Town pulls together for 38th tractor event
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Chris Robinson, Orrick, leans forward as if to urge his 6,500-pound non-turbo class McCormick Farmall 560 pulling tractor down the track as far as possible during Friday’s annual Kiwanis Club tractor and truck pull in Burlington Junction.
The churning of big wheels and the roar of big engines returned to the Burlington Junction city park on Friday evening for the 38th annual community tractor pull hosted by the local Kiwanis Club.
More than 100 pullers competed under nearly perfect conditions, rolling up to the starting line in 11 classes ranging from 6,500-pound non-turbo machines to “unlimited open” and 2.6 turbo diesel trucks.
The pull, as always, offered a virtual pageant of brightly colored custom machines, most sporting John Deere green or International Harvester red and bearing such names as “Blood, Sweat, ’n’ Deere,” “Red Majesty, “The Gambler,” and “Lil’ Tuff.”
But the BJ pull has always been about a lot more than horsepower, paint, and chrome. Over the years it has become an event that brings this small northwest Nodaway County community together while raising money for a variety of causes, especially those that benefit young people.
Kiwanis member Bryan Beason said the tractor pull funds two $250 renewable scholarships annually. He added that funds from the event are also being used to purchase portable bleachers for the West Nodaway R-I School District football field.
In addition, tractor pull money bolsters various charity efforts, such as a “Santa tree” program that provides Christmas presents for families in need.
“It’s just a small town, and everybody knows everybody,” Beason said, “and when somebody needs help, we help them.”
Beason’s fellow Kiwanian, Kelli Hagey, whose family has been associated with the pull for many years, said that while the 14-member club technically sponsors the event, the competition is really a community effort involving scores of local residents who pitch in to do their bit.
“The whole community comes out,” she said. “Everybody steps up to the plate.”
Hagey offered a special thanks to the more than 50 businesses, farms, shops, and organizations in and around Burlington Junction alone that contributed both volunteers and cash to the event, which also received support from about 150 other sponsors across northwest Missouri and southwest Iowa.
“The businesses in this community support us so well,” Hagey said, “People just open up their hearts and their pocketbooks.”
A second Nodaway County tractor and truck pull scheduled over the Fourth of July weekend by the Graham Lion’s Club at the Dakota Bronc Sisk Memorial Arena was cancelled Saturday due to rain. Organizers said there are tentative plans to set a new date in September.
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Josh Ogle of Hopkins is shown sitting in the cockpit of his 6,500-pound hot rod Farmall pulling tractor just before rolling up to the starting line during Friday’s Burlington Junction tractor and truck pull.
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Cody Blackford, center, president of the Nodaway County Cattlemen’s Association, spent the evening flipping hamburgers and turning hot dogs during Friday’s Burlington Junction tractor pull. The association was among a number of businesses and civic groups helping out with the event, which raises money for scholarships and various community needs.
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Tractor-powered shuttles like this one were used to transport hundreds of spectators from downtown Burlington Junction to the city park in time for Friday’s annual Kiwanis Club truck and tractor pull. Over the past 38 years, the pull has raised thousands of dollars for scholarships, charities, and various projects benefitting both the West Nodaway School R-I School District and the community at large.
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While the motor is the main thing for most tractor pull participants, pride in their big machines leads many competitors to decorate their rides with fancy paint jobs and slogans. In addition to the “Ice Cold Deere” pictured here, other tractor names at Friday’s Burlington Junction pull included “One Piece at a Time,” Blood, Sweat ’n’ Deere,” “The Gambler,” and “Red Majesty.”
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Scott Hill of Hamilton smiles behind the wheel of his hot rod-class 460 Farmall tractor, which he named “Hypertension” because “It gave me high blood pressure just to build the thing and run it.”
