Farm Bureau to host 30th pedal pull

On a rainy Wednesday afternoon in August of 1993, kids from all over Jackson County took part in the beginning of a new Jackson County Fair tradition, doing their best to pedal weighted-down toy tractors in the first Jackson County Farm Bureau Kiddie Pedal Pull.

Jarrod Bowser was one of the winners of that first event, and he remembered being “proud as punch” to be the champion of the competition for pedalers ages six and seven.

“Being a farm kid and getting to do that was a lot of fun,” said Bowser, who now farms north of Mayetta. “It was fun to pedal that toy tractor with all my might and see which one of the kids was the strongest.”

Another one of the winners was Tayley Snyder Dick of Holton, who got into the event on a dare from her friends and finished tops among competitors aged 10 and 11.

“We didn’t even know the pedal pull was going on,” Dick said. “A lot of girls didn’t do it, apparently because it was a ‘boy thing.’ But I ended up beating all the boys!”

Bowser was also pleased that Farm Bureau provided the pedal tractors for that first pull, since it was a toy he had always wanted to have as a youngster.

“It was a big deal when I was a little kid,” he said.

Thirty years later, the annual Kiddie Pedal Pull remains a big deal for young and old, said Donna Ashcraft, Jackson County Farm Bureau coordinator, who noted that last year’s event drew 175 kids ages four through 12 to pedal their weighted tractors across the finish line, then go back, add a little more weight and try to do it again.

“It’s fast-paced,” Ashcraft said. “It’s a lot of fun to watch those kids enjoy themselves.”

This year’s Kiddie Pedal Pull is likely to be no exception, said Ashcraft, who noted that the annual pull will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, July 17, on the opening night of this year’s Jackson County Fair at the Northeast Kansas Heritage Complex.

“Parents and grandparents love it,” Ashcraft said. “Kids bring their friends and their cousins to watch them. They all seem to have a good time. We’ll see a few tears every once in a while, when someone doesn’t feel like they succeeded, but for the most part, you see lots of joy, lots of smiles, lots of laughter and lots of proud parents.”

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