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Wheels turn after rain stops
By JORGE SANCHEZ, Times Staff Writer INVERNESS -- The annual tractor pull and antique tractor display got off to a soggy start Friday but was still able to draw a sizable crowd over the weekend. Now in its third year, the tractor pull helps the Citrus County Fair Association raise money for scholarships. The tractor pull scholarships are granted to students who participate in the Youth World Division at the Citrus County Fair. The tractor pull's Friday evening events were canceled after a strong rainstorm moved through Inverness and dumped several inches of water. "We just felt it wasn't fair to the spectators and probably not safe conditions for the tractor drivers," said Jean Grant, fair manager. After Friday's events were canceled, Grant said, "I had to give back a lot of money to people, and that's something that I hate to do." But the fair weather returned Saturday, and with it came the large crowds. "As soon as the sun broke out Saturday afternoon, we had a good crowd," said John Barnes, a fair board director. The crowd was also large for Sunday's pulls, which were held beneath threatening gray skies. Both sides of the bleachers at the Van Ness Livestock Pavilion were nearly full with spectators. The tractors hooked up to a large motor-powered sled and tried to pull it down the length of the track. The trouble is that the sled has a motorized weight which moves forward, making the sled dig into the ground and causing the tractor's back wheels to lose traction. The sight of a large tractor with its front wheels raised about six feet off the ground as it struggled to pull the sled drew applause and cheers from the audience. The show attracted about 103 tractors, both in the pulling and exhibition categories, Grant said. The antique tractor display also drew many people. The early tractors, while not built for comfort, are still capable of doing farm chores. Former Sheriff Charley Dean was showing off his green 1959 John Deere tractor. It has a metal enclosure around the driver's cockpit, which makes it look like a dragster. "This tractor has been here in Citrus County since it was first bought," Dean said. "It's worked orange groves and peach orchards, and I still use it to pull a chopper from time to time." Dean wanted to enter the tractor in the pull, but said past experiences convinced him not to. "It's the tires. These are fine for going through sugar sand, but in that clay they just gob up and then forget it," Dean said. "I'm going to get the right kind of tires and then pull. You just can't go out there and hook up; I learned that already." The tractor pull is not a sanctioned event. "We like it that way," Grant said. "That way it becomes a fun event, a family event, without having to worry about raising cash prizes for the drivers. And still, they came from Ohio, Mississippi, Georgia and many other states to participate." Grant said Sunday the pull was a financial success. "We'll be looking to add more scholarships besides the three we gave out last year," she said.
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