Visit the Villages Tractor Trek

Saturday July 12th was a great day.  Visit the Villages Tractor Trek had 49 tractors registered for a road trip that began and ended in Reinland at the Community Centre.  The route took the drivers from Reinland to Schoenwiese, then north to Gnadenthal and from there to the Blumengart Hutterite Colony, then west to Friedensruh, turned north to Reinfeld and then west to Winkler.

The day began with breakfast at the Community Centre and some opening ceremonies that included Music Therapist Joel Klassen singing Murry McLaughlin's "Dusty Old Farmer" and a Trekkers prayer by Sommerfeld Mennonite Church Bishop Dave Wiebe.

 

 The whole group stopped for lunch at the Blumengart Hutterite Colony where everyone was very well fed and treated to some singing by three different groups of young singers.  After leaving the dining hall, everyone made their way out to the yard and about a dozen Trekkers tried their hand at balancing their tractors on a balance beam.  The winner was Andrew Pauls driving a John Deer 830 owned by Elmer Friesen from Rosenort.

Once the entourage arrived in Winkler, they were treated to a tour of the Lode-King Industries.  Lode-King produces a premier line of grain trailers and flat deck trailers for over-the -road use.  Their trailers are marketed and shipped all across Canada.

After the visit to Lode-King the drivers made their way back to Reinland Community Centre for supper and the handing out of prizes for Best Original Restored which went to Adam Glenn on a John Deere 3010, Best Non-Restored going to Bev Dyck on her John Deere 70, Smoothest Running going to Johnathan Penner on his IH McCormick W-4.  The Trekkers also had an opportunity to vote on the tractor they believed to be the nicest of the bunch.  The winner was Ben Friesen's Massey Ferguson Super 90.

The purpose of this ride was to raise funds for the work of Eden Health Care Services.  Collectively at the time of this writing $57,000 has been received.  Eden Foundation extends thanks to all the Trekkers, the people who pledged and donated funds to the trekkers and also to the corporate citizens who together are responsible for having made this 2014 Visit the Villages Tractor Trek a resounding success.