“You can see all the best country at 12 miles an hour,”
explained Darrell Fisher of the nine day trip across Nebraska on his antique
tractor.
Fisher, the past president of the Nebraska Antique Farming
Association (NAFA), is one of 182 registered tractor drivers who started their
trip in Holyoke, CO on June 3 and will end in Plattsmouth, NE on June 11th.
The group has an important stop on Friday when they will
drive around the state capitol in Lincoln.
The event has been recognized as part of the 150 celebration of Nebraska
and they hope to have 150 tractors present at the capitol.
Members of the tractor relay are from all over the state as
well as surrounding states. This is the
6th year in a row NAFA has driven across Nebraska traveling a
different route each time. When asked
what was the hardest part of the trip no one had a negative response. All
Fisher could think of was, “It’s been enjoyable with our good friends. We had one cool morning and no rain yet, but
all good.”
Rich Wilton and his wife, Donna, are taking their fourth
trip border to border. They too have enjoyed the friendships they have formed
with the group, “Our best friends here are like family, they are more than just
friends,” she explained. “We do have breakdowns. When you have old tractors and old people
driving them, somethings are going to break.”
And it’s not just old people driving, although one of their drivers
who had taken a few days off before joining them in Lincoln, is nearly 90, the
youngest driver on the trip is 18.
Wilton, who is the current President of NAFA, explained that
anyone can join the trip for a half day, all day or the whole trip for the
$35.00 fee (as long as they are a registered member of NAFA). The registration deadline is May 1st
with more information on their website www.antiquefarming.org
.
Both the Wilton’s emphasized that the trip isn’t just for
fun. “We drive for a cause. We collect donations along the way for the
Operation Comfort Warrior.”
In the past four years over $20,000 has been raised by the
event with 100% of donations going to military veterans and their families.
Earlier in the day the group drove through Fairmont and
briefly stopped at the nursing home, Fairview Manor. Their afternoon break was
planned to tour the Opera House in Friend along with Tuttle, Inc.
At their stop in Exeter, the Exeter Chamber of Commerce,
Exeter Legion Auxiliary and Exeter G.F.W.C. Woman’s club provided lunch. During the noon hour the relay coordinator,
Donelle Moormeier of Cortland, NE announced that the group raised $1100.00 on
Wednesday. There are often free will
donations taken by local tractor associations or other sponsoring groups and
then the profit is donated to the relay collection.
Each day the support vehicles go ahead and the group travels
down the highways and sometimes the byways of Nebraska. At times they travel on highways like this
year, on Highway 6, but sometimes they take gravel roads, whatever works out.
The Wilton’s trade off driving a 1952 Allis Chalmers WD or a 1942 John Deere A.
The association puts a different person or group in charge
of planning the events for each day. The
group always stops at points of interests along the way. So far this year they have seen tractor
collections, a barn moved and turned into a home, Whelan Energy Plant in
Hastings, and the Hrauska Animal Research Center in Clay Center along with visiting
nursing homes.
The night stops are based on where there are motels for the
group to stay. Some days are shorter
with just 42 miles while others are longer driving up to 80 miles.
Bob Golding of Stratton, Nebr. Won’t stop his 1953 Super H
when he gets to Plattsmouth. He and many
of the other Case/ International Harvester owners will drive on to Des Moines,
IA for Big Red Days, the 28th Annual National Red Power Round Up.
As Golding began talking about different makes and models on
the trip he couldn’t give a number of how many red tractors he had left at
home, “If you know how many you have, you don’t have enough.”
Many of the drivers are driving tractors that have been in
their family for years and almost all of them have significant memories tied to
both their tractors and the trip. All of
them agreed that, “We eat good and we have a great time.”
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