THE POWER OF POWER

Sure, the ability to harness and use the energy created by steam is central to the Pioneer Power Show, but Menno’s biggest two-day event of the year also demonstrates something else — an ability to go big. 

In the mid-1800s, when the world figured out how to create and harness steam and convert it into usable energy, the power it generated was a game-changer for transportation, agriculture and urban infrastructure.

And while that was on full display in Menno last weekend, another kind of power was evident — the power to execute and grow an idea.

That is what has taken place over the best part of the last 40 years as, first David and Bubbles Mensch, and then the Menno Community Club, and later the Menno Pioneer Heritage Association, have teamed up to help build one of the grandest shows of its kind around.

Not only that, but the Menno Pioneer Power Show somehow keeps getting bigger.

Look no further than all that unfolded Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 21 and 22 on the grounds of Pioneer Acres, a rolling 36 acres of land situated on the north edge of Menno that became home to the Power Show in 1997 following the formation of the Menno Pioneer Heritage Association

Saturday’s antique car and tractor parade had 225 entries — the most ever.

Two new buildings were open to the public, bringing the total number of structures on the grounds to 26, not including the windmill and the silo. Those buildings used for the show include the Big Red Bard, which — like the silo — is original to the property and was preserved after the Menno Pioneer Heritage Association purchased what had been a working farmstead used by Andreas Mettler that was no longer in use.

The International Harvester Company this year colored the Power Show grounds red, and the South Dakota Chapter 21 ICH collectors gathered for their fall meeting.

Children’s activities moved from paid to free — a decision made by the board of directors with support from Helena Agri-Enterprises LLC.

And throngs of men, women and children of all ages meandered through the sprawling grounds, taking in the toy show, vendors, food booths and demonstrations like corn shelling, hay baling and team threshing that turn the annual event into a living museum.

It fits perfectly with the motto of the show: “Teaching the future about the past.”

“Never in my wildest dreams,” says Bubbles Mensch when asked if she could have imagined what the Power Show has become. “It’s growing so fast; we’re having some growing pains, but it’s incredible.”

Bubbles remembers fondly how it all began, how in 1996, after David had purchased a steam thresher, she and her husband invited family and friends to their farm situated between Menno and Freeman for a small gathering featuring food and fellowship — and threshing.

“It was fun,” she said. “I felt like a kid again.”

It must have been a hit, because the following year they took the party to the Menno City Park in conjunction with the Fourth of July celebration, and with support from the Menno Community Club, the Pioneer Power Show was born.

“At that first show, a couple of guys brought their tractors and a few gas engines,” recalls David. “It was just a small gathering, but more people kept showing up each year.”

Eventually, he says, the show outgrew the park, which led to “a maze of operations” to acquire the Mettler property and establish a new governing board — the Menno Pioneer Heritage Association.

And slowly but surely, the grounds grew into what can only be described as a sprawling museum.

There’s a log cabin build in 1882, a school house first used in 1884, a building built in Menno in 1910 and used as a wine warehouse, another built in Olivet in the 1920s and first used as a harness shop, the old Olivet Post Office, the original Utica Depot, and a Women’s Building that opened in 1987 and each year features something new; this year it was the color pink.

Given the way in which the Pioneer Acres grounds have developed over the years, Menno’s big show has become about much more than steam and the old way of agriculture.

“That was always the goal,” says David. “If you look at our bylaws, we aim to create a living museum to preserve history and educate future generations.”

That comes with some challenges.

“It has gotten so big that we’re bursting at the seams,” he says. “We’ve used every piece of space we have, plus some borrowed from outside.”

And there are plans for further expansion.

David said most of the funds are in place to build an all-weather, year-round 50×100 foot museum in the northwest portion of Pioneer Acres.

“There are many smaller artifacts people want to donate, and we need a place to display them,” he said. “We’re also hoping to build a shop to better utilize volunteers year-round, and we’re planning to move the petting zoo to expand our steam exhibits.”

Bubbles said the fact that the Power Show has evolved and changed with the times is directly connected to its growth.

“You have to bring in something new and different every year,” she says. “People get tired of the same thing.”

And there’s something special about the Power Show being the last of the season on a circuit that includes similar shows across South Dakota and Minnesota.

Bubbles calls that “bittersweet.”

And you better believe the Menno Pioneer Power Show will return for its 39th year on Sept. 20 and 21, 2025, with Oliver tractors, engines and plows the featured model.

More from the 2024 Menno Pioneer Power Show: Pages 10-12A