As president I will strive to continue to grow the organization as well as improving it as Tom did during his term as president. Tom set the bar high in serving this Club and we are greatly indebted to him for his service. So as your new president, on behalf of the Club, my thanks to Tom for all his hard work and dedication.

Our first meeting proved to be a highly productive one with discussion ranging from insurance and membership, to the establishment of new organizational committees. Clarence is currently hard at work with the logistics of the Club's insurance, specifically looking at whether all members of the Club are included under the policy or not. In handling this item, having all members up-to-date on dues becomes vital. I know it can be easy to forget to send in dues. However, in establishing who is or who is not a member, as well as who is covered under our insuranc policy, it's imperative to have all dues current. Furthermore, if a member is not current with his/her dues, and has no intention of continuing membership, we can no longer send newsletters to them. So please, make sure your dues are paid so that we won't lose you as a member, since that is the absolute last thing we want.

The last meeting also resolved to bolster the use of committees to organize the activities of our Club. The following committees were suggested to help our organization's operation, as well as encourage members to play a more active role in the development of our Club; a safety committee, which would review safety rules and regulation for events; a show committee, which would coordinate which events we would be represented at and by whom. We hope these two committees will encourage our members to become more active in the operation of our Club.

Hopefully the weather will break soon and we can have pleasant weather for upcoming events such as the N.Y.S. Farm Show at the Empire Expo Center in February, our plow days in April and May, and various other shows we have already received invitations to. If anyone has any ideas for upcoming events, or would like to participate on a committee, or have other ideas for committees please contact me or any of the board members. We are all more than happy to hear any suggestions from our membership.

I would like to acknowledge the contributions of several members to the Club, whose actions have helped make the Club what it is. Thank you to Dave Hyde who is always there to get things done whenever the Club needs him; Becky and Ron Kilts who are the first to greet and sign us in at meetings. Lynne Harding for the many hours she has donated to building and maintaining our website; and last but certainly not least, thank you to Carol Cobb who prepares this newsletter. I hope that over the coming months we can forge ahead and have a great summer of activities and even greater levels of participation.

New York Farm Show
Dave Hyde reports that this show was great again this year. There was a steady crowd all three days with many friendly people. We had four tractors proudly displayed; Jim Northrup's Cockshutt 530, Dean Hilts Farmall F-12, Steve Weisbrod's Allis-Chalmers WD 45 and my Minneapolis-Moline R. We started our ticket sale raffle for the year at this show. This year we will raffle a Minneapolis-Moline pedal tractor with wagon, $100.00 in cash or a battery pack. With the help of many members, we were able to sell $176.00 worth of tickets. We also received $15.00 for a membership renewal and a $40. donation from Mike Bendura from the sale of some old magazines. Total monies received through the work of members attending was $231.00. Thanks to Dick and Dorothy Welch, Clarence Cobb, Jim Suits, Howard and Mary Pickard, Gary Alley, Jim and Jamie Phillips, Mike Bendura, Dean and William Hilts and me for making this show a great one.

Comments from Treasurer
We received notice that our application for exemption from federal income taxes has been received by the IRS. Ruling should be known within the next couple of months.

Please check your address on this newsletter. If it is incorrect, please let me know.

Newsletter
The costs associated with the newsletter continue to rise. If the two digit number after your name on this newsletter is 07 or less, this may be your last newsletter. We would like to keep you as a member and continue to send you the newsletter.

Audit
On March 14, 2009 two board members audited the financial records of the Club for fiscal year 2008.

Raffle
Six raffle tickets are enclosed. The price is one (1) dollar each or six (6) for 5 dollars. There are three (3) choices this year: a pedal tractor and wagon, $100 in cash or a battery pack. The purchaser should circle the prize of his/her choice. You may purchase the tickets yourself or sell them . Additional tickets are available at Club meetings or by calling Clarence at 315-697-2509. Ticket stubs and cash/check may be turned in at monthly Club meeting(s) or mailed to CNY Antique Tractor Club, Inc. Box 4, Canastota, NY 13032.

Tractor Show
Jon Kennedy of Kennedy Tractor announces that J. I . Case Days are Saturday and Sunday, August 1 and 2. Show is located on county Route 30 in Williamstown (near Kasoag Park). All makes and models are welcome; vendors are welcome and good food will be available. If you have questions contact Jon Kennedy at Kennedy Tractor (313) 964-1161.

Some Humor (compliments of Jim Zabele)
Nuts - Wing, Lug and Tractor

You think of wing nuts as light duty and easy to work with.With Lug nuts you envision heavy duty and hard to work with.

A tractor nut is one who will drive 100 miles to an auction and come home empty-handed thinking that old iron brought too much money...one that has set in a barn for fifty years, covered with a tarp that could be bought for 10 cents on a dollar of the original price.

A tractor nut will drag an old rusty hulk out of a hedge row, spend countless hours working to get the motor unstuck...spend money on that old carcass to the point he is embarrassed to admit the actual amount, but when he first starts the old engine he is as proud as a new father and wonders why anybody would spend good money on marijuana or alcohol for a cheap thrill.

A tractor nut is often thought by his wife to be hard of hearing, but when he listens to an old engine run, he can tell if the timing is off, the carburetor is too rich or too lean, the tappets are at the proper setting; how much compression, etc. The reason he can tell all this is, it's music to his ears. He hears a rhythm when all components are in proper sync. When it comes to other music, jazz, classic, etc. the tractor nut is probably more hard of hearing than his wife thinks.

Tractor nuts love to talk about old tractors like the first one they drove, the first one they owned. They can tell you about a tractor experience 40 years ago, but can't tell you the name of a person they met 20 minutes ago. The can remember the valve clearance on a tractor they overhauled 10 years ago, but often forget to zip up.

Tractor nuts are a mixed lot...some strive for perfection, others are content if theirs just runs. Some like to show their pride and joy, others just enjoy using their old iron. Some enjoy the shows, demos, pulls; all agree the comradery and the people they meet are the best and the hunt is better than the find.

In this world of nuts and bolts there are many kinds of nuts (car) nuts, (motorcycle) nuts, (garden tractor) nuts, (TV) nuts, (couch potato) nuts, who belong to clubs and organizations so they can come together with nuts of a kind. For every bolt there is a nut to fit!

Officers (for 2009)
Gary Alley, President
Dean Hilts, Vice President
Mary Pickard, Secretary
Clarence E Cobb, Treasurer