Russ' Vintage Iron

Let me first off say that I am not the most political person in the world. I vote at most every election but my life certainly does not revolve around who is running for local, state or national elections.

What does politics and vintage iron have in common, you ask? For me a few weeks back both topics just about collided, literally and figuratively.

Let me explain.

Every year in June, like many small towns across the country, my hometown has its annual celebration. Elkhorn (Neb.) Days features many activities over a long weekend, capped off by a parade through town on Saturday morning.

I have written about taking our vintage tractors to the Elkhorn Days parade as well as other local events over the years.

Even though I live nearly 30 miles to the north now, I usually try to take my grandpa's last tractor, 1958 John Deere 620, back to the area where it spent most of its life. Of course, with Omaha growing westward, the fields where it once planted, cultivated and harvested are now mostly housing developments, shopping malls and golf courses.

As I am sure many of you know, when you participate in a parade there is a staging area where everyone lines up in the proper order before the parade begins. This usually involves driving by and sometimes around groups of people and their floats.

I was a bit slow getting down there, unloading the tractor and driving to the line-up area so my path through this area had many obstacles. Later I would see an old friend and she told me she couldn't believe people in other vehicles were passing me in the line-up area but when you are driving a 56-year-old tractor whose top speed is barely double digits, you are going to be passed by every single car.

With small town parades come the local and state politicians walking the route, kissing babies and shaking hands. This year one of the two people running to be the next governor of the state of Nebraska was at the parade, Republican candidate Pete Ricketts.

For those of you not familiar with Mr. Ricketts, his family founded Ameritrade, a very successful Omaha-based brokerage business, now called TD Ameritrade. The Ricketts family also owns the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

In the Republican dominated state of Nebraska, Mr. Ricketts has a pretty good shot at being the next governor of Nebraska. He faces Democratic nominee Chuck Hassebrook, the former executive director of the Center for Rural Affairs in Lyons, who I have actually interviewed several times in the past.

Anyway, as I drove my grandpa's old tractor through the line-up area, I saw there was an SUV decorated with "Ricketts for Governor" signs. There were many people around the vehicle with shirts with the phrase on them.

As I got even with the parked Ricketts car (and as other people are still attempting to pass me) I see a few people walking out into the street from in front of the vehicle. Among the people was Mr. Ricketts himself.

I pulled the hand clutch to stop but luckily the group saw me coming and ducked back in front of the car. And Mr. Ricketts gave me a hearty wave as I went by and did not run him over.

While I have come a lot closer to running into other cars and people with tractors on road in the past, my first thought was if I had hit the possible future governor of the state with a restored Johnny Popper tractor this situation would have made for some interesting headlines in the state and across the country's newspapers and cable news networks.

"Nebraska Gov. Candidate Mowed Down By Tractor at Small Town Parade"

"Ricketts Plowed Under By Old Tractor"

"Man Held for Assaulting NE Gov. Candidate with Vintage Tractor"

Luckily I don't have to worry about these possible headlines, but these were my first thoughts as drove to the spot where the antique tractors were assigned for the parade.

I told my dad, Roger, and my 9 year old son, Kyle, this story as they were already in line with my dad's 1957 John Deere 520. Dad has a larger seat that two people can sit during events like parades, which is why Kyle was with him.

In my dad's understated way he said, "Well, that would have been bad!" True.

Kyle, in his 9-year-old-way, said, "Who is Pete Ricketts?"

(AG/BAS)

Copyright 2014 DTN/The Progressive Farmer. All rights reserved.