Tractor troop treks east

    It rained on the planned Friday night parade, canceling the formal exhibition, but Holyoke community members still had a chance to check out the antique tractors at the Vets Club Saturday, June 3, before the machinery was roaded to Wallace, Nebraska.
    About a dozen tractors of every color were represented in the first leg of the Nebraska Antique Farming Association’s Trans-Nebraska Tractor Relay, which began in Holyoke. An old orange Case tractor, shined-up red Farmalls, a green John Deere and a blue Ford were all in the mix, along with a couple of patriotic paint jobs — one tractor painted to look like the American flag and another in black, dedicated to prisoners of war and those missing in action.
    The relay, which will take nine days and end in Plattsmouth, Nebraska, benefits veterans through Operation Comfort Warriors.
    Many community members came to see the collection parked at the Vets Club before it headed east out of town on Highway 6, and some hurried out to meet the tractor troop again as it traveled north on County Road 41 to take Highway 23 into Nebraska.
    Most of the starting tractors were only along for one or two legs of the journey, but others intended to drive all nine days and then some. “Some of us red guys are heading clear through to Des Moines, Iowa, for an International Harvester convention,” said Bob Golding of Stratton, Nebraska, who was driving one of the McCormick Farmalls.
    The Trans-Nebraska Tractor Relay has taken place every year since 2012, and a different route is taken each year.