Dan Kes could see his children and grandchildren watching from the sidelines as he approached the Pioneer Power dirt track on his trusty Farmall 560. The ruby red tractor let out a roar heard throughout the arena as he revved up the engine.
With a heavy sled dragging behind his vehicle, Kes’ wheels inched forward down the track. He picked up speed. Smoke shot out of the exhaust pipe as he gained momentum. His adrenaline was pumping. Wind and smoke blew past Kes’ face and the Lonsdale grandfather barreled into a second place finish at the Pioneer Power Summer Pull.
For Kes, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of hurtling down the track atop his trusted “Hufna Hauler,” as he calls his tractor. It’s why the Lonsdale farmer has spent the past 10 years tinkering with his tractors to make them ready to run fast and hard for events like Sunday’s 12th annual Pioneer Power Summer Pull.
Kes was one of around 130 competitors to hit the Pioneer Power Showgrounds on Sunday, and he didn’t walk away empty-handed. He collected a pair of second place trophies in the 5,500 and 6,000 open classes. Not a bad haul for Kes, who picked up pulling after his kids moved out of the house.
“I grew up on a farm and always enjoyed [tractor pulling]. I got married pretty young, but I always wanted to do it,” said Kes. “When the kids grew up it's my turn to have fun.”
But Kes doesn’t just enter tractor pulls for his own sake, it’s also an opportunity for him to spend time with his family. His adult children and grandchildren come out to see him ride in every pull and he hopes that one day his grandkids will be the ones behind the wheel.
Kes’ family made up some of the approximately 700 attendees who came out to the Pioneer Power Summer Pull. Despite the hot and muggy weather, Summer Pull Coordinator Gavin DeVine estimated the pull had an even larger audience than last year. It was a showcase of just how popular the summer pull remains, regardless of humid temperatures or cloudy skies.
“There's been some good years and not so good years, but it all balances itself out,” said DeVine. “You get to meet a lot of good people and a lot of old friends.”
The event, which first took shape as a means of maintaining the Pioneer Power Showgrounds’ track ahead of its August tractor pull, regularly brings drivers from across the region to compete in 14 different categories featuring tractors, diesel trucks and semis. Longtime tractor pull veterans took to the track alongside fresh faces like 19-year-old Landen Flemming.
In his second year at the Pioneer Power Summer Pull, Flemming rode his 4020 tractor into a fifth place finish in the 8,500 class. Since he picked up tractor pulling in his late teens, Pioneer Power has become one of the Waldorf driver’s favorite competitions, being relatively close to home with a friendly community of pullers.
“It's fun to get out and see other people and you meet different people,” said Flemming. “I’ve enjoyed watching [tractor pulling] since I can remember. It’s something to do off the farm but still part of what you’re used to.”
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