On the road again

A dozen antique tractors took to the road Saturday leaving the Old Threshers grounds in Mt. Pleasant early in the morning and driving to Denmark where they joined other tractors for a parade during the Denmark Heritage Days celebration.

They returned through Salem, arriving back at the Old Threshers late in the afternoon after the 67-mile trek.

Following a year of canceled events, the antique tractor owners said it was good to get out again.

Keith Koresco of Salem said he only did two rides last year due to the pandemic.

“I try to go on about a half a dozen, but last year wasn’t a good year,” Koresco said.

He has eight John Deere tractors he has restored. Saturday he was driving his 1953 John Deere 70. Why did he pick that one for the 67-mile trip?

“It’s been a dependable tractor,” he said. “It’s been dependable since we bought it.”’

John Strothman of New London had the most practical device attached to his tractor, which led the 12-tractor parade across Henry and Lee counties. On a trailer behind his tractor, Strothman hauled a port-a-potty.

He successfully led the club to arrive in Denmark before the start of the parade.

“We got here on time,” Strothman said. “At 12 mph, you don’t know how to judge that.”

At 80 years old, Strothman’s age is about average for the Big Creek Tractor Association. He is a founding member of the club.

The youngest on the ride was 11-year-old Elizabeth Mullen of Mount Union who sat on the back of a tractor with her 20-year-old sister, Makenna. Grandpa Walter Mullen was in the driver’s seat of the Oliver tractor.

The girls’ dad, Randy, drove another Oliver.

“I like looking at different houses,” Makenna said.

“You see more at 12 mph than you do at 60,” her dad said. “She’s been on every ride that grandpa’s had.”

Ed Seggerman of Mt. Pleasant took a lot of ribbing when the coil wire on his 1951 G John Deere came loose. He has new wires on order, but on Saturday, a quick fix was in order to finish the trip.

All of the drivers carry tools for repairs along the route.

Each tractor owner has his preference for tractors. There were John Deere, Allis-Chalmers, Oliver, FarmAll and International Harvester tractors. The allegiance to each brand was strong, reflected in T-shirts and the pride in the restoration work each had done.

But behind the good-natured ribbing between the various tractor brand loyalties was a bond that united all of them — a love of antique tractors.

“We’re always going round — red, green and orange,” Seggerman said. “But we all love old tractors.”