After many months of planning and few washed out roads this week we have a final copy of the WHO 15th Tractor Ride.
WHO RADIO GREAT IOWA TRACTOR RIDE COMES TO NORTHWEST IOWA FOR FOUR DAYS!
(Des Moines, IA) The tractors, 537 to be exact, are coming to Northwest Iowa on June 19 - 22 for the WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride! With more than 750 participants, and another 400+ family members, this event promises to get people talking TRACTORS!
“We are really excited to use Spencer as our home base this year,” said Janine Van Vark, one of the many coordinators of the event. “The people here have been absolutely fantastic to work with and have made us feel like we are at home and a part of their community.”
The WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride will begin on Sunday, June 19th. Tractors will be parked on Sunday at the Clay County Fairgrounds with registration and evening meals at the Regional Event Center. According to Van Vark, tractors and participants will begin rolling in sometime around 8 AM and continue arriving throughout the day. “Sunday is our gathering day, where the participants register, and get their tractors shined up and ready to roll on Monday morning.” We encourage the public to come and look over the Tractors, visit with the Drivers and look through our Sponsor display area.
Monday, June 20
Spencer to Lost Island for a break, then on to Laurens for Lunch and to Gillett Grove for an afternoon break
Monday, June 20 the tractors start rolling at 6:30 a.m. toward their lunch stop in Laurens. “We’ll roll tractors out every 20 - 30 minutes on Monday morning. We find that putting some space between the groups helps with traffic control on the highways,” Van Vark said. With eight total tractor groups, Van Vark hopes to have the last tractors leave the Clay County Fairgrounds around 10:30 a.m.
The beauty of Northwest Iowa begins early, with a morning break in Lost Island at the Nature Center. Tractors will then continue on the road going south to arrive for lunch in Laurens, at the Methodist Church. The first of eight groups will arrive at 11:00 a.m. by coming into Laurens from the east, by Jack Links. Our afternoon will lead us North to Gillett Grove with the local FFA Chapter serving snacks. Each group will take a 30 minute break and head back to Spencer for the evening meal at the Clay County Regional Event Center. Tractors will start arriving back at Clay County Fairgrounds around 4 p.m. with the last group arriving at 5:45 p.m.
Van Vark encourages the public to come out and view the beautifully displayed tractors Monday night at the Clay County Fairgrounds.
Tuesday, June 21
Spencer to Terril for a break, then to Dickinson County Fairgrounds in Spirit Lake for lunch, and stopping in Everly for an afternoon break
On Tuesday, June 21, tractors begin rolling out of the Fairgrounds at 6:45 am, as they head toward the town of Terril. Tractors will take over the town as they have breaks between 8:40 a.m. and 11:50 a.m. From there it’s on for a drive around the beautiful Lake Okoboji area. Traffic will be periodically stopped by Highway Patrol from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. from the corner of Linden Drive and HWY 71, while tractors drive on HWY 71 to get to Lakeshore Drive. A quick restroom break will occur at the Pikes Point State Park before arriving in Spirit Lake for lunch at the Dickinson County Fairgrounds. Lunch will be grilled up by the Dickinson County Cattlemen. Tractors will start arriving for lunch at 11 a.m. and continue through 1:40 p.m. Van Vark anticipates the trip around the lake and lunch to be a great experience for all the Drivers. The afternoon will include driving down Hwy M27 to the City Park in Everly for a snack and brief break. The first group of Tractors should be returning to Clay County Fairgrounds around 3:50 p.m. with the last group coming in around 5:35 p.m. WHO Radio welcomes the public to come take pictures and visit with the Drivers. A Special WHO Tractor Pull will begin at 7 p.m. and is free to the public to come and watch. Only Tractor Ride participates may compete in the Tractor Pull.
Wednesday, June 22
Spencer to Linn Grove, then to Peterson for Lunch, and brief stop in Royal before ending our 2011 ride in Spencer
537 Tractor Drivers will begin their last day of the 15th WHO Tractor Ride from the Clay County Fairgrounds. We begin pulling out in our 8 Groups at 7:30 a.m. We head south on the third day to the Linn Grove Community for our first break. We will back track a few miles, due to road construction, to our Lunch site of Peterson. The folks in Peterson will serve the Tractor Drivers a great meal of Pork and homemade Ice Cream. Tractors will arrive in Peterson between 11a.m. through 1:40 p.m. After Lunch it ‘s on to Royal for a brief break and snack, before arriving back in Spencer to load up and head for home.
“WHY” a WHO Tractor Ride?
Now that you have all of the information, you may be wondering WHY a Tractor Ride? We all come together for four days of fun, fellowship and a celebration of Iowa’s rich agricultural heritage. We hope to make a positive impact in your communities, and perhaps bring a smile or encourage an old childhood memory. The Drivers might not see each other, or even talk to their Tractor Ride Buddies again until next year, but for the hundreds that participate, it’s become an annual family “tradition“ that is looked forward to every year. That is “WHY” WHO Radio has continued this event for 15 years.
