CENTERVILLE —
The tractors, up to 537, are coming to South Central Iowa June 24-27 for the WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride. With more than 750 participants, and another 400 plus family members, this event promises to get people talking tractors.
“We are really excited to use Centerville 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 24. Tractors will be parked on Sunday at the Appanoose County Fairgrounds with registration beginning at 11 a.m. The evening meal will be around the Square in Centerville. According to Van Vark, tractors and participants will begin rolling in sometime around 8 a.m. and continue arriving throughout the day.
“Sunday is our gathering day, where the participants register, get their tractors shined up and this year will spend time sharing stories and remembering Mark Pearson.”
We encourage the public to come and look over the tractors, visit with the drivers, look through our sponsor display area plus help us remember our best friend, founder of the WHO Tractor Ride and Big Show Host, Mark Pearson.
• Monday, June 25: Centerville to Corydon for lunch with stops at Mystic and Seymour.
Monday, June 25 the tractors start rolling at 7 a.m. toward their lunch stop in Corydon.
“We’ll roll tractors out every 20 minutes on Monday morning. We find that putting some space between the groups helps with traffic control on the highways,” Van Vark said.
With nine total tractor groups, Van Vark hopes to have the last tractors leave the Appanoose County Fairgrounds around 10:30 a.m.
The beauty of South Central Iowa begins early, with four groups of tractors having a morning break in Mystic on Main Street, sponsored by Valu Built, then on to Seymour for a second break. While the other five groups of tractors head south to Seymour for a break, which is sponsored by all the community churches. All nine groups will meet at the Wayne Community High School for lunch and the Big Show sponsored by Shivvers. After lunch, we’ll head back in opposite directions they came from, taking breaks in Seymour and Mystic. Tractors will start arriving back at the Appanoose County Fairgrounds around 3:30 p.m. with the last group arriving at 6:15 p.m.
Van Vark encourages the public to come out and view the beautifully displayed tractors Monday night at the Appanoose County Fairgrounds. The evening meal will be served by the Chamber and other local groups at downtown around the Square.
• Tuesday, June 26: Around Rathbun Lake.
On Tuesday, June 26, tractors begin rolling out of the Fairgrounds at 7 a.m., as they head toward the town of Walnut City and the church that will also serve as our picture site. Tractors will take over the church area as they have breaks between 8 a.m. and 11:25 a.m. From there it’s on for a drive across the dam and the beautiful Rathbun Lake area. We will stop for a second break at the Bridgeview Park between 9:30 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. Lunch will be served by Honey Creek Resort at the new open pavilion area. Tractors will start arriving for lunch at 11 a.m. and continue through 1:40 p.m. Van Vark anticipates the trip around the beautiful lake to be a great experience for all the drivers. The afternoon will also include a break at the Rathbun Land and Lake Alliance/Water Plant. The first group of tractors should be returning to Appanoose County Fairgrounds around 1:51 p.m. with the last group coming in around 4:08 p.m. WHO Radio welcomes the public to come take pictures and visit with the drivers. Tuesday night the tractor drivers will be exploring the community for their dinner plans and taking a look at the area from a seat other than their tractors.
• Wednesday, June 27: Appanoose County Fairgrounds to Moulton to Moravia
537 tractor drivers will begin their last day of the 16th WHO Tractor Ride from the Appanoose County Fairgrounds. We begin pulling out in our nine groups at 8 a.m. We head south on the third day to the Moulton Community for our first break, at the high school. Then we will track back north for lunch at Moravia High School. The folks in Moravia will serve the tractor drivers a great meal between 10:41 a.m. through 1:07 p.m., before the drivers head back for Centerville 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 16 years and plans to continue for many more.
For complete WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride information, visit our website, www.whoradiotractorride.com"www.whoradiotractorride.com.
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Related Photos
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A map showing the WHO Radio Great Tractor Ride routes. Submitted graphic
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June 20, 2012
WHO Radio Great Iowa Tractor Ride comes to southern Iowa for four days
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