Thousands visit antique tractor pull on fair's opening day

Tim Bollinger's voice boomed over the sound of an engine popping and rumbling through the grounds at the 154th SEMO District Fair on Saturday morning as Larry Womack pushed his 1939 John Deere tractor into gear.

"That thing just keeps going, like a Timex watch," Bollinger told spectators as they settled in for the weekend's first grandstand event, the annual antique tractor pull, hosted by the Egypt Mills Antique Tractor Club.

Around 100 people had come to see the pull by 10 a.m., and throughout the daylong contest thousands visited the free event.

Jim Foeste, a longtime member of the club and flagman for the event, said he was happy about a good turnout.

"These old tractors really are in a class of their own, and people like to come see them again and again," he said.

The club has hosted the event for 28 years. The day of the pull is always the busiest for club members, said Dave Haupt, a charter member. In Saturday's event, Haupt took a first-place and second-place prize with his antique Allis-Chalmers WC tractor in the modified classification. The morning starts with the oldest tractors, the antique class, then moves through a farmers class, a modified class and finally an open class. Trophies and cash awards are given to winners.

"We're all buddies until it comes time to pull," joked Haupt. "Then we're enemies."

Larry Brockmire, who ran the sled during the pull, said around 130 pulls were completed Saturday. Anyone who wants to enter the competition may do so as long as their tractor was built no later than 1958.

After the pull, many of the club members and pull competitors leave their tractors on display for the rest of the week near the fair's northeast entrance.

Each year's display has a featured brand of tractor. This year, the brand is Ford, and Ford tractors sit at the front of rows of tractors and other machines beneath the park's trees. Contests relating to the displays are held later in the week.

Haupt said he likes one recent change in the display. People from the area have begun bringing other restored antique machines, such as

lawn tractors, push mowers and even two 1920s-era washing machines. Haupt said some of the engines on other machines date back to the early 1900s. Another display this year is a rare antique steam engine brought to the fairgrounds by club member John Hall.

Haupt said he was glad the club shares the pull year after year with the public.

"It's a family sport, we like to get these kids out here and show them what it's all about. It's a good time," he said.