Top of the Morning, June 13, 2024

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Before he died in September, Daryl Huffstutler enjoyed one last tractor pull at the Newman Freedom Festvial — a wildly popular event he helped bring to town in 2016. Waiting for him at Memorial Park was a surprise gathering of family and friends who unveiled a road sign reading “Daryl’s Track of Dreams.” Huffstutler took it all in from a side-by-side as a big crowd erupted.

“Very emotional,” said Newman’s Joe Bush, a close friend who helped organize the track dedication. “We wanted to do it before he passed.”

The tractor pulls return at 6 p.m. Friday (Illiana Pullers Association) and continue Saturday (antique tractors) as part of an annual festival that runs through Sunday. Attendance has grown each year since Huffstutler and Terry Payton introduced the high-powered spectacle to the Douglas County village. The lure includes a meticulously cared-for black-dirt track and free admission, said Bush, who runs the event alongside Jeremy McGee and Cody Bosch.

“It takes a lot of hard work,” said Bush, estimating it takes $20,000 to pull off each June, “but it’s a big show and a big deal.”

Email Jim Rossow at jrossow@news-gazette.com