PONTIAC -- Jay and Michelle Glauber didn't set out Thursday to look at antique steam engines, but they said they were glad they did.

"It's really interesting to see the old innovations and it's cool to know that this is the way they used to do it," Jay Glauber said Thursday as he and his wife, cameras in hand, wandered the dirt paths connecting exhibits at the 61st annual Central States Threshermen's Reunion.

The Belleville couple was heading home after a trip to a Cubs game in Chicago when they heard on the radio about the show. They decided to detour to Threshermen's Park, north of Pontiac.

"My great-grandparents were farmers and they worked through the Depression era ... and to see the steam engines is great," Jay Glauber said. "I've seen them not working before, but it's just awesome to see them up and running."

To entertain and educate people like the Glaubers about equipment and techniques that could otherwise be forgotten is one of the main reasons for the annual gathering each Labor Day weekend. The reunion -- the second-oldest of its kind in the country -- kicked off Thursday and will feature a parade at 1:15 p.m. Sunday in downtown Pontiac before concluding Monday.

During the annual event, visitors can see a blacksmith hammering away at an anvil while a coal-fired steam engine drives a saw mill where giant logs were being cut. The sound of a steam whistle periodically pierces the air as people examine the variety of engines lined up for display.

While the Glaubers were newcomers, some people have been attending the show regularly for years.

"Steam engines are just quiet, powerful and the demand your full concentration," said Roy Sweitzer, 61, of Pontiac.

Sitting in a shaded area among a dozen or more John Deere tractors was another regular, Joe Cleary of Odell, who had directed the reunion for about nine years. He said he always has been drawn to tractors and has owned a few during his life.

"When I was a kid, I never really had toys," he said. "When I started to get older, I started buying the toys that I wanted."

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Reunion fun

What: 61st annual Threshermen's Reunion

When: through Monday

Where: Threshermen's Park, four miles north of Pontiac on Illinois 23.

Cost: $7 per day for those 14 and older; kids 13 and younger are free. A five-day pass is $20.

Highlights: rock crushing, threshing, sheep shearing, tractor pulls, a variety of country music shows, a general store, 1900 country schoolhouse, a saw mill, a 1910-era blacksmith shop, a 1920 Conoco gas station a craft show and a flea market.

Web site: www.threshermensreunion.org