubs expenses are a little higher this year so every dollar counts. Any dues paid now will still entitle you to a membership through December 31 this year. If you have an email address please share it with us. Then We can send the Green Sheet to You electronically and reduce our monthly costs of envelopes, paper and stamps. Plus, you’ll also get any Club news and announcements before everyone else.

Be safe and see You on the 15th and bring a Friend or three!! Thank You!
Sincerely
Dave

President’s Message – June 2020

Hello members and friends!

Back in April and May we thought it’s too cold will it ever warm up? Yes it will, it’s going to be 90 degrees in the shade before you know it. Unfortunately, the summer show schedule keeps getting shorter. Which we never expected but here we are. So instead of getting all depressed and having tractor event withdrawal flip on the computer or dumb phone. I’ve found that there is an abundance of interesting videos of plow days, tractor pulls and tractor shows on the internet to pass time. It’s amazing to see how things are done in other states and making the best of what we got. Since the June membership meeting must be cancelled, I’m asking all of you to come up with some ideas that we can all enjoy and stay healthy while we’re doing them. We hope to have a membership meeting in July and potluck dinner or a picnic?

So as most of us are healthy and well I want to reassure our Members that are recovering from illness that I am thinking of You and I hope your recovery is swift. Unfortunately, we have lost several Members and I want to express my condolences to the Families. I will never forget their friendship and dedication to our club. They will be missed but not forgotten.

My Prayers are with You.
Sincerely
Dave

President’s Message – March 2020

Hello Friends,
Here we are February 29,2020 and it will be 2024 before another CIGC President will send His or Her Presidents Message on February 29th again!!Who will it be??Anyway, March 1rst is here again and it’s supposed to be 55 degrees. Quite a treat😎 but there’s been a lot of ups and downs this winter. Remember the Groundhogs prediction? Or the old theory with the lamb and the lion in March? Keep those boots n gloves handy!!!

Speaking of March-
Just a quick reminder, the Kankakee County Farm Bureau has decided to have Kids Day at The Farm at the Northfields Square Mall in the old Sears section on the automotive side and appliance section on March 18-19 be there to help by 7:00-7:30am.

The March membership meeting is March 18 same time and place (Bonfield Lions).

I hope everyone noticed that I began with Hello Friends. I want everyone including non- members that read the Greensheet feel like our friends and are welcome to join us anytime. If possible, please pass on the Greensheet to everyone you can. This can only help this Club grow. This Club started when a group of Friends met and put it all together. It doesn’t matter what color tractor you cherish, we’re all about Friends and Family.

Take care everyone.

Sincerely,
Dave Wehrmann

Craig’s Corner – March 2020

February 29th, 2020 was a special day. Not only was it a celebration of Leap Year but It was a special day at the George Schaaf Museum. GICG members who attended were guests of George and of Will County Thresherman’s for the day. It truly is a treat to see one of none’s restored to their glory. Imagine living in the early 20th Century seeing these giant Prairie tractors roaming the fields and threshing grain. George is well known for his ability to restore these giants. Many were on display for us to see but we were also able to see an Avery (I believe) in mid restoration. He and Bill do most of the restorations right there at the Museum. The machinery to restore these giants is almost as interesting as the machines themselves. I have posted some additional pictures of Facebook.

Craig’s Corner – February 2020

On January 25th, 2020, Ron Lukow chaired a meeting of the area pullers setting forth the additional rules for 2020 and the locations and dates. The only major change is the elimination of the July 4th date at this time. I will bring to you dates and locations soon. Our guest speaker for our February 19th meeting will be Michael Perry from Kinder Morgan. Michael will give us a presentation on Pipeline Safety. Jerry Snedecore helped arrange the presentation. Thee following message comes from Ann Roach and Chuck Quick: Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

The following businesses donated items to be given to the members at the Christmas party last month (December). AHW John Deere donated hats and calendars. Dave Elliott Insurance donated calendars. Kankakee County Farm Bureau donated calendars. Diamond Brothers Insurance donated calendars. Weber Printing donated paper tablets. Soil Biotics donated cups, cup holders and tablets. Herscher Bank donated calendars, a duffel bag, seat pad, umbrella and file tote. Quick Mowing donated key chains. Thank you to Chuck Quick for his time and effort to get these items for us. Please thank these businesses for their generous donations. On February 29th (leap year), CIGC has been invited by Will County Threshermen’s to attend a tour of George Schaaf’s Collection. This is a rare opportunity to see one of none Prairie Tractors and to see how they are rebuilt in his own shop. Don’t miss this opportunity.

Craig’s Corner – January 2020

The winner of the 4020 John Deere pedal tractor is Roger Shumard of Rockfield, IN. He and his wife purchased their tickets at the 50 Years of Progress Show. He was thrilled to get the pedal as he collects pedals and will add it to his collection. The Shumards were gracious enough to meet me at the K&H Truck stop in Gilman, to receive their pedal tractor. I think it is going to a great home.

A great big thank you goes out to Jerry and Linda Tibbs of Topeka, IL for donating our 2020 raffle pedal tractor. It is an International 1066 model that appears to be original and needs nothing. The raffle tickets are printed and ready for our members to sell. Again, thanks so much for the pedal and donation to the Club.

Plan ahead for some fun. CIGC was invited by Will County Threshermen to attend a tour of George Schaff’s collection on February 29th, 10 am. Afterward, we will go to Aurelio’s Pizza, in Frankfort, IL. For those of you who have not been, this is a rare opportunity to see a collection of some of the finest tractors in the region. You will also see his shop where the one of nones are brought back to life. Don’t miss this opportunity.

President’s Message – December 2019

Hello Members and Friends,

On Thanksgiving Day, I emailed a Thanksgiving greeting to everyone that has an email address.

It read: Hello Members and Friends, I’m thinking about all of you today and hope that every one of you can sit back and enjoy this Holiday with your Family and Friends. Let’s enjoy what we have and be thankful for it. Happy Thanksgiving to all of You!!!

I wanted to be sure that everyone without email receives this greeting even though it’s after the fact. Now, Thanksgiving is a year away again and it’s time to get ready for Christmas and New Year’s. It’s amazing how fast time flies as we get older. When I was as kid, time seemed to stand still. But we all know there’s still 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week and 365 days in a year. It could be we all shifted down a few gears and move a little slower!! Whatever the case may be, enjoy every minute of every day!! During this Holiday season please be sure to keep all of our Members and Friends who are having heath issues in your Prayers. A card or a phone call may help them feel a little better or a rough day go by faster. I hope to see all of You at the CIGC Christmas party December 11th, 2019 @ 6:30 PM at the Herscher Legion. Be safe!

Sincerely,
Dave Wehrmann