BROOKS, Ore. — Antique cars, tractors, threshing machines and giant steam traction engines are just some of the machinery on display at the 62-acre Powerland Heritage Park.

For two weekends this summer, many of these machines will come to life for the Great Oregon Steam-Up, an annual event celebrating a bygone era.

“What’s really great about the Great Oregon Steam-Up is that it brings to life what it used to be in the past in Oregon,” Joe Tracy, marketing director for the park, said. “It’s not like you’re just standing in a static museum, looking at things.”

The Steam-Up, which has been voted the Best Annual Event in the Willamette Valley for three consecutive years, will be held in Brooks, Ore., on July 27-28 and Aug. 3-4 from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This year’s theme focuses on equipment manufactured by International Harvester and its subsidiaries, including classic brands like Farmall and McCormick-Deering. The theme changes each year.

Roughly 15,000 visitors attend the Steam-Up each year to ride on the Steam-Up’s trolleys and miniature trains; attend demonstrations of flour milling, threshing and blacksmithing; and watch the daily Parade of Power, featuring historic vehicles and machinery from throughout the park.

This year, the quilt and crafts show will return to the Steam-Up for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.

There’s also plenty of fun for children who attend, according to Michelle Duchateau, the park’s president.

“Grandparents bring their children, who bring their children, and it’s all ‘Grandpa did this, Grandpa did that, this is what I did when I was little,’” Duchateau said.

Trolley rides, antique cars with musical elements and an enormous LEGO display are just some of the kid-friendly activities. Another is the youth passport program, in which kids can visit each of the park’s 14 museums — answering historical questions and engaging with exhibits for a prize. More than 1,000 children have finished the passport program, according to Duchateau.

Much of the machinery on site is privately owned, with owners allowing the park to put it on display.

In the days leading up to the Steam-Up, various owners can be seen across the park working on their machines in preparation for the big weekend.

Duchateau, who owns five steam traction engines herself, said the generational appeal of the Steam-Up has contributed to its success.

“It’s a way of sharing that history with our young ones, so that we can save these important things and things that helped make life better,” Duchateau said. “It’s in our blood, I guess.”

Tickets for the Great Oregon Steam-Up can be purchased at antiquepowerland.com. Military veterans in uniform or those with a military ID can enter for free on Aug. 3 and 4.