By Jessica Dillon
Antique tractors, vintage engines, and community fellowship were on display as the Rangeley Ruritan Club hosted its annual Tractor Day fundraiser.
The event featured tractor displays, vendors, a swap meet, and food sales, with proceeds supporting the club’s community projects and scholarship programs.
Bruce Severance said the fundraiser helps the organization continue its service work throughout the area.
“We have scholarships that we give out at least a couple of times,” Severance said. “We’ve done work with the Henry County Area Agency on Aging.”
The club also has supported local schools, including Carver Elementary School and Fieldale-Collinsville Middle School.
Preparing for Tractor Day took several days of work, according to Severance.
“We worked Thursday and Friday, lining things up pretty much all day,” he said.
The effort paid off as a steady stream of visitors attended throughout the day.
One of the challenges of the event is transporting the tractors to the site, said Phillip Earles, club president.
“It’s kind of a headache, because you have to haul one at a time,” Earles said. “Sometimes I haul both of mine.”
Earles and his brother regularly participate in tractor-related events, including Antique Farm Days in Rocky Mount.
“My brother, he’ll have to go to the farm and pick up his tractors,” Earles said. “And he’s got to haul them one at a time. And we haul all the way up to Rocky Mount on warm days.”
Despite the work involved, Earles said the hobby is rewarding.
“We just enjoy doing this stuff,” he said. “It gives us something to do.”
Funds raised during the event will help support the club’s ongoing projects, including maintenance needs at its facilities.
“I noticed just the ceiling’s about ready to come down in one of them,” Earles said, referring to one of the club’s storage buildings.
Among the tractors on display were several John Deere models and a rare Dexter tractor.
“I have one Dexter,” Earles said. “They were made in England, and the only way they were able to be flown into the United States is if they put a Ford decal on the hood.”
Attendees also had an opportunity to see a working engine dating to 1915. Tractor enthusiast Cletus Earles demonstrated the antique engine and explained its role in early farm life.
“It’s amazing that they built something like that in 1915,” he said. “It can run all day on half a pint of fuel. Back in the day, the farm was about one engine, and then belted up to washing machines.”
Cletus Earles has spent years collecting and restoring tractors. His dedication to the hobby continued even after a serious accident involving one of the machines.
“I stayed in the hospital for nine days,” he said. “Rehab, two weeks.”
The Rangeley Ruritan Club plans to continue its fundraising efforts throughout the year. Members said they hope to partner with the Fire Museum to host a carnival before the start of the school year. Additional details are expected to be announced in the coming months.
