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RSSArthur brings out traditions for spring street fair
ARTHUR - The main street through Arthur was lined with tents, food wagons, inflatable games and large antiques.
The large antiques were not pieces of Amish oak furniture for which the community is known. The antiques were tractors made from 1930-50, which were on parade as just one of the activities during the annual Arthur Days Spring Festival, which was Friday and Saturday.
John Daily has lived in Arthur all his life. He grew up on a farm and has farmed for 45 years, his interests not straying far from his love.
Daily in his spare time collects and restores old tractors that his family used when he was younger. During the Arthur Days tractor parade, Daily brought four of his antique tractors.
His 1954 McCormick Farmall and the 1949 Oliver look different, but both have a lot in common. The two tractors were made by companies that went out of business, are in mint condition and are loved by Daily.
Daily has new, large enclosed tractors with air conditioning but occasionally plows with one of the antiques in the fall. Tractors are currently replaced by farmers about every five to 10 years; Daily's tractors are more than 50 years old and still have their original engines.
"The key is finding the parts, and these parts are still being made," he said.
Farming has been a tradition in Daily's family longer than the tractor, and it is a tradition he continues every day with his son-in-law.
In the small Arthur community of 2,300 people, tradition is central to everyday life.
Arthur Days is an annual event that started with sidewalk sales in the 1940s. During the last 15 years, it has grown into the current two-day street fair, said Matt Schrock of the Arthur Visitor's Center.
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Friday and Saturday were full of sidewalk sales and garage sales, but over the years the community has added more to its tradition.
Theresa Binion considers Arthur Days a family and local event that is not as large scale as their yearly Cheese Festival.
The newer events include inflatables, a motorcycle rodeo, a tractor and Cushman scooter parade - and of course, food vendors.
Binion helped organize this year's Arthur Days events by bringing in food vendors with the traditional fair foods including corn dogs, funnel cakes, lemon shake-ups and kettle corn.
Kettle corn vendor Jeff Brunk is from northeast Missouri, and he comes to the small Arthur community twice a year for Arthur Days and the Cheese Festival. Brunk is a full-time farmer who enjoys coming to Arthur because of the nice people, he said.
Brunk is proud to say that he hand makes all of his products start to finish. Brunk grew the popcorn himself and built all the kettle corn equipment, including the tables and pots from which they sell the corn.
Nicole Milstead–;can be reached at–;nmilstead@herald-review.com or 421-6977.
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