Story originally printed in the Tomah Journal or online at www.tomahjournal.com
Published - Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Tomah tractor pull still draws plenty of fans
Attendance was down slightly for the first two days of the Wisconsin Dairyland Super National Tractor Pull in Tomah, but there were still plenty of fans to keep volunteers busy in the Tomah Gridiron Club’s food & beverage both.
“Between shows it gets crazy,” said Brian Moravec, who grilled hot dogs, bratwursts and hamburgers for hungry fans. “Food (sales) are going pretty good. Right now, the food is up, but our drinks (soda, bottled water and Powerade) are down.”
Gas prices and a limp economy have had only a marginal impact on the Dairyland Pull, the biggest event on the National Tractor Pull Association circuit. Advertising Manager Julie Zebro was happy with how the first two days unfolded.
“Things are going very well,” Zebro said Sunday afternoon. “We’re down just a little a bit from last year. We don’t know exactly why. Obviously, the gas prices are part of it.”
Zebro, who will have the final attendance figures tabulated early this week, said the recent flooding has also complicated matters. She said highway closures in Wisconsin and Iowa have made it difficult for fans to reach Tomah. Interstate 94 between Milwaukee and Madison didn’t reopen until Friday.
“There were a lot of calls to our office about what roads to take,” Zebro said. “There was obviously some indecision on the part of some fans due to the roads and the weather.”
Gas prices have also impacted competitors. Zebro said there are fewer competitors from the northeast but added that overall participation is steady.
If gas prices had a negative impact on attendance, Zebro suspects they boosted the number of campers at Recreation Park. She estimates over 500 campers have set up sites for the three-day weekend, and their accommodations range from deluxe RVs to simple tents.
“The campground is up, and we really don’t know for certain why,” Zebro said. “Maybe some people who would have gone home and come back decided to stay because of the gas prices.”
The tractor pull is a huge boost for area service clubs and organizations. Moravec said the Tomah Gridiron Club nets roughly $2,000 from the pull.
It’s also a chance for Tomah High School football players to volunteer their time. More than 40 players, varsity head coach Brad Plueger and his staff and a half-dozen parents are involved in the cooking and selling.
“I think the players enjoy coming out here,” Moravec said. “When they come here and help out, they feel like they have an ownership in the program.”
Weather was only a minor problem through the first four shows. Friday night’s show was halted after three hours, but enough pulling was completed to pay out the purse.
Wisconsin State Department of Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble visited the pull Friday, and Zebro said Friday afternoon’s Kid’s Day was a success.
“Kid’s Day was great,” Zebro said. “We ran out of t-shirts, and they ate us out of hot dogs.”
All stories copyright 2006 Tomah Journal and other attributed sources.