The Lucknow Sentinel, 2016-08-17, Page 5Wednesday, August 17, 2016 • Lucknow Sentinel 5
John Kuik, centre, his wife Leda White and members of his family pose for a photo during the
so-called Lucknow tractor parade.
John Kuik, left, and Leda White.
A local farmer poses for a photo while driving a tractor through the rain -drenched streets
of Lucknow Saturday.
Darryl Coote/Reporte
John Kuik looks on as one of his 11 tractors rolls passed him as he sits outside his
Lucknow nursing home, Nine Mile Villa on Aug. 13, 2016.
A total 51 tractors rolled up to Mary's Family Restaurant after the parade Saturday for breakfast.
Lucknow tractor parade was a
`rain dance' the farmers needed
CONTINUED FROM > PAGE 1
The Kuik family then made
their way to Mary's Restaurant
where, to this reporter's surprise,
a total 51 tractors were parked.
"The whole idea was just to
go out for breakfast," said event
founder Mike Courtney, an
Ashfield farmer.
He said he read about other
communities doing this sort of
tractor gathering four years and
though it'd be a good idea for
Huron -Kinloss farmers to do
during a lull in the summer
farming season.
"I read about it. And I phoned a
few people hoping to get eight or
10, and nowwe're getting 50. Then
we had the idea to do the retire-
ment homes, and they really
appreciate it. Then we come out
here for breakfast and this is our
fourth year at it, he said.
Visiting the nursing homes,
he said, was added to the
parade because many of their
clients are farmers and to see
the old tractors again bring
back memories.
An added element to the
event is that throughout the
season not all farmers get to
meet up, he said, and this is a
nice opportunity to do so.
And the fact that it came with
rain, didn't hurt either.
"We were glad to have it so it
didn't bother anybody one bit;'
he said.
Throughout the event, one
could overhear the farmers josh-
ing about the rain with one lady
repeatedly saying that it was the
reason everyone at Mary's was
smiling that morning.
"The rain was much needed,"
said Teeswater dairy farmer Joe
Vansickle. "...we were hurting
pretty good."
Shirtless and soaked, Vansickle
said his second cut of hay could
have been better, and this bout of
rain represents hope, hope the
third veiled will be better.
"What does the rain mean? It
means hope. Hope that we
might get some yield," he said.
Amberley corn, wheat and soy-
bean farmer Wade Lowry drink-
ing a cup a coffee at Mary's said
he too was glad to see the rain,
but it was it was too little too late.
It'll fill out the crops he
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already has, but it won't help
produce others, he said.
"Too late," he remarked. "But
it'll help with what we do have."
He had driven down in one of
his tractors for the event and
said it was a good excursion,
something fun.
"Yeah, it was fun. Something
to do with them (the tractors).
There's not a lot of jobs you can
do with them so you might as
well take it out and have some
fun with them," he said.
Vansickle said he heard about
the parade the night before from
a friend and decided to take out
his old Massey 35 tractor.
"(I had an) Awesome time.
Awesome time," he said.
He said he didn't know what
to expect, but definitely not 51
tractors filling out the parking
lot of Mary's.
For next year he said he has a
couple tractors of his own sit-
ting idle and he might just get
them running call up a few
friends and bring them down
Campbell towards Mary's dur-
ing the fifth so-called tractor
parade.
TI
MES* At The Bruce County Heritage Farm Show
August 19, 20, 21 Paisley
A Family Fun Event!
Demonstrations,
Exhibits,
Good Food,
Entertainment
2 km South of Pailsey on Country Rd.3 See you there!