Rolling Out Green Carpet

RUSTIC RELICS FALL TRACTOR SHOW AND PULL

One event not affected by the federal government shutdown is the 18th annual fall tractor show and pull hosted by the Rustic Relics Antique Tractor Club this weekend at Morrow.

Regardless of subsidies or the lack thereof in Washington D.C., the show must go on and there is no embargo on fun.

The Rustic Relics Antique Tractor Club is rolling out the green carpet country- style with free admission, lots of shade trees, concessions and on-site dry camping available.

The event will be held Saturday and Sunday at the Nolen Farm in Morrow, which is located at the intersection of Arkansas 45 and County Road 3.

The tractors belong to various club members, who have restored the farm machinery and many enjoy the pulling competition.

“We do a lot of tractor pulling down there, that’s the main part of it,” said H.B. Hutchens, who organizes the annual event along with Roger Hutchens. “There’s even a peddle tractor with a miniature sled for the kiddie pull. They get a big kick out of that, the 4-,5-, 6-,7-year-olds.”

The gate opens at 8 a.m. each day with the kiddie pull happening at 12:30 p.m., followed by the parade of power at 1 p.m. and the tractor pull at 1:15 p.m.

According to H. B. Hutchens, tractors will compete in about 20 weight classes from 2,600 to 7,000 pounds and run anywhere from 3 m.p.h. up to 12 m.p.h. depending on the class.

“There are several [tractor] clubs around here. There’s one at Gentry and one at Porter, Okla. A lot come from Oklahoma and some from Missouri,” H.B. Hutchens said.

Vendors are welcome and food will be available from a local 4-H Club. Visitors are invited to walk into yesteryear by going through the museum located at Nolen farm. Rustic Relic Club members are selling tickets for a 1947 Farmall A-Industrial tractor to add to the excitement.

“We’re going to make ice cream again this year,” H.B. Hutchens said. “We’ve got one of them hit-and-miss 1900 motors hooked up to the ice cream freezer. It runs two freezers, it beats cranking it.”

For more information contact H.B. Hutchens at 479-409-5868 or Roger Hutchens at 479-824-5693.

FILE PHOTO Becca Martin, 8, had the longest run of 37 inches in the kiddie tractor pull at the 2012 Rustic Relics Fall Tractor Pull and Show.