MMCI members will soon be receiving ballots for the election of three director positions. Before you vote, be sure to read the biographies of the four nominees. Each nominee has written a message to tell you about themselves and why they would like to be a director. You will vote for three.

When you receive your ballot be sure to return it by the date indicated so your vote will be counted.  Elected directors will be announced at the June 14 Summer Show.

Read the biographies here

The Winter Convention will be in March and with it comes the opportunity to educate some future MM enthusiasts. The coloring contest is a fun activity for adults and youth -- check out the Rules for the contest and then get your colors out. Sit together and talk about the different MM implements and tractors and what made them unique. Spread a little prairie gold color and have some fun. Here are the contest rules.

All current club members should have received your club packets with the new calendar. I hope you all enjoy the changes that we made, a big thank you to everyone who helped make this calendar a success. The club is busy making final decisions for the winter show which is held in Charles City Iowa March 22^nd through the 24^th 2018. One highlight that will take place is at the Floyd County Museum on Friday afternoon March 23^rd. A history presentation will be given by individuals who have worked for Minneapolis Moline. Be sure to check out the advertisement here in the Corresponder listing all the events that will be taking place during the show this year.

Don’t forget to enter the coloring contest. This takes place at the winter show, check out the www.minneapolismolinecollectors.org site to print your favorite coloring pages. Fun for all ages!

Please spread the word that we offer a preservation grant to anyone restoring Minneapolis Moline equipment. The website has all the details or you can contact any board member.

Monica Boege is your new chairperson for the MM Scholarship program. Thank you to Mike Ahlers for your years of service running this program. The summer show will be held 2 months earlier this year. Be sure to share with your family about this opportunity so that they have their application filled out on time.

Hope to see you all at the winter show in Charles City Iowa!

President

Jay Groskreutz

Here is a PDF of the January 2018 President Report.

We hope you enjoy the Slide Show photos which are from the Hopkins Historical Society. These photos are from the archives, so you probably haven't seen them before. A step back into MM history.

Howdy Folks! We know that our Photo Gallery is the favorite section of our website. Unfortunately we're having a few problems getting the recent show photos uploaded -- obviously we're behind. Please be patient. Hopefully you are enjoying many of the photos in the MM Corresponder! One more reason to subscribe to this great magazine!

A Minneapolis from the Jasper County (Iowa) Museum and an MM Threshing Machine (owned by Verne Book, Chariton, Iowa) came together and demonstrated threshing the MM way at the Mid Iowa Antique Power Association Show near Marshallton, Iowa recently. MM and Oliver were featured at this year's show.

Contratulations to Dave Ritenburgh from Ortonville, MI, who was re-elected for another term. And welcome to Len Vonasek from East Grand Forks, MN, who was elected as a new Director. We look forward to a new season of ideas and leadership for our MMCI membership. A big thank you to Thomas Schasney and Dale VonLoh who added your name to the ballot this year. The Board of Directors always need additional help and enthusiasm, so we encourage you and other members to get involved in committees -- and help promote the MMCI Mission. There is room for everyone!!!

Thank you to Mel Brus who served six years as main show contact. It's an important job and we appreciate all Mel did to help promote our Club and future shows!!

Here is information about the Banquet, Tour, and Vendor registration. Don't delay, get your reservations -- we want to see you in Nebraska in September!! Click here for two page PDF.

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Your vote is important! Two MMCI Members must be elected to fill two Board of Director positions. The role of an MMCI Director is an important volunteer position in the organization. All current members will receive a ballot, which is sent out May 10. You must return your ballot by June 1.

Before you vote, you need to know something about the individuals who have agreed to run for the three year term. You also need to know the expectations of a director. Being a director requires a time commitment and an enthusiasm for fulfilling the mission of this MMCI organization. The Role of a Director is listed below. Please review these expectations as you vote for two directors.

A Director should:

• Read and know the by-laws of the Club
• Attend a majority of meetings and show: Participate at the Club Table in recording membership sales, selling merchandize, socializing with other members to welcome people to the shows. Help with set up at shows, with auctions, and other activities as needed.
• Expect to have more personal expenses; the club does not reimburse for all director costs -- it is a volunteer position.
• Take an active position as a chairman and/or officer and learn the tasks needed for each role.
• Complete a report each year of accomplishments (keep notes on tasks, etc.)
• Be a positive spokesman for the club to encourage member participation.
• Provide new ideas for the club in order to continue to achieve the Mission of MMCI.

Your nominees have submitted a short bio to introduce themselves to you. Click on the links below to read each bio. This information is also listed in the May issue of The Corresponder.

David Ritenburgh

Thomas Schasney

Len Vonasek

Dale VonLoh

Thank you for taking an active part in electing your Directors!

Enjoy photos of the winter show in Boonville, Missouri by visiting our Photo Page. We appreciate the photos taken by Kim Groskreutz and Dennis Hoekstra! All our MMCI photos are available to the public; in fact, you can see over 2500 photos on our MMCI page on Flickr. Just go to our Photo page to start! Next best thing would be someone to add descriptions!!

We will soon be adding photos from the Winter Show in Boonville, Missouri!

Read the letter your MMCI president wrote to you. Get ready for celebrating!!

We have over 170 photos in an album of the Summer Show in Rollag, MN. An amazing line up of Minneapolis and Twin City Steam Engines, as well as an impressive display of MM tractors at this huge 4 day show. See individual photos of the parade and many more photos of threshing equipment, the village, and other displays. A big thank you to Loren Book and Kim Groskreutz for their photography. (This album is a selection from over 300 photos.)

Do you know you can download photos from the album which is on the Flickr website? The best way to get there is to visit our Photos page and click on the album. Or simply watch the slideshow on our photo page. We have over 2400 photos stored on Flickr. You can go back many years to view our various club shows. Enjoy!!

Recently a letter went out to those in our MM Community who expressed an interest in pledging towards the MM wing addition at the Floyd County Historical Society in Charles City, IA. The current amount pledged is only 21 percent of the amount needed to ensure the project can move forward, so donations will not be accepted for 2016 as planned. 

However, the revised plan is to extend the fundraising efforts for one year to see if enough additional financial pledges will come in to move the project forward. The committee would appreciate your spreading the word about what we are trying to accomplish.

With a large number of our population of MM collectors, former employees, and enthusiasts aging, it is imporotant now, more than ever, to presere the history and legacy of Minneapolis-Moline. The expansion of the museum in Charles City would make that possible. You are encouraged to contact any committee member with your questions or ideas for fundraising. David Rittenbaugh is the committee chair and can be reached at 248-770-0871 or david.ritenburgh@gm.com

If you did not receive specific information about the project and are interested, please contact David or Loren Book, lgbook46@gmail.com, and a packet will be sent to you.

Your club membership helps encourage interest in preserving and restoring Minneapolis Moline history, tractors, and implements. Two young people learned much about the MM legacy as well as how to restore tractors. Their projects connected them with many who know about the company and they also learned that hard work and perseverance pay off in many ways. Thank you for being a part of our MM family by supporting such projects with your membership dues. This is just one of many benefits our club provides and keeps the history and legacy of the MM companies alive!

Check out more information on the Projects page.