Tractors on the Tippecanoe premiere at Isis Theater

Antique tractors on display outside theater

The documentary was produced on behalf of Northern Indiana Power From the Past, Inc. which puts on the annual antique power show, and with the support of the Pulaski County Historical Society. Members of both organizations were invited to attend the premiere, an informal, blue-jean version of a Hollywood film opening, complete with antique tractors parked across from the theater.

The 53-minute documentary features the beloved sights and sounds of the Winamac power show, including steam whistles, the “spark show,” tractor rows, antique working displays, the quilt show, food and craft vendors, and the flea markets. In addition, there is historical video and photograph footage. The film also includes a variety of interviews with show participants in a multitude of capacities through the years - and touchingly, many of the show founders, particularly the late Chris Smith who is credited with conceiving the idea for the annual event.

Filmmaker Anne Scott began working on the project in 2019. Her husband Dylan Scott created and recorded the original soundtrack music. She used two cameras to produce the video and still-shots footage for the film, plus a field recorder with lavalier microphones for sound. She utilized DaVinci Resolve software to compose the documentary. The project was completed for under $1,000 – all from donations. The finished product is her first project of this magnitude.

Both Scotts are among the hundreds of local children who grew up with the show every summer, many of whom now volunteer as young adults to help work at the event to keep the tradition going.

Having grown up in a small, rural town, Scott explains that “for many of us kids, there were two ‘high holidays’ every July, the county fair and the power show. After that, we thought we may as well go back to school.”

Scott said she was careful to capture the generations of people who have participated in the show. She, herself once served as a volunteer with the famous, kettle-cooked ham-and-bean dinner. And then there are the old-timers whose recollections carry them back to the stories of their grandparents’ late 19th Century days in early mechanized farming.

Scott holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in photojournalism and a master’s in social work from IU South Bend. She lived and worked in Seattle for 10 years before returning to the area a few years ago. She now works as a behavioral health specialist for The Family Health Clinic team in Monon.

Tractors on the Tippecanoe will be debuted to the public at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 17, at the Isis Theater in Winamac. No admission will be charged, but donations will be accepted.

The documentary will also be shown on a continuous loop at the 47th annual Power From the Past show July 18-21, at the fairgrounds at the Winamac Town Park.

In the coming months, Scott plans to enter the film at two Indianapolis film festivals, and probably another she is familiar with in Seattle. She is also considering submitting it to a couple of European film festivals.