Over 20 tractors participate in Wayland Area Antique Tractor Club ride

WAYLAND - Members of the Wayland Area Antique Tractor Club gathered Saturday morning for their 31st annual ride through Washington County. Over 20 tractors were featured in the ride over the weekend.

Current club president Rob Swigart, who brought his 1954 Allis Chalmers tractor, said the group has a real sense of 'camaraderie,” which is one of the reasons he enjoys being part of the club so much.

'Almost everybody has a farming background that got them started in it,” Swigart explained.

'I grew up on grandpa's tractors and it's just been a passion ever since. You see a lot of things at 12 mph that you don't see at 60. That's the fun part of the ride,” the club president added. In particular, Swigart said watching crops grow through the season

The club starts riding in June every year and even makes a trip down to Illinois during their riding season. Although things were looking a little uncertain due to the coronavirus pandemic, Swigart is excited it didn't slow their ride down.

'It's great. It's a relief. I think people are tired of being cooped up and ready to enjoy a hobby,” he said.

The ride saw tractor enthusiasts travel from around southeast Iowa. Marvin Johanson, who traveled from Mt. Pleasant for the ride, said he enjoys traveling around and taking part in various rides.

'I travel around a little. I have a trailer - I'm part of a bunch of clubs,” he said as he sat in his 1954 Allis Chalmers.

While most who participated in the ride were from southeast Iowa, the club saw some participants from out-of-state, including Swigart's niece, Annika Kadlec, who traveled from Madison, Wisconsin.

Kadlec, 23, one of the younger riders, said that though she didn't grow up on a farm, she knows the tradition is important to her family.

'I'm a cosmetologist so I work a lot of weekends. I'm down on hours right now so I finally had the time to do it,” Kadlec said, adding it was her first tractor ride with the club.

Kevin Clark, who has been part of the club since the nascent years of the club, brought a 1960-model tractor he inherited from his father. Like many other members, Clark also grew up on a farm.

'It's the heritage and the fun of it,” he said of why it's important to continue doing rides.

For many members, the ride with the club is just one of many they partake in. Ed Seggerman, from Mt. Pleasant, usually goes on upward of 10 rides a year and own a collection of tractors.

'I started riding in 1996. I drive John Deere G 1951, sometimes I'll drive an 8N Ford 1947. I have about 28 tractors,” Seggerman said.

Seggerman added he's increasingly seen more and more young people like Kadlec participate in the rides, which makes him happy and hopeful that the tradition will continue even after some of the older members decide to retire.

'Every club, they're mostly older gentlemen but I like to see the young guys and the ladies. Every once in a while, we get some pretty young girls on rides and some younger guys because one of these days, us older guys aren't going to be around. So I enjoy the camaraderie with everybody,” Seggerman said.