Umbrellas at threshing bee

A bad sign for any harvest crew on the Palouse is the presence of visitors bearing rain umbrellas. This was the case Monday morning when rain put the brakes on the Paloluse Empire Thresing Bee. The crew’s 1922 Case steam engine was fired up at about 5 a.m to build up pressure for the work day, but it was used only for a short demonstration.