She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy

That might well be the name of the 2nd Annual Wheelhorse Parade in the minds of some of the guys at the southern Michigan event on Saturday, and they might have been right. Twenty-one horses showed up for the big event, and some of them looked amazing. Best-of-show winner, Collin Robinson, proudly displayed his ’61 Wheelhorse, which sported an unusual trailer. The parade started at halftime of the Notre Dame game (in which they were sadly losing). The roar of twenty engines filled the air and the lawn came to life – sun glinting off the shiny red hoods of the tractors, the smell of gasoline and exhaust filling the air, the yells of the drivers… it was a sight to behold. The parade wound through Michigan suburbs and lasted about 45 minutes. Many neighbors stood and waved while the children riding in trailers threw Smarties. I can’t say I had ever attended anything quite like this, but it was actually alot of fun taking photos. After the parade, the beer continued to flow and they broke out all the food – from pork barbeque to grilled burgers and the ubiquitous potato salad. The next event was the tractor pull contest, which Kyle Haynes – the mastermind behind the parade – won every event. All in all, it was a fine day for a parade of lawn tractors. Wheelhorse, I learned, was the first lawn tractor introduced and, as the newspaper reported learned, they are bullet proof. For an interesting look at the event, check out my photo album. Next year, Candace Duvall will be coming to speak on “The Essence of the Wheelhorse Rider” as she has done extensive research on the subject and considers it one of her passions.

PS. Liz Carey, If you are reading this, I apologize for the use of “the word.” Believe it or not, that is actually the name of a country song. I am not sure why I know that other than the fact that I live in Indiana.