At the Center
As you move to the East, to the center of the show, the first major activity you will see is the Saw Mill. It is an 1850's saw mill that was used by the Lost Lumber Company. The mill has been set up to be powered in several ways. Often you will see a steam engine belted to the mill and demonstrating its ability to handle the varying loads as big and small logs are fed into the blade at different speeds. The mill also has its own boiler and a Skinner stationary steam engine and an Anderson Hot Head engine, an oil fired engine. The Anderson engine is a joy to watch because it produces perfect smoke rings from its exhaust stack.
Next to the Saw Mill, is the Foundry. There you can watch sand casts being made and poured to make an old fashion dinner bell. Behind the Saw Mill and Foundry is the Shingle Mill and Planner Mill. There you can watch the making of cedar shingles and boards from the saw mill get a smooth finish.
Just a little further north of the Foundry building is a blue building called the Oil Well Building. Out side is a Bowl Mill where you can watch wooden bowls being made. Inside is a very large wheel that was used to pump several oil wells at the same time with just one engine. Long steel rods were connected together and laid in guide blocks atop the ground to connect a well that may have been up to a mile away from the big wheel.
To the East of the Saw Mill is the Veneer Mill, there you can watch a log turned into long thin sheets of wood. This mill was once used in a basket factory where the sheets of wood were cut into strips to make such things as a bushel basket or a one quart berry box. Just beyond the Veneer Mill is the Small Chapel, a memorial to past club members that have done so much to make our show what it is today. Next to the Small Chapel is the Club House, there all kinds of arts and crafts can be enjoyed.
Across from the Club House is the Steam Building. In there are many old steam driven engines, generators, air compressors, and pumps. The largest is a 250 HP Corliss steam engine with a flywheel that is 14 feet in diameter, this engine was once used in a flour factor in Grand Rapids, MI. At the end of the Steam Building is the Whistle Tower, that signals the morning wake-up time, show and parade times, and the noon lunch.
Speaking of lunch, at the East end of the show and just across from the Steam Building, is the Sam Zue Pavilion, there many good things can be found to eat. Among them are the Mason's Ox Roast and the Lion's Chicken Barbecue. If you need something sweet to drink, in the direction of the East Gate is the Cider Mill, and twice a day between 10 - 11 A.M. and 1 - 2 P.M. there is a demonstration on how apples are turned into cider.
