About The Club
Founded in 1963, the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club’s mission is the preservation of our agricultural & industrial heritage. Each year, we have two key events.
The first is our annual swap meet and auction which takes place in May. The second is our feature event with tractors, engines, demonstrations, crafts, and more. This takes place in August, two weekends before the Labor Day weekend.
We are tied to the surrounding communities both in our membership and our services to the community. Our membership continues to grow year after year as more and more people share in the excitement of our hobby.
How it all came to be…
Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club was started back in 1963 with the idea to encourage the collecting of antique farm equipment and the displaying of it once a year at a show. This thought was crafted by Roy Raschein & Lynn Grotophorst. Early in 1964, meetings were held inviting other collectors and interested persons, thus getting the wheels in motion to form a club. The first meeting to discuss the forming of a club was held at the Blue Willow Restaurant in Sauk City.
After getting the feelings and ideas from several interested persons, the first official meeting of the club was then held June 6th, 1964, in Baraboo. It was at this meeting that the club name was chosen – Badger Gas & Steam Engine Club, Inc.
The first show was held at the Sauk County Fairgrounds on August 15th & 16th, 1964. From this small, enthusiastic beginning our club has grown steadily in both size and membership. Like any organization, this club can only be as successful as the members wish it to be, and the growth and success of our club and past shows have proven that our members are willing to give a lot of hard work and dedication to make it so. We have increased not only in size and membership, but also with our varieties of displays on exhibit every season.
We thank you for coming to our website, and hopefully to our show!