Dirt was flying and engines were growling Saturday, May 24 at the Miami Fairgrounds during their annual Tractor Pull, an event put on by the Miami Power Toboggan Club and the Miami Agricultural Society.
A community effort
We spoke with Walter Hildebrand, co-organizer and vice president of the Miami Power Toboggan club, about the Tractor Pull, but more specifically, the work that goes into an event like this. Due to the muddy track conditions yesterday, “...we couldn’t even drive a tractor through it”, Hildebrand and his crew worked overtime to ensure the track would be in great shape for the pull today.
This event also couldn’t have happened without the hard work of the Miami Agricultural Society, running the food booth and the front gates. Hildebrand spoke about what else the Tractor Pull and Mud Bog have to offer— “...we run a Dash for Cash there too where we have competitors run through the mud to try to collect the stake for $100... and then we have a candy toss and of course, we’ve always got the bouncy castle for all the kids.”
A family affair
Ryan Nichol’s family has been pulling for 45 years and across Western Canada and into the states. On Saturday, he brought two tractors: “Just Parts”— a 930 Case with a 504 engine converted over to alcohol that can reach 1200 horsepower, and “Sod Buster”, modified with 440 and 500 Chrysler engines.
Tractor pulling has been kept in the family for a while. “...my dad started the year I was born, and it’s kind of been a family affair since then” Nichol said. His dad was present, working on “Just Parts”, which Nichol later drove in the pull. While tractor pulling has taken him many places, Nichol is originally from Darlingford, bringing the pull close to home.
'Here to support everybody'
Friends Ivy Janzen and Destiny Nadin are longtime attendees of the tractor pull, with Janzen participating for the first time this year in the pull— “...my stepdad got me into it” she says. Nadin likes coming out to support her friend, and “...just try to keep the good mood up.” As for Sunday’s Mud Bog, Nadin puts it simply: “Big trucks, lots of mud, loud noises!”
The Miami Tractor Pull & Mud Bog continues into Sunday May 25th, with the Cars and Coffee Car Show starting at 11:00 am, and the Mud Bog starting at 1:00pm.
Find more information here.
