RANDOLPH, Minn. — It didn't feel much like spring on April 11, the morning of the Randolph FFA Tractor Parade.
But the farmers and students driving their tractors around the city blocks knew it had arrived.
For 15 years now, the FFA chapter at Randolph High School has put on a tractor parade at the start of spring. The chapter's reporter, Collin Emery, said it started small and has grown into a big event.
"We started it because there were a couple kids who wanted to drive their tractors to school, and Mr. (Ed) Terry (the school's agriculture teacher and FFA adviser) suggested that we __have a parade," Emery said. "It's pretty much to start off the planting season, give an official kickoff to spring, and to support local farmers and our FFA chapter. Our first year, we had 27 tractors, and last year, we had 127."
This year's parade included people all over the age spectrum driving the tractors. Not to mention, the tractors themselves were of varying ages, too.
"Pretty much every farm kid that goes to Randolph drives a tractor (in the parade), and every local farmer who wants to can bring their own tractor," Emery said. "Anyone can come if they want to. Any size, any color, any year of tractor. We've had tractors from 12 horsepower to 600 horsepower."
Although temperatures hovered in the mid-30's, making it a chilly morning to watch the parade, everyone agreed it was an improvement over last year's snow.
