Visitors and tractor enthusiasts explore the Owosso Tractor Parts Tractor Show at Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace Friday, September 18. More than 600 tractors reached the casino after crossing the bridge at 11:15 a.m. from Mackinaw City. (Photograph by Sandy Bounds) More than 600 tractors of all makes and models greeted spectators at Mackinaw Historic Village in Mackinaw City Friday, September 18, as the antique vehicles staged for their second annual ride across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace. The excitement peaked as Max Armstrong, the co-host of RFDTV's This Week in Agribusiness, entered the scene, greeting fans and examining a few of the show tractors. Later, in St. Ignace, he would receive the key to the city from St. Ignace Mayor Paul Grondin.

Most of the tractors were trailered to Mackinaw City, but Larry Oliver of Dimondale drove 325 miles on his tractor in a caravan as part of the Owosso Tractor Parts Antique Tractor Parade and Show. Riding to the bridge crossing with the dozen or so other tractors in the caravan, he said, gave him the opportunity to enjoy the scenery that goes by too quickly from a car. Traveling the back roads, he said, seemed to attract dogs that would chase after the first tractor in the caravan, then the next and the next, until, by the time the last tractors passed by, the dogs would be worn out from all the fun.

Max Armstrong, co-host of television's "This Week in Agribusiness," led the tractor parade across the Mackinac Bridge. Here Dawn Edwards of the Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce presents Mr. Armstrong with a welcome basket filled with local goods. Poking fun at each other and their tractors was another pastime, he said.

For Mr. Oliver, the allure of tractors is clear.

"They're toys!" he said. "If you've got toys, you may as well play with them."

While crowds wander the grounds at Mackinaw City's Historic Village to see hundreds of vintage tractors before their parade across the Mackinac Bridge, Tim Stewart of Lawrence (foreground) takes the opportunity to catch a quick nap before the crossing. While the tractor show is a chance to socialize with other tractor owners, it is also a family event. Linda Dorr of Lawrence said the parade is one of the rare times her brothers and children get together.

She grew up on a farm.

"We drove these tractors," she said. "We helped our parents with them. It's born into us."

As the tractors crossed the bridge into St. Ignace, the drivers were treated to a hero's welcome. Groups of people staked out spots in the grass by the road and crowded along the street, cheering at every one that drove by while snapping photographs.

The show drew a mixed crowd. Some spectators were in the area and dropped by for a look at the menagerie of Deeres, Chalmers, and CO-OPs, while others are experts about tractors and the engines that make them run. Several of the experts traveled many miles to see the spectacle.

Larry Oliver of Dimondale traveled to the tractor parade and show for 325 miles in a tractor caravan. The St. Ignace show marks Mr. Oliver's fifth trip in a tractor caravan. Rudy Hemmor of Cheboygan weaved his way in and out of the lines of farm machinery parked at Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace after the bridge crossing. Having farmed with his father as a child, Mr. Hemmor is knowledgeable about the history of tractors and their mechanics. He said he has always been impressed by the foresight put into their design.

The shape of the tractor, Mr. Hemmor said, was designed so farmers could see the maximum amount of ground beneath them.

The Oliver Hart-Parr model 70 tractors were ahead of other models in 1935, he said. They utilized a six speed transmission while the standard was four. The result was the Oliver provided a smoother ride and made much less racket, he noted.

Mike Shilling attended his first parade across the Mackinac Bridge in his heavily modified Allis- Chalmers tractor. Among the modifications are water bottles for showers, "a skunk to get people off his tail," a phone to call his wife, and a shower curtain that doubles to protect him from the rain. The engine on the Oliver was surrounded by a casing which many other tractors did not have. The casing protected the engine from rain and also added to the tractors appearance and appeal.

A major drawback to the model 70 was the ignition switch, he said. Instead of being installed within easy reach, the switch was placed near the bottom of the tractor, requiring the rider to dismount and walk along the tractor to reach it. The reason for the unusual design choice, Mr. Hemmor said, was to force riders to idle the tractor before turning it off, because the engine valves became white hot from use, and suddenly turning the engine off without idling could warp them. As Saturday evening approached, Ed Socolovitch of Cheboygan was preparing to head home when he was reunited with an old classmate from Pellston High School. The two had attended classes together for three years and agreed to meet again at a class reunion.
Ed Socolovitch (right) poses with John McLarty, an old friend with whom he attended Pellston High School. The two were reunited unexpectedly during the tractor show.
Tractors from across Michigan paraded across the Mackinac Bridge Friday, September 18. The first tractor crossed the bridge at 11:15 a.m. and the final tractor reached Kewadin Shores Casino in St. Ignace at 4:10 p.m., parade grand marshal Ed Socolovitch said.