FUN TURNS INTO LASTING TRADITION; HAYRIDES OFFER SAFETY, CONVENIENCE

Every tradition has to have started somewhere; hayrides are no exception.

In the colonial Midwest, long after independence had been declared and revolutions had been fought, farmers braving the rugged land between the Appalachian Mountains and Mississippi River had "socials" to celebrate the fall harvest. They included hayrides.

In 1855, when the word hayride was minted, the activity was borne primarily for children but soon evolved into an activity for kids of all ages.

After the crops were harvested, children were loaded onto a wagon piled high with alfalfa for the livestock, and were hauled around the pasture by a team of horses as they disseminated the hay throughout the field.

As the fun turned to tradition, kids of all ages piled on hay-bent wagons for rides around the countryside or to a community barn dance a few homesteads away.

Today, kids (and adults, too) still throw the hay -- which usually is now straw -- from the wagons, but sometimes it's at passing cars or defenseless mailboxes; not grazing cattle.

Since all you need for a hayride is a wagon and a tractor, truck or team of horses, it's no wonder that hayriding is becoming one of the most popular fall activities of churches, clubs and service organizations everywhere.

"We started giving hayrides two years ago," said Ted Elliott, owner of Rocky Holler USA.

"The first year we just had them the last two weekends before Halloween," Elliott said. "We had about 600 people total that year.

"Last year we decided to have them every Friday and Saturday night, and ended up with more than 3,000 people coming out through the month of October," he said.

Rocky Holler USA combines the hayrides with Halloween, the result being a haunted trail running through its 37-acre park.

"A lot of places are offering hayrides now," Elliott said. "I first heard about it when I was visiting friends in another state.

"I came back and told my daughter about it, and before I knew it she was making props and I was planning to have hayrides," he said.

Of course, no hayride can be deemed complete without a big bonfire where you can burn hot dogs and fry marshmallows to a crisp while trying to stay far enough away from the blaze to prevent your face from getting the same treatment.

Rocky Holler USA will give groups a hayride through its facility, and then let them off by a bonfire with straw-bail benches surrounding it.

"Groups really like to book hayrides with us because there's no worry involved," said Elliott. "We provide everything and provide all the facilities necessary for a whole evening of fun."

Hobbs Chapel will have its annual hayride this month along the back roads of Cape Girardeau County. Two trailers loaded with straw will be hitched to antique tractors owned by members of the church. A pickup truck will follow the snail-like procession with its hazard lights flashing, warning others of the impending obstacle.

"Since this is a church-sanctioned activity, the church insurance covers the ride," said Mike Engelmann, official tractor driver of the hayride. "We're very interested in everyone's safety.

"We warn the kids -- young and old -- that there is to be no frolicking or horsing around on the wagons," Engelmann said. "Safety is really the key issue."

After the ride is over and the wagons are devoid of much of their straw, the group plans to gather around a bonfire at the edge of a church member's property.

Engelmann said the church will have the hayrides during the day for safety and convenience.

"It's easier to keep your eyes on everyone during the day," he said. "Besides, some of the farmers don't stay up too late and wouldn't be able to come to a night hayride.

"We all have a real good time," Engelmann said. "No one is disappointed at the end of the day."

In this age of slip-and-sue ethics, insurance has become an important factor in the planning of hayrides.

Rocky Holler USA is insured as a family amusement park, and therefore the hayride is covered under its auspices.

But that does not mean they do not have strict rules about behavior on the hayride.

"We won't stand for any horsing around," Elliott said. "We don't want to see anyone get hurt; if someone is endangering his safety or the safety of others, we will not hesitate to ask that person to leave."

The Cape Girardeau Junior Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a hayride social to attract new members, but did not acquire insurance.

"I don't know of anyone who would go to that extreme for just a club activity," said Jaycees President Mike Seabaugh. "We all knew to be careful; no one was really messing around."

Hayrides have a timeless quality, whether they are pulled by a tractor or a team of mules.

It's a time when young lovers burrow deep into the hay, trying desperately to ignore the children, merrily stuffing the scratchy straw down each other's pants or hurling it off the wagon at a record-setting pace. Parents, while telling the young ones to settle down, sit quietly, enjoying the serene beauty of the world passing by at a slower pace; the crisp autumn winds nipping at their noses; the silence of the country night.

"It's a relaxing way to spend a cool, fall evening," said Elliott. "That's why people like it."