Flaxcombe to host a tractor pull in August
BY JOAN JANZEN
joanjanzen@yahoo.com
Flaxcombe will be the scene of an upcoming tractor pull in August. Tractor pull enthusiasts will be able to register their tractors and join in the competition.
Shane Becker explained how this activity got started. “My dad used to do it back when I was a kid, and last year he found a tractor pulling sled in Eston, so we decided we would do it again. We did one last summer and last fall, which went very well. We had ten or twelve tractors at the first one, and twenty turned out for the second one in the fall.”
Now they’re gearing up for another tractor pull on August 8th. If more than twenty tractors register, the fun will begin at 11:00 a.m., but if there are less than that, it will be slotted to start at 1:00 p.m.
Shane is waiting to see how many tractors will be registered. “Sounds like we might have a lot because so many tractor pulls have been cancelled.” There’s a $20 entry fee to cover some of the expenses, but spectators can join in for free. Of course, they’ll never turn down donations.
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There will be a food truck there as well if anyone gets hungry. “We have a lot of people who are interested in coming,” Shane said. “We get quite a few older people.” That may be because the newest tractor participating is from 1965, and the tractors are 100 hp or less.
“There are still lots of them around; I found one last year,” Shane said. “I found one that was the same as my grandpa had for his first tractor.”
“Last year, we had 100 people. Social distancing won’t be a problem; last year, everybody just sat in their vehicles and watched. We’re allowed up to 150 spectators.”
As for prizes, Shane said, “We don’t have a grand prize or anything. It’s more or less bragging rights when we’re done. But it’s kind of fun.”
All the fun will require some hands-on help with all the preparation ahead of time. “We’ll need lots of volunteers,” Shane admitted. There’s lots of opportunities to help, register a tractor, or just come out and watch the fun.