Staff writer
It wasn’t just any old trip through town when Fred Silhan of Hillsboro drove his prized 1936 Case C tractor during Lehigh’s Small Engine Show on Monday.
Fred grew up in Pilsen. His step-grandfather, Frank Svitak, gave the antique tractor to him in 1994, when Fred was in high school. His grandfather provided guidance as Fred rebuilt the engine and got the tractor in operating condition.
By the time he graduated from high school in 1998, the restoration was complete.
The tractor is special to Fred because it was the first new Case that his grandfather sold out of his implement dealership in Pilsen after he took it over in the 1930s.
Many years later, Frank traded two 55-gallon drums of gasoline for the Case C and a Case DC, the last Case tractor Frank had sold.
Both tractors sat in his garage for years until he gave the C to his grandson.
Two weeks ago, Fred bought a 1937 Case plow at an auction. He fixed it up and attached it to his tractor for the parade. His son, Thurston, rode with him and threw candy.
“I like the tractor’s simplicity,” Fred said. “It’s straight forward and simple.”