Thursday, March 28, 2024

Tractor parade descends on West Concord

Somewhere around 170 tractors and drivers came into West Concord Sunday noon, stopping for lunch at Boe Auto Center before heading out of town and back to Pine Island.

It was all a part of the 11th annual “Tractor Drive” sponsored by the Pine Island Lions Club and by all accounts the day was a great success.

The group left Pine Island about 8:30 a.m., Lions Club members said, and made a stop at the Milton Town Hall for coffee and donuts before heading on to West Concord.

The plan had originally called for the tractors to park on the grassy field next to Boe but the heavy rains of the past week necessitated a change of plans.

All the cars were moved from the front outdoor parking area and taken around to the back to allow room for the tractors on the paved lot in front, said Signora Boe.

The equipment bay was also cleared out allowing for the picnic tables brought in by the Lions Club and the inside showroom became the serving area for the lunch.

Family and friends of the riders, as well as the general public, were invited to stop by and look at the tractors and eat lunch. During the hour or so the tractors were in West Concord, more than 300 meals were served.

For the drivers it was a chance to get together with friends and go for a ride and also to show off their tractors to interested visitors.

Larry Holst of Zumbrota, was there with his restored Allis Chalmers and dressed in an orange Allis Chalmers sweatshirt.

Holst said he has two restored Allis Chalmers tractors and has participated in the ride for five years. In those five years, he said, there has never been bad weather and he enjoys getting together with other tractor enthusiasts each year.

They left Pine Island, he said, about 8:30, stopped at Milton and pulled in to West Concord about 11:30.

His wife, Sue, and two grandchildren, Kendall, 6, and Tucker, 3, drove the car over to share lunch with him, he said.

After a quick stop in Berne, he said, the tractors would make their way back to Pine Island.

The parking lot was sea of green as the John Deere tractors made their appearance and there were also other familiar brands such as the bright red Farmalls.

But Fred Hale of Kasson stood out because he was there with a lesser-known tractor brand, at least to the general public, a 1963 Cockshutt 1600, owned by Steve Sorenson and Brian Hale.

The Cockshutt, he said, was originally a Canadian company. Eventually the tractors were made in Charles City, Iowa by Oliver and then shipped back to Canada. The Cockshutt name was discontinued in the mid-1970s.

He grew up in the LeRoy area, he said, which is not too far from Charles City and his grandfather and father both had Cockshutt tractors. The family connection, he said, led to his interest in the brand.

Dean Weis, one of the organizers of the drive, said earlier that it always begins in Pine Island but every year they try to take a

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