Driving on 19th Street SE Saturday afternoon, you couldn’t help but notice that some vehicles that were heading east were just something different than what you ordinarily see. PHOTO: Vicki Hearn fuels up her tractor, painted to look like a cow. Story, photos and video by Jodi Spear and Kelly Meyer.|
Story, photos and video by Jodi Spear and Kelly Meyer.
Driving on 19th Street SE Saturday afternoon, you couldn’t help but notice that some vehicles that were heading east were just something different than what you ordinarily see.
Four, all different colored tractors were driving towards Kum & Go to fill up. (PHOTO, RIGHT: Vicki Hearn fuels up her tractor, painted to look like a cow.)
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Leading the pack was Keith Hearn. After he filled the Super C Farmall that he was on, Keith said, “Ellyn, the Activity Director at the IOOF Home, contacted me to bring in a few tractors to show to the residents. We just got done showing them.”
After asking if I could get a few picture of their multi-colored parade of tractors, Keith asked, “Is is okay if I call my wife, she’s on her way here, and she’s driving one too?”
Well, the more the merrier, so in the meantime, I went to check out another tractor, the Oliver. Driving the Oliver was Kris Hearn, Keith’s son. “There were around 40-50 residents that were looking out the window of the Sun Room (at the IOOF Home) and probably about 15-20 that came out to get a closer look.”
Mervin Schmidt was on an Allis Chalmer WD45. Mervin didn’t own this particular tractor, but he did have another of his own.
Then we came to the person driving the Minneapolis Moline. When asked his name, the man driving that tractor replied, “Just put down Mr. X. I don’t want my name anywhere because I’m on probation.”
While talking to these men, Vicki, Keith’s wife and Kris’s mother, came pulling in her Ford. I was told that Vicki had nicknamed her tractor “Cow-a-saki”. As she pulled in, I could why. This tractor, which Keith had painted the original colors of red and gray, had also been decorated by Vicki. It was painted white, with black marks like a dairy cow. It had horns, an udder and tail. It also had a unique horn, with the actual sound of a cowing mooing. On the back, there was a custom made bucket seat. This was just too cute. (See video at end of story.)
We were ready to line up the tractors for some pictures, when a black F150 Ford pulled into the Kum & Go parking lot. The couple pulled over and the woman got out and came over to Vicki asking, “Did we miss a ride?” She seemed genuinely upset at the thought of this. After it was explained to her what they were doing, putting a show on for the IOOF Home, she calmed down.
The couple, Phil and Cheryl Benn, are tractor riders too. Phil is the organizer of the Tractor Ride out of Rake. They are planning their next ride sometime around next June.
“Today would have been a beautiful day for a ride,” said Cheryl.
It was time to get pictures of the tractors. After the pictures were taken, the tractors putt, putted out of the parking lot and went their separate ways down the highway.
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