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Published Friday, August 14, 2009 in Local

This weekend in Turin means a street dance and tractor pull

By Sarah Fay Campbell

The Times-Herald

A good old-fashioned celebration is on tap this weekend in Turin at the 15th annual Turin Tractor Parade and Pull.

The fun starts tonight at the town's annual street dance. There will be music provided by Jim McKnight, and Boy Scout Troop 46 will be selling food and drinks.

The street dance runs from 7:30 to 10:30.

On Saturday morning, antique tractors will line up on Will Banks Road at 9 a.m. The parade will start at 10 a.m.

The parade route runs from Will Banks Road to South Hunter Street to Turin Road, and then back to Will Banks Road at the pulling site.

The most popular place for watching the parade is usually at the Community Center on South Hunter Street, said Bill Banks of the Turin Antique Tractor Association, Inc., which hosts the annual event.

The center is where Emcee Jim McKnight will be announcing the information about each tractor and driver as it passes by. There are also some nice shady spots along Turin Street, Banks said.

Central parking will be available in a field near the pulling site, Banks said. The easiest way to get there is to turn off Highway 16 East at the Turin Fire Station and take a left at Will Banks Road. Then, just follow the signs and volunteers.

Large trailers should instead turn right at the pull site and look for the marked parking.

An antique tractor for the purposes of the pull is a model that was produced in 1965 or earlier.

This year, modern tractors will also be competing in the pull. Some modern tractors have competed in the past, but this is the first time there have been official classes for modern tractors.

The lightest weight class will be for modern tractors 9,500 pounds and less. Other classes are 10,500, 12,500, and 14,500 pounds gross vehicle weight.

A 9,500-pound tractor is a fairly big one. If there is enough interest, lower weight classes may be added in future years, Banks said.

"We're trying to get them started with the bigger ones," Banks said. "The guys with the big tractors want to come and show what they can do."

The smallest weight class for antique tractors is 3,000 pounds.

More modern tractors are also welcome to participate in the parade.

This year's parade grand marshal will be Allen Smith, Turin's long-time mayor who retired at the end of 2008.

After the parade, show tractors will be set up for display during the pull.

There will also be toy pedal tractor races for children, starting around noon.

Betty Bryant, Turin's emergency coordinator, will have a table set up to answer questions about emergency awareness and hand out information to help people be prepared in the event of an emergency.

"I thought this would be an easier way to reach the town and nearby areas" and inform them about disaster shelters and the like, Bryant said.

For more information on emergency awareness, contact Bryant at 770-599-1512.

There will also be plenty of food and drinks for sale, as well as event T-shirts. "We've received 10 hams we're going to barbecue," Banks said. "We've got around 800 hamburgers ordered, and 400 hot dogs."

The annual event "is fun for the family," Banks said. "We have tents and we have huge oak trees for shade, so if you get too hot out by the track, you can go over in the shade and cool off," Banks said.

"We've done a lot of hard work and we sure would like for people to come as spectators and bring tractors and participate."

For more information on the tractor parade and pull, contact Banks at 770-599-3611.

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