Caterpillar enthusiasts from across the US Midwest have been putting on some fantastic celebrations of the Caterpillar Centennial through show season. Aug 21-24, Yellow Power and Heartland Earthmovers organized an effort of Cat collectors and customers to bring together over 120 pieces of Cat machinery.
The Half Century of Progress show, held in Rantoul, IL, attracted around 75,000 attendees for the historical equipment displays and demonstrations. The earthmoving area stayed busy all weekend with dozers and graders, old and new. Of course the Half Century show is known for plowing, and the Cat area was no different with the plowing led by a 1912 Holt 60. The highlight of the static display area was an elaborate recreation of the WWII 497th Heavy Shop Company “Little Peoria”, complete with military D4’s, camp gear, and exhibitors dressed in uniform all weekend. The Earthmoving Legacy Center filled out the scraper portion of the display, and the sight of their 660 on transport in the parade is likely what many attendees will most remember about the 2025 edition of this show.
