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Hernando Today

Tractor Pull New Treat In Town

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: October 6, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - For some in the audience Saturday, a tractor pull was something fresh and new.

For some others, it is a serious hobby that spares no expense.

Some tractor motors cost upwards of $7,000, said Richard Klimas of the Hernando County Cattlemen's Association, which sponsored the event.

In the afternoon, children took a crack at crossing the finish line.

By 6 p.m. that night, the bleachers at the Hernando County Fairgrounds were closer to full capacity.

"You tell me that's not worth a million bucks," said Klimas as he pointed to 4-year-old Colton Conrad.

The youngster might have been too small to manipulate the tractor by rocking forward or by leaning hard to the right the way a grown man would. That didn't deter Conrad. He smiled and drove his tractor forward with full force while his father coaxed him.

The weight being dragged behind the tractor looked a little like the flat bed of an 18-wheeler. The object of the competition is to build enough momentum, horsepower and torque to pull the weight across the finish line.

"That's where the driving comes in," said Klimas, who kick-started plans to hold a local tractor pull two years ago.

Several were stopped short of the finish line, but that is expected. Those who do not make it the full length of the dirt track did not necessarily go home empty-handed.

The biggest trophy of the night went to the one who put on the best show. Showmanship is a key component at such an event. The driver who kicks up the most dirt, leans the most to his left and right and gives the crowd a reason to cheer received the Best in Show trophy.

"People look at that thing and ask, 'What do we have to do to get this?'" Klimas said.

Several in the stands had not had much experience watching tractor pulls.

"I've been to a couple before and it's nice to have one here," said Morgan Patterson, of Citrus County.

To him, it's all about the roar of the engines.

"It's fun," he said. "It's the motors ..."

"It's a guy-toy thing," interrupted his wife, Jean Patterson. "Let's get real."

She laughed along with her burly husband. The two were seated close to the finish line and near the front of the bleachers. They had no plans to go anywhere for a while. The main event was going to begin in two hours.

Sam Sikes is the president of the Cattlemen's Association. He donned a cowboy hat and rested his folded arms along the gate as he watched a 7-year-old attempt to clear the finish line.

He was asked why the annual rodeo was replaced with another Southern-themed spectator show. He clearly had had enough of that question.

"We don't want to hear no more about the rodeo," he said. "Other counties were doing the (tractor pull). It's a good crowd pleaser. We wanted to get in with a new event."

He believes the same as Morgan Patterson and his wife. Loud motors put spectators in the seats.

"It's the same with drag racing and any other racing sport," he said as a smile emerged on his face. "We wanted to do something the whole family could enjoy."

Saturday's event raised money and awareness for the 4-H Youth Development Program.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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