If I had a Tractor, I’d “Tractor” in the Mornin’
by Edd Merritt, October 20, 2011.....

Heading west down the drive through Dave Nichols’ farm, one was impressed by the natural beauty of this end of East Charlotte. The gravel road made several turns through a verdant field before reaching the bottom of a hill where hundreds of tractors rested across the street from Nichol’s hangar. Inside, the drivers chatted and munched on sandwiches prepared for the occasion of the 11th annual East Charlotte Tractor Parade.
The scene showed where farming has come in the last 60 years with 1950s’ Farmalls outside and a giant combine and airplanes inside. Lucille Garvey and her daughter Heather Manning bridged the time gap with hamburgers and fries.
As an annual event, the parade provides an opportunity for many owners to park their rigs and talk tractors or simply catch up on each other’s doings. Between coffees, one participant was overheard saying to a friend (fortunately with a grin), “Hey, good to see you again. I thought you were dead!”
Not only was there camaraderie, but the day’s weather cooperated to perfection. As the lineup of machines rose one by one over the crest of the hill, the blaze of fall colors in the western mountains reminded us of our region’s agricultural heritage.
Turning left at Ponzo the clown’s direction, the tractors headed north on Spear Street toward Baptist Corners and downtown East Charlotte. Viewers, many sporting shiny bead necklaces, lined the road, some of them families with youngsters waving at the drivers, one of whom commented that looking out at the sea of kids’ faces paying rapt attention to the machines was a thrill for him and made it worth participating in this event. It was East Charlotte’s Mardi Gras.
The parade was 134 tractors long. The oldest this reporter found dated to 1935. New models, replete with computerized cabs, air conditioning and large double tires, joined small lawn tractors, many driven by youngsters. A restored Ford coupe managed to sneak a spot at the end of the parade. As has been true in past years, the tractor makes and models varied tremendously. However, after showing pictures of the machines to my dairy-farmer father-in-law, he easily identified not only the make but the model and how it differed from others similar to it, as well as where and how it was used. Historic details live in the minds of those for whom agriculture was not only a vocation but a lifestyle. Much of it, at this point, is best gained orally.
Several towed hay wagons filled with goblins and pumpkins. Others displayed animals; one sign thanked Carrie Spear for sponsoring and organizing the parade and also thanked our soldiers for contributing to the country’s need. On the lawn across from Spear’s Store, kids petted animals from llamas to calfs while others played in a sand box full of corn kernels. After pulling her child from the box, a mother tipped him upside down to empty his pockets of confiscated kernels. A batch, big enough to fill a large movie bag, hit the ground.
Dick Preston and his appropriately named string band, the Unpredictables, warmed up the crowd before the tractors arrived, and the marching brass and reed Silver Leviathon Band led the parade to the intersection of Spear Street and Hinesburg Road. Once parked on the lawn of Denton’s barn, the tractors were open to another inspection and seat-sitting by anyone so inclined. One could only guess at the thoughts going through children’s minds as they were boosted into the tractor seat to drive their machine through their own field of dreams.
This annual event has come to symbolize and help maintain East Charlotte’s agricultural heritage in ways other occasions cannot.
True to form, Carrie Spear and her fellow planners have already begun envisioning next year’s parade. It and the West Village’s town party are often mentioned as two important elements reflecting our present Charlotte culture. Both grew from a small base idea – the Town party from a sale of used library books, the tractor parade from a desire to display a range of tractor models and sizes – into a way of gathering members of the Charlotte community to mingle, participate and ponder our town’s past and future.
Carrie said Scotty, a young man who came into her store on Wednesday, had 31 cents in his pocket. He put a penny in the penny dish, used the quarter to buy himself a treat and gave Carrie the nickel, saying, “Here’s a start for next year’s parade,” a sincere grass-roots action. Take heed, Vermont Public Radio fundraisers.