Rural Heritage June/July 2025

Mower/Cultivator Rendezvous

by Donn Hewes S omething about a Rendezvous of the old West, when trappers would meet in the spring after a long winter cooped up in their cabins deep in the mountains, has always struck me as an event you didn’t want to miss. It’s one part party, one part stories, with some work and some trading going on. The eagerness of spring and plans being made. This is the vibe we were going for with our 2025 Mower Rendezvous and Cultivator Rendezvous held at our farm and workshop in Marathon, N.Y. The horse drawn mowing machine lends itself to this kind of get together perfectly. Over the years I

have taught a few kinds of workshops and classes on repairing and maintaining the horse drawn mower, but by far, the Rendezvous where we crowd as many mowers in a shop as we can and invite anyone who wants to work on their mower or just help and enjoy the fun is my favorite. For a Rendezvous, I don’t feel so much like an instructor as I do the band leader. Being a band leader is perfect for me as I love the mower so much … and I guess I like being the band leader. The first weekend in March we had three mowers in the shop for a long weekend, and it was a huge success. Dave Gibaldi brought three IH No. 9s with the hopes of making one good enough to use with his mules. Maggie Smith, of Tiddings Farm, brought

One of Donn’s refurbished hedgerow mowers waits for summer grass.

Photo by Julianne Gauron

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