Midwest Old Threshers is reporting more than 32,000 ticketed visitors for the 2026 Reunion despite several days of extreme heat.
Old Threshers representative Terry McWilliams said this year’s Reunion recorded 32,756 hard-ticket sales. That included 12,573 five-day passes and 20,183 one-day admissions.
Even though overall attendance was down by 5,251 from the 38,007 tickets sold during the organization’s 75th anniversary celebration in 2025, Sunday was a record setting day for attendance. McWilliams attributed the decline largely to the heat, which affected attendance patterns throughout the weekend.
“12,573 five days and 20,183 one day visitors. So that’s still a lot of people that came to Mount Pleasant, came to Southeast Iowa, came to the old threshers reunion, came to the evening concerts. I do know on Sunday night they were still selling one day emissions for people to get into the concert. At 5 minutes after 8 he’d already started and they were running late getting there. So you know it was overall a great reunion.”
Despite the conditions, McWilliams said operations ran smoothly, with visitors walking a little slower and drinking more fluids.
“We had a great reunion, so amazing stuff happened on the grounds like it always does. I mean, the steamroller printing pad, which was new this year, those folks once again made amazing prints down there using a steam engine. I mean, where else can you say that you’re, you know, making prints with a steam engine? That happened, of course, the log village was a great place to go down and to be in the shade like always. We had all the trolleys running this year. Thank God that project’s done. And that green one, 1779, is back on the tracks. great cavalcades of power. People were, there was a certain line where the shade was in the grandstand each day for the cavalcade of power. And of course, the Panther Band being our official band performing on Thursday and again on Monday. Harvest Day Parade was a warm one, but we still once again had great community support for things that were in it. Even the exhibitors that bring out the stuff had brought out good numbers. We had a a few cars overheat. We had a few tractors overheat in the parade and had to do some towing, but just part of the fun. So each day brought something special that we’ll remember and it’ll be just part of the hot, hot 2026 old Threshers reunion, but we’re already moving forward to next year in 27.”