Modern event showcases tractors

PISEK, N.D. — The small town of Pisek, N.D., was invaded at noon Saturday as a swarm of people roared into town like a group of bikers, completely lining a few blocks of Lovcik Street and causing the community’s population to double in a few minutes.

But besides making almost as much noise as a Harley Davidson, their vehicles didn’t have much in common with motorcycles and reached top speeds of only about 8 mph as they drove through the city in search of a parking spot.

The drivers and passengers were just taking their lunch break at the Top Hat Bar in Pisek after completing the 12-mile trek from Lankin, N.D., as part of the Antique Tractor Ride in Walsh County. This year’s event had 82 registered tractors, the most since it was started in 2007.

One had a flat tire and was unable to make the drive, but a few joined in unofficially before they got started at 10 a.m.

Parade of history

Tom Matejcek drove to town from Lakota, N.D., to look over the line of vehicles. He came to the first event when there were only 20 or 25 tractors, so he said he was impressed with Saturday’s turnout.

“This is quite a deal,” he said.

He has childhood memories of when many of the tractors, now considered antique items, were first offered for sale. Matejcek guessed he has personally owned 15 to 20 different tractors during his lifetime.

He said he still has a few that would meet the event’s requirement to be from before 1960, and some that would fit in quite well at an antique tractor ride, but will probably just remain a spectator in future years.

“I’m getting a little old for this,” he said with a chuckle when asked about driving one next year.

Pat Mersch, a chaplain at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, was perched in a 1937 Allis-Chalmers WC during a pit stop as she said she had never driven a tractor before Saturday. She explained that she grew up in a city, and when asked by a friend if she wanted to drive one of the four vehicles in the ride from the East Grand Forks Heritage Foundation, she jumped at the chance to give it a try.

“When I say this is the first time I’ve been by tractors, it’s the truth,” she said.

She knew how to drive a stick shift, the only requirement the foundation had for her to be a driver, and she said it was pretty easy to pick up the finer points of driving her ride along the way.

This WC wasn’t totally authentic to its factory specifications — it had a makeshift cockpit welded in place when it was given to the Heritage Foundation — but it was the same tractor underneath the homemade addition.

Mersch said she was enjoying the immersion into tractor history that she was experiencing that day. “This is sweet,” she said.

Bigger than expected

Francis Praska, the organizer of the event, said the tractor ride has quickly exceeded his expectations. He was still surprised that more than 80 drivers registered this year, some from as far away as Bismarck and Minneapolis suburbs, especially since the event has mostly grown on word of mouth support.

“It goes to show how people are interested in old tractors,” he said.

The vehicles ranged from fully restored, highly collectible pieces worth more than $10,000 to running but unpainted vehicles that were worth less than $1,000. But with an average value of about $3,500, the fleet that rolled into Pisek on Saturday was quite valuable.

“We have over a quarter million dollars of tractors here,” he said.

He got the idea to start the ride when he saw a TV show about a tractor parade in Nebraska. Praska thought about the old tractor he had sitting around “in the corner of the garage” and how many other antique tractors were stored away in sheds across the region, and decided to do something to make them useful again.

“Otherwise, they sit in the shed and don’t do anything,” he said. “It’s so much fun.”

Praska said he doesn’t quite know what to expect for the next tractor ride, scheduled for July 17, 2010. “I’m satisfied if we get 50, but if we get more, it’s just overwhelming,” he said.

His cousin, Doug Praska, said he would guess the ride will continue to grow since everyone seems to enjoy the unique event. “I strongly suspect there’s going to be a lot more,” he said.

Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com