Prairie Plowing Days – The Big Dig: August 27-29, 2021
The Historical Construction Equipment Association International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition 35th Annual The Big Dig, was hosted by Prairie Plowing Days, Concordia KS. The HCEA’s annual International Convention and Old Equipment Exposition is a gathering of antique construction machinery, trucks and related equipment for the general public. The show features live demonstrations of these machines, with technology spanning from the late 1800s to the mid to late 1900s. Exhibitors bring equipment from hundreds of miles away to these shows, and attendees come from around the world. Concordia was honored to host this event in 2021. HCEA, headquartered in Bowling Green, Ohio, picks a location where the event will be held each year.
The show featured dirt moving equipment; working scrapers, haul trucks, shovels, cranes-both drag-line and Clam shell buckets, steam traction engines, prairie tractors, pull graders, motor graders, elevating grader, dozers, and wheel loaders. The experience took the viewer back in time to the 1950’s within a major highway construction project. The Big Dig showcased every type of equipment that would have been working on that job including a rock crushing plant, a “Bin-A -Batch ready mix plant from the 1950’s as well as a host of other sites.
The show also featured a variety of static displays, cars, trucks, old crawlers and wheeled tractors, as well as vendors on site. Additionally, there were steam and prairie tractor plowing demonstrations.
Prairie Plowing Days – The Bigger Dig: August 28-30, 2026
When The Big Dig ended in 2021, no one thought it would ever be back. Quite frankly, it was a BIG project, and they weren’t sure they were up to it again. Then little discussions started happening and they thought…what if…
And now…the next show will be in Concordia, Kansas, Friday through Sunday, August 28-30, 2026!
The huge collection of show host Kurt Kocher will be on display again, the show grounds will be laid out more compactly, and Allis-Chalmers equipment will be featured. And not just Allis-Chalmers branded! Anything in the Allis-Chalmers product family, especially construction and agriculture, including Monarch, Henry, LaPlant-Choate and other acquisitions, is welcome. Also anything powered by Allis-Chalmers or Buda engines! The Two-Cylinder Club, featuring John Deere Ds and one of two D Dugan crawler conversions, will also be showing.
An elevating grader with bottom dump wagons, draglines, a clamshell, a Marion steam shovel and more to widen a pond dam, grade a road across a ravine, and convert a silted-in pond to a waterway. Kansas-made machines will include Concordia-built Peltier Foundry Sulky pull graders and a working Ersham rock crusher. What is believed to be the only operable steam skip concrete mixer in the country will be demonstrated, and a recreation a 1915 photo of 10-plus outfits plowing using Aultman Taylor prairie tractors and period gang plows. Other highlights include rides in a World War II halftrack, a huge sandbox with the Lakeside Sand & Gravel model screening plant, antique cars and trucks, a daily parade, and more!
