Staff Writer
Farm tractors will venture out of the fields this weekend, hitting the roads instead to take part in the Northern Maine Antique Tractor Club 2009 Tractor Trek.
The event is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, starting in Fort Fairfield at 9 a.m. The group of antique tractors will then travel from Fort Fairfield to Caribou and on to Presque Isle, before returning to Fort Fairfield.
“This will be a 47-mile trek with all antique tractors. Once in Caribou, the group will stop for a coffee break, then proceed to Presque Isle where we will have a barbecue in the Marden’s parking lot. The tractors will be displayed there until about 1 p.m.
At that time, we will parade down Main St. and trek back to Fort,” said event organizer Cheryl Boulier.
Proceeds from the event benefit Hospice of Aroostook. Participants will start in Fort, travel Route 161 to Caribou and then take Route 1 into Presque Isle, returning to Fort via Route 167. The Washburn Beavers’ ATV Club will be handling the cooking at the barbecue in Presque Isle.
The event is open to the public.
“Anyone who would like to honor a loved one who has died may submit the loved one’s name to be place on the Memory Board for $25 by July 15. Please be certain to provide correct spelling of names. Checks can be made payable to Hospice of Aroostook,” said Robin Holmes, event organizer.
The Memory Board will be mounted on a 1952 International truck, nicknamed ‘Ole Yeller,’ that will lead the trek. Organizers hope to display the board at the Aroostook Centre Mall following the event.
The event is open to the public, but some qualifications apply for participating in the trek: participants must be a club member with insurance to drive an antique tractor in the trek; and any club member may accept pledges for a driver in the trek, with proceeds benefiting Hospice of Aroostook.
For information on Visiting Nurses of Aroostook and Hospice Aroostook, contact 498-2578 or 800-439-1685.
“Hospice of Aroostook is just one of the many agencies providing a vital service that relies on donations to be able to do all they do,” said Boulier. “Our club has found this event to be enjoyable on one side, being able to view the countryside at a much slower place than usual, but bigger still, it is also very rewarding as well.”
