Canada Day celebrations at Neerlandia were held Monday, July 2, with many from the community and surrounding areas taking in the events.
The day started off with a Toonie breakfast, and throughout the day, a bench show was held in the school, and many youngsters were seen with their faces all painted up. At 10:00 a.m., a resounding rendition of the national anthem was sung, with many voices in the community joining in.
A popular event each year since 2012 was the competitive tractor pulls, held on the old road leading south out of the town. This year, 24 tractors in seven weight classes competed, with a good crowd in attendance to watch.
But this year, there was an air of saddness attached to the pulls. Just a little over a week prior to the event, Ken Wood passed away as the result of a tragic accident. Ken was very instrumental in starting the tractor pull in Neerlandia in 2012, organizing and setting up the event, along with his daughter Kendra and good friend and colleague Terry Dietrich.
As a tribute to Ken, the pulls this year began with Terry Dietrich, operating the row crop Farmall M-TA tractor, pulling the sled the length of the track. At the end, the tractor was unhitched, and Terry drove it back down the track, hat in hand, in a symbolic gesture of tribute to Ken. As he drove past, a tribute to Ken was read out by the announcer.
Ken’s daughters and many other friends and fellow tractor pullers witnessed the tribute, and most certainly, there was lots of emotion and thoughts of Ken as the last tractor he had lovingly restored, drove past and out of sight. It was a fitting tribute to Ken by his fellow tractor enthusiasts.
