Country Heritage Park will host the event on June 3 and 4
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Above photo: 1924 John Deere D
Mecum Auctions photo
John Deere tractor enthusiasts may want to mark their calendars for a special event taking place this year.
Three antique John Deere tractor clubs in Ontario - The 1st Ontario Two-Cylinder Club, the Upper Canada Two-Cylinder Club and the Green Machinery History & Heritage club are organizing “The D in 23,” a celebration of the John Deere D tractor, which the company first produced in 1923 until 1953.
The event will take place June 3 and 4 at Country Heritage Park in Milton, Ont.
The D is considered the first tractor to bear the John Deere name, said David Craig, president of the Upper Canada Two Cylinder Club and sponsorship chairman for the event.
“In 1919, John Deere was strictly a plow company,” he told Farms.com. “When they purchase the Waterloo Boy company, they expanded production. They started to engineer their own designs, which resulted in the D coming off the line in 1923.”
That year, John Deere produced the Spoker D.
But as time went on, John Deere manufactured other models.
“After the Spoker D came the Nickel Hole D,” Craig said. “Then in 1939 they produced the first styled models of the John Deere D until 1953.”
The event in June is receiving interest from all kinds of John Deere tractor lovers.
Tractor enthusiasts from across Canada, the U.S. and Australia have committed to joining the celebration in June, Craig said.
“This celebration is the only standalone “D in 23” celebration in North America,” he said.
The goal is to have at least 100 model D tractors on display for the event in June.
People from Ontario and Quebec, the prairies, New York, Pennsylvania and Michigan have expressed an interest in displaying their tractors, Craig said.
And Craig will be displaying his own.
“I found myself a 1938 John Deere D just north of Edmonton,” he said. “It was in pretty rough shape and I’m pretty much restoring it back to how it looked coming off the production line. I’m looking forward to having it out there in June.”
Anyone looking for more information about the “D in 23” celebration can find it in multiple ways:
Brian Sharpe, a member of the Upper Canada Two Cylinder Club, can be reached at 519-820-2159.
Dave McEachren, an event organizer, can be reached at 519-931-1516.
To contact David Craig for potential sponsorship opportunities, call 519-766-8077 or email animalpr@xplornet.com.
The event also has its own Facebook page where people can keep up to date with important information and details.